ENERGY STAR® & NFRC

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Will I Be Able To Find The Style And Type Of Window I Want?
When choosing an ENERGY STAR® window or door, you don't sacrifice comfort, versatility or style. Restorations Windows feature ENERGY STAR® approved glass in all our window and patio door options.

What Other Advantages Can I Expect From An Energy Star Window?
Some home furnishings and décor can actually suffer a kind of sunburn when continuously exposed to too much daylight. The ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun can cause fading and degradation of many materials and dyes found in upholstery, carpet, artwork, wood or paint. Our exclusive Ultra-U glass, available for all Restorations windows, can reduce harmful sun damage by up to 75 percent, giving greater protection to your interiors.

ENERGY STAR® windows, by virtue of their design, eliminate draftiness and resist condensation for greater comfort. A well-insulated window also diminishes sound transmission.

How Can I Get The Most Energy Efficient Product For My Climate?
ENERGY STAR® performance requirements for windows and doors are tailored to fit the energy needs of the country's different climate regions - Southern, Northern and Central. The ENERGY STAR® Climate Region Map gives you clear guidelines for determining which windows and doors will do the best job to help reduce heating and cooling costs in your region - and your home. To be sure, crosscheck your window selection with the Climate Region Map on each ENERGY STAR® label. In all cases your decision is simplified; Restorations products meet performance requirements for all three regions.

What Is An NFRC Rating?
All ENERGY STAR® qualifying windows and doors also bear a label from the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC). NFRC provides unbiased energy performance ratings for windows and doors (or "fenestration".) Independent NFRC ratings provide the basis for the ENERGY STAR®'s window performance requirements.

NFRC's labels provide product-specific performance ratings for technical qualities such as U-Factor (the rate of heat loss from your home through the window during the winter), and Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (how much heat your house gains from the sun during the summer.) Just as an EPA sticker on a new car will give you a guideline to the car's fuel economy, the NFRC label on a window gives consistent ratings that can help consumers determine both Winter and Summer performance characteristics. Look for low U-factor and SHGC numbers for highest efficiency performance. (See our label below.)

Can Windows Save Energy?
In a typical house, over 40 percent of the annual energy budget is consumed by heating and cooling. Proper selection of windows and doors can significantly affect how much money we spend or save every year on keeping your homes bright and comfortable.

When you are investing hundreds or thousands of dollars on new windows or doors, you need to get the most for your money. A great way to find the right products for your home is too look for the ENERGY STAR® symbol. ENERGY STAR® labeled windows and doors are twice as efficient as the average window manufactured just ten years ago. These high performing products can help cut your heating and cooling costs, make your home more comfortable and help the environment too. Here are some thoughts to consider when looking for an energy efficient window.

What Features make The Energy Star Window A Good Buy?
New materials, coatings, design and construction features, as well as other innovations, make ENERGY STAR® labeled windows a cost-effective investment. ENERGY STAR® labeled windows and doors are 40 percent more efficient than products required under the most common national building codes. This means you'll be using less energy to heat and cool your home all year, resulting in lower utility bills. There are also environmental benefits associated with choosing ENERGY STAR® labeled windows and other products. Most energy is produced by burning fossil fuels in large power plants. When we use energy more efficiently in our homes and businesses, we also help reduce air pollution.

Look for the Labels

The National Fenestration Rating Council's (NFRC) Energy Performance label is designed to help consumers measure and compare the energy performance of different window brands. Just as the EPA sticker ona new car will give you a guideline to the car's fuel economy, the NFRC label gives consistent benchmarked ratings that can help consumers compare performance characteristics of different window and door brands.

The NFRC Label

Winter - U-Factor In the winter, the lower a window's overall U-Factor, the less heat you will lose through that window. A lower U-factor means you'll use less energy to heat your home, saving you more since your furnace isn't running as much. U-Factor ratings generally fall between .20 and 1.20.		Summer - Solar Heat Gain Coeficient In the summer, a lower SHGC means less solar radiation is admitted through your window. Your home will remain cooler and your airconditioner will not have to work as hard. SHGC is expressed as a number between 0 and 1.
Visible Transmittance Visible Transmittance (VT) measures how much light comes through a window. The higher the visible light transmittance, the more light is transmitted through the window. VT is expressed as a number between 0 and 1.
Condensation Resistance Condensation Resistance (CR) measures the ability of a window or door to resist the formation of condensation on the interior window or door surface. The higher the rating, the better the product is at resisting condensation formation. CR is expressed as a number between 0 and 100.		Air Leakage The lower the number, the less drafts and air infiltration into your home. The lowest number the government assigns is a .1 and Restorations Windows are 70% better than the best industry standard. Any windows with an air leakage number above .3 fail this test.