What Type of Window is Best for Your Home?
There are many styles of new and replacement window available today, from the simple, non-opening picture window, to the complex but functional double hung. With all these options on the market, where do you even start?
Identify the purpose of the window
The first step would be to identify the purpose. What do you want your windows to accomplish? If energy efficiency is your primary concern, then no window will outperform a picture window (though it should be noted that, for efficiency purposes, the quality of construction matters much more than the style of window). If you're looking to let in a lot of light or visually expand the room, a bay or garden window may be just what you're after. If ventilation is your greatest interest, there are opening windows of every form and function for your perusal. In this article, we'll be examining the various window types available, as well as their features and performance.
Sliding windows are arguably the most common window available, and for good reason: they're simple to make and fit almost any function. Sliding windows are those that have one or more horizontally sliding panes, the most common of which is the XO slider, a simple design with one sliding pane and one fixed one. Other variants can include XOX sliders, which have two sliding panes, one on either side of a fixed one; and XOU sliders, which resemble a small XO with a large fixed pane above.
Window Performance
Performance-wise, the average sliding window doesn't rate as well as the average fixed-pane (picture) window. Hinged windows (casement, awning) tend to outperform them as well because of the way the seal is formed when the window is closed: the average slider relies on a friction seal between the sliding and fixed panes, while a hinged window forms a more solid compression seal. However, a well-made sliding window from a quality manufacturer may have an interlocking rail seal, so any relative performance issues would be greatly minimized.
Other Considerations
One other consideration is that the opening pane of sliding (and many other opening) windows have screens across the opening, which is something to keep in mind if you have a home whose view you'd like to preserve clearly. Some manufacturers offer what's called an 'invisible screen,' which is made from a thinner white nylon that's invisible to the eye from a few feet away.
Picture windows are the other most common window type available. There isn't much to them: they feature one or more fixed panes and no opening ones. Due to this lack of opening, they are the most energy efficient window you can choose. Unfortunately, they offer nothing in the way of ventilation. Picture windows also offer the cleanest non-obscured visuals, so they're a great choice for a large opening with a view. Finally, picture windows can be built in the most complex shapes and will often be the only choice for trapezoidal, semicircular, or other unusual openings.
Single Hung Windows
Single hung windows are essentially a vertical slider whose sliding pane can also tilt inward from a pivot at the bottom of the pane. They are typically used in the same general contexts as regular sliding windows, specifically when you want a slider in an opening that's taller than it is wide. Again, a typical single hung has the same performance degradation as a traditional slider unless you find a quality manufacturer with an interlocking rail seal to negate it.
Double Hung Windows
Double hung windows are much like the single hung, except both panes both slide and tilt inward. With most manufacturers, these can be the worst windows you can get as far as energy efficiency is concerned, but some of the best ventilation-wise, since the entire window can open. Their performance issues are the same as detailed above on the single hung and sliding windows, only doubled, as they apply to both panes. These windows do have one uniquely useful function, though: since the upper pane can slide down from the top, they can be used in bathrooms to ventilate the room without opening the window in such a fashion that someone could look inside by just cracking it at the top, which is great for privacy.
Casement Windows
Casement windows are windows with only one pane that swings outward from one side. They offer great ventilation as the entire window opens, and their seals are stronger than those of the average sliding window since they close to form a compression seal.
This seal only grows stronger as wind blows at your home, since the pressure presses the pane into the seal even farther. This leads to less air passing through them, leading to greater energy efficiency. The biggest downside to a casement is that, since the pane must be swung outward to open, they tend to not have screens, which is a problem if you live in an area with insects around. Some casement windows do have screens and use cranks to open them, which are mounted through the screen, creating gaps. These cranks can also obstruct your drapes. Some high-end window manufacturers (LBL comes to mind) offer a retractable screen and a manual pull to fix this drawback. Casement windows tend to cost more than sliders as well.
Awning Windows
Awning windows are essentially a vertically-opening casement. They tend to be small and are used for a few specific purposes, usually installed over doors and in basements to ventilate and let in light. They are almost identical to casement windows both in terms of performance and function.
Garden Windows
Garden windows are box shaped enclosures with four or more panes of glass. These are installed in walls (usually kitchens) as a small greenhouse, perfect for letting plants grow within. Since they protrude from the wall, they're almost always in the sun and gather a lot of light, which can really brighten up a room. They also make a room look larger by visually 'pushing back' the wall. The biggest downside to a garden window is that it has low insulation value on the glass, which is intentional — plants wouldn't be able to grow well if the window deflected the light.
Bay Windows and Bow Windows
Bay and bow windows are types of windows that extend out from the house and let in a great deal of light. They can have 3 surfaces (bay) or more (bow), with a greater number of surfaces producing a more curved look. They can be installed floor-to-ceiling or as an outcropping of the room, either of which would require a home built for it or a structural modification. Alternatively, they can be installed as a self-contained unit that fits into any wall, which requires little to no modification. Like garden windows, they both let in a lot of light and make a room look larger, but unlike garden windows, they suffer no loss in energy efficiency. They can be built with fixed panes, opening panes, or both. The downsides are their greater cost and the potential of modification to the structure, depending on what kind of look you're going for.
Hopefully, this information will help you decide which window suits your purpose best. There are many options, each specializing in something different, each with their own positives and negatives. Utilizing a quality manufacturer can help mitigate these problems, giving you much more freedom in choice, but it's still important to consider the best window for the job.
