Question
What is Climatech glass, and is .30u very efficient?
We need to replace the windows in our home. Home is in Monkton, MD. Looking to use double-pane windows.
Answer
Have you checked the air-sealing at the tops and bottoms of the walls?
In many homes, drafty windows are actually a result of "the war in the walls," as I call it.
- If the attic and basement are not perfectly air-sealed, the stack effect makes the home's basement and attic high and low temps equalize, per the laws of physics (which are irrefutable).
- They change from, say, -5 in the attic, and 60 in the basement, and in the middle of the main floor are equal in temperature to the interior air. This forces air to move air indoors by any means available.
The path of least resistance is often the window frame, with walls coming in second.
People assume the windows leak, but that is not the whole story.
Air-sealing perfectly is a much less expensive method of eliminating drafts.
For more information:
Read "Should we insist that our contractor use expanding foam insulation around our new windows?" a Q&A by Carl Seville.
