Beyond Energy Star
Our product exceeds the qualifications
of the most severe energy star region - Zone D.
We proudly provide a window that is of the highest standards, we have built in improved longevity and our product is easily serviced and maintained. This means it will never need replacing again. All these factors make it a superior choice not only to combat energy consumption today, but as a long-term investment. We have already replaced numerous other so-called high efficiency energy star vinyl windows. Our product is built like a tank and has replaceable santoprene weather-stripping and should never need replacing again. This is not only very economical it is also very ecological (GREEN). There will be less vinyl going into landfills in the future.
Studies for performance levels and product designs have always been geared for the highest populated areas. The areas such as South of the 49th parallel, east of the Manitoba/Ontario border and west of the Saskatchewan/Alberta border are where the mass population lives and these areas typically are a lot milder. Saskatchewan and Manitoba are both known for their extreme temperatures and wind chills. Manitoba and Saskatchewan seldom get Chinooks but frequently get bitterly cold Arctic winds. The majority of Manitoba’s population is basically along and south of Highway 1, whereas Saskatchewan has a very high percentage of population north of Highway 1. Typically the further north, the colder the temperatures and the less winter sunlight experienced. We may not get as much snow as some of the higher humidity areas such as Ontario and Quebec but because of the colder temperatures, our snow can stay well into April and the ice finally leaves our lake in early May.
When selecting windows, consider solar heat gain versus insulating values of glass. Higher R-value or Lower U Value insulating units have less solar heat gain capability. In East Central Saskatchewan in the winter, the Sun will rise low in the South East at 8:30 AM and it will set in the South West at about 4:30 PM. This means windows on the East and West may get 1.5 to 2.5 hours of solar heat gain and the South gets about 7 to 8 hours of heat gain. Even the highest insulating units still do allow some solar heat gain - just not as much as a lower R-value dual clear non coated unit. As far as East Central Saskatchewan is concerned, it is far more critical to insulate against the extreme cold on all sides of the building for 24 hours a day even at the sacrifice of some solar heat gain for 8 hours.
In regard to the Energy Star Program, presently we are considered to be in the same climatic zone as that of the Ottawa valley, which doesn’t make any sense to anyone living in East Central Saskatchewan.
Some observations I have made over the 30 years I have been doing nothing other then residential replacement windows follows:
Nelson Coupland
In the winter when it is –25C to –30C we have gone into home after home with an infrared digital thermometer and tested surface temperatures of walls and windows what we have discovered is:
If you shoot an interior hallway wall that is not being heated by sun or influenced by an exterior wall, the temperature is about +21C (+70F) (basically whatever the thermostat is set at). If we then go to an exterior north facing wall (if it is –25C to –30C outside, it has not seen sun for quite awhile) and it is a 2” x 4” wall without an added on insulation package, the temperature of the wall is about +18C(+65F). Thus an exterior 2” x 4” wall loses about -3C (-5F) degrees of energy. When we test a 2” x 6” wall or a 2” x 4” wall with an insulation package, the inside wall surface temperature is about +19C(+67F) to +20C (+68F), an improvement over a standard 2” x 4” wall of only +1C (+2F) to +2C (+3F). A 2” x 8” or a 2” x 6” wall with an insulation package brings the interior wall up +0.5C (+1F) to +1C (+2F) to +20C (+68F) to +21C (+69F). When we have tested the double wall systems with an air space between the two walls we find there has been no difference in temperature to the interior hallway wall. But for the added cost to build a double wall system, modifying windows, doors and the other problems a super thick wall can cause, we don’t recommend them.
In comparison when we have tested the north windows right beside the wall we tested at the same height off of the floor we found the following:
- Dual Panes ranged +2C (+35F) to +5C (+41F) or –14C (-28F) cooler than the wall
- Tri Panes ranged +5C (+41F) to +7C (+45F) or –12C (-22F) cooler than the wall
- Tri 1(hard coat) LowE 1Arg ranged +7C (+45F) to +10C (+50F) or –10C (-18F) cooler than the wall
- Tri 2(hard coat) LowE 2Arg ranged +10C (+50F) to +13C (+55F) or –7C (-12F) cooler than the wall
- NCW Pre Dec 2007 installed flush to interior wall Tri 2(hard coat) LowE 2Arg ranged +13C (+55F) to +15C (+60F) or –4C (-7F) cooler than the wall
- NCW Post Dec 2007 installed flush to interior wall Tri 2(soft coat) LowE 2Arg ranged +15C (+60F) to +18C (+64F) or –2C (-3F) cooler than the wall
Improving the warmth of the window surface permits the homeowner to have much higher humidity without condensation often eliminating the need to install an air exchanger or heat recovery system to control excess humidity.
