Without a doubt, choosing to upgrade your Toronto home’s windows and doors to more energy efficient units is a great idea. However, it’s also one of the biggest decisions you will for your home. There is a lot of information about windows floating around out there, and not all of it is correct or constructive. As a home owner, you need the most up-to-date information to help you decide the best course of action for your home. This is why the experts at Brock Doors and Windows have created these tips about the truth of replacement windows, to help you move forward and make your Toronto home as functional as it is beautiful.

Use the NFRC label to determine the energy savings
The NFRC label is perhaps the most important factor to help you choose one window over another. Brock Doors and Windows submit our windows to the unbiased National Fenestration Rating Council in order to obtain the ratings on energy savings, and these ratings are placed on our window labels. In this way, you, the home owner can view the real energy savings capabilities of our windows. Use the NFRC label to find four different rating numbers: The U-Factor, the Solar Heat Gain Coefficient, the Visible Transmittance, and the Air Leakage. The U-Factor tells you the insulation value of a window, with a measurement of the amount of heat loss that occurs through the window. Keep in mind that the lower the U-Factor is the better insulation the window will have.

The material of your window frame is important
The latest technology in windows is a synthetic, vinyl frame, and the reason is because it offers several key advantages over other materials. Since vinyl is non-porous, it doesn’t let moisture or air through, and this makes it an excellent material for window frames. Also, vinyl is not affected by expansion from heating or cooling, therefore it retains its shape and rigidity where it is sealed to the glass. Vinyl is easy to shape, and because of this, advanced grooves and chambering can be applied to the external frame. This provides better insulation and restriction of any undesired flow of air. Probably the best feature of vinyl is the fact that it is available in many different colors and textures, including wood grain. Vinyl windows with wood grain technology look and feel so much like the real thing that most people can’t tell the difference. This is good news for home owners who prefer the appearance and texture of wood but don’t want to deal with the hefty maintenance requirements. In addition, vinyl windows can be fitted beyond the existing wood trim, which maintains the desired appearance but increases your energy savings significantly.

Proper installation is just as important (if not more) as the window you select
Ensuring that your windows are properly installed is just as important as choosing the windows themselves. This is because any energy efficient properties your windows have can be eliminated if they are poorly installed. Brock Doors and Windows have specialized in installation for decades, and we would be delighted to help you with your windows replacement project. Get in touch with one of our friendly experts today!