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I'm looking to get new windows, I have an option for Low E windows, which is necessary for the west facing windows. Is Low E good enough, or would window tint also be needed? Some of the window tint I see at home depot got great reviews online, reducing heat and fading by quite a bit. One installer said low E is good enough, additional film would only invalidate the window warranty.
I'm going to assume that in Arizona you fight the heat like we do in Texas. If so, you need to be looking for windows with the Low E Squared rating. The Low E windows will have one layer of silver oxide as the base for canceling heat. It can and probably has other metal oxide coatings but the silver is the important one. A Low E Squared window will have 2 layers of silver oxide and are extremely great at not transferring heat. The ones we install, on a 100F day, from inside with the A/C set at 78F, if you take a laser temp probe and put it on any wall, and then check the temp on the inside glass. You might have as much as 1.5 degree difference. They work extreme good at reducing any heat transfer. They also have the ability to reflect the heat back into the house during the winter cold. At one time we were on the Environments for Living program. That program guaranteed the utility bill of our home buyers to be a certain amount and not to exceed it. We had 2800 sq ft houses with energy bills under $200.00 for our local electrical rate. This of course involved the windows, insulation, radiant barrier, etc. I never heard of any of them going over it. I'd strongly suggest looking into Low E Squared glass. Cardinal is the best maker and the developer of the technology.
What he said ^^^. We had Low E windows installed along with an R-19 Trane air conditioner system and our comfort level greatly increased and our utility costs decreased by over 50%. Went from $375.00 down to $145.00 monthly.
I have Cardinal lowE 366 glass in my sliding glass patio door and a window in my garage. They were the last 2 windows I had replaced. My previous purchases of Low E glass windows were not as heat blocking as the Cardinal glass was. When I decide to replace windows again, I'll be going with Cardinal glass.
We just got Andersen 100 replacement windows with Low E and Smart Sun (I think that's what they call it), here in the south, and we really noticed a huge difference. We set our AC two degrees higher after, and the glass stays cool to the touch.
We tried film on our old windows and it helped a little but I think if you get all the latest solar technology, you'll be happy with it.
We purchased a Simonton 12foot slider.. in the Philadelphia region
Originally I thought "get the most efficient glass I can" but then realized it would have a dark dark tint which would defeat the purpose of putting in all the glass... ha.
Anyway, for you...
Simonton offers a variety of glass options with clear recommendations for the climate region.
I ordered the "North" package.. well actually I'm 99% certain they offered a Northeast package, despite what the link below indicates.
We have a 5-panel window wall which is approximately 15x8 feet.
The cost for film (3M Prestige) was $850.
The guy who installed the window said the low-e glass would cost a lot more.
The film made a huge difference as this wall faces directly East.
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