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Long Island homeowners replace their home’s windows for many reasons. The top 3 are enhancing the curb appeal, increasing the resale value and reducing heating and air conditioning costs. Before you head to the showroom to compare replacement window styles and prices, nail down your goals. Replacing windows isn’t something to take lightly. Your decision has long-term benefits, so you really need to do some research. If you aren’t sure what you expect from your new windows, you’ll never be able to choose the “right” style for you. To help you get started, the Renewal by Andersen team put together this list that shows why some styles are better than others in certain situations.
Price matters, but just looking for the cheapest window won’t necessarily help you improve your comfort or the usability of your windows. Compare prices, but please don’t let that be your only determining factor. If you want a window that really captures the breeze, consider casement windows that open from side hinges that almost pull the air inside. Looking to enhance security in your Long Island home? Consider windows and patio doors with multi-point latching systems, recessed locks and window guards that limit how far an operable window will open. Need special handles that make it easier for older residents? Talk to your Renewal by Andersen of Long Island window consultant about which levers and handles work best for people with diminished strength or issues with fine motor skills. Today architects are designing homes for an aging population that have larger windows, which bring in more natural light and improve ventilation to reduce potential health hazards.
Whether you have a view of the water or you’re more interested in watching the seasonal migration of birds and other wildlife, low-profile window styles, like sliding windows and picture windows, expand your viewing area. You can create a panoramic view by replacing a “flat” design with a bow or bay window and augment ventilation with other styles in a room or by flanking a stationary panel with single or double hung replacement windows.
Sometimes you want to improve your view from the inside of the glass. And, at other times, the external appearance of your home maybe need some TLC. Creating a stunning view involves paying close attention to colors, shapes, textures and add-ons, like insect screens and window grilles. Updating your home’s aesthetics is a personal journey. Define your goal clearly so you know whether you want to complement spectacular architectural features, create an eye-popping focal point or present an image that is elegant or playful. Fortunately, Renewal by Andersen of Long Island has dozens of color combinations to choose from, along with four standard grille styles and three distinct grille placement options, patterned glass that adds an artistic touch and geometric replacement window shapes to help you get the perfect look for your home’s exterior.
Which Replacement Windows to Buy If Your Goal Is Improving Energy-Efficiency
The most energy-efficient house would be a structure built with no windows at all because no window has an insulating value that equals a solid, properly built, well-insulated wall. But, you wouldn’t want to live in a home with no windows – the trade offs for saving on your heating and cooling bills would quickly be lost because windows allow you to take in health-giving sunshine and air out your home to remove toxins. And, it would make most people feel trapped if you couldn’t ever look outside.
Installing only picture windows – the kind that don’t open – throughout your home would definitely provide the most energy efficiency, but you would not have any air flow, and you really need at least one operable window in every room large enough to crawl through if there is an emergency that requires a quick exit.
So what do you look for? Check the frame material and the glass. High-quality, energy-efficient replacement windows will always be constructed with low-E, insulated glass. Insulated glass is two panes (or more) separated by spaces, and probably gas filled, that are hermetically sealed to prevent both gas leaking out and outside air sneaking in. According to Energy.gov, low-e glass reduces lost energy potential by as much as 50%, meaning you have better control over what you spend to heat and cool your home. You can also get factory-applied coatings that reduce heat transfer and lower the glare that enters through your windows. It is very important to consider which windows get direct sunlight and which windows are shaded by shrubbery, tall trees or other structures when consider glazing types.
We’ve got all the information you need to make sure you buy replacement windows specifically built with your goals in mind. Whether you have questions about improving the view from the curb, or you want more information about glass types, our Long Island window specialists are happy to answer them. Just fill in the short form on this page, or give us a call at (866) 609-5033.
Learn Everything You Need to Know BEFORE Buying Replacement Windows