Vinyl
Our products are made of virgin UVPVC (no recycled vinyl). Our tests on 12 different window manufacturers’ frames show the vinyl wall thickness of the Northome window to be one of the thickest in the industry (up to 2.3 mm). Other products I have measured in the same areas of the extrusion are down to 1.2 mm. The next thickest to ours that I could find was 2.1 mm in the same areas. There was only one other framing material that was equivalent, but the weather-stripping was co-extruded and the profile was taller providing the purchaser with less visible glass.
Frame design
All the operating window frames we examined had also created a problem of incorporating a dammed area between the centre seal and the interior wall (known as the hardware tower). This dammed area creates a trough where water can gather and not have the ability to drain out. Water can get into this area when the window sash is open during a rain, or in the winter condensation build up and frosting may occur. The only way to get the water out of this trough, where your operator hardware and fasteners are located, is to mop and sponge it up or leave it for the warmth of summer to evaporate. The majority would hold back water up to ¼” deep, our centre seal is on the sash to prevent water hold back.
Weather-stripping
All the other frames examined use conventional flex co-extruded vinyl for their weather-stripping. The Northome window uses inserted and replaceable Santoprene weather stripping, in three separate full perimeter locations. The advantages of Santoprene over conventional flex vinyl co-extrusion as supplied by (ISO 9001 Registered) Acrylon Plastics and Western Profiles are as follows:
| FEATURE | SANTOPRENE | CO-EXTRUDED FLEX VINYL |
| Tear Strength | Good | Good |
| Weather Resistance | Great | Fair |
| UV Resistance | Great | Poor |
| Fatigue Capabilities | Good | Fair |
| Dimensional Stability | Good | Fair |
| Recycled Content | None | Some |
| Stiffening Temperature | -30° C | -13° C |
| Brittleness Breaking Temperature | -60° C | -42° C |
Hardware
Not only have we selected the best hardware we can find to use in our operators, we have selected hinges and locking systems to give us and the homeowner the ability to make minor adjustments to correct minor changes that can occur due to materials settling or nesting in. Buildings and materials are in constant change due to forces from gravity, wind, expansion, contraction, (due to cold and heat) and ground movement (due to ground absorbing moisture or drying out). It is nice to know the hardware can be adjusted so that as we age the locking mechanisms can be made easier to operate.
Sealed Units
AGC in Regina makes our sealed units. The units are the highest performance units possible, to maximize reflection of winter furnace heat back to the home while still allowing moderate solar gain from the sun. All of the sealed units built for us are triple pane, using the newest technology of Titanium soft coat LowEenergy efficient coatings on surfaces #2 and #5, and both the airspaces are filled with Argon gas, which also blocks out a lot of summer heat gain. Usually the outside glass is left clear, but it can be either tinted to maximize the restriction of summer heat gain or the use of rain glass to maximize privacy. When using tint or rain glass the Surface #2 Soft coat LowE is replaced with a tempered hard coat LowE and moved to Surface #3 to prevent thermo breakage due to heat build up that may occur. With the new LowE coatings we have been able to bring the interior glass temperature up significantly over that of the conventional triple and even the triple LowE Argon units that are presently out there. We have found the inside glass temperature improvement is about 15 to 20 degrees F warmer than that of a standard triple pane when it is –25C to –30C outside. Overall R-value improvement from a standard Triple pane to our hi-bred unit is about a 300% to 400% improvement.
Installation
One of the most critical areas to effect performance is the installation and where the new unit is placed in the wall. The closer the window glass is set to the outside, the more wind chill the unit is subjected to and the faster it draws the heat out of the house. The faster the heat is drawn out of the house, the cooler the inside glass becomes and the more susceptible to condensation. By moving the glass toward the inside of the building, a cave is created on the outside, protecting the outside glass from wind chill thus slowing down the heat loss. With the interior glass now being as flush as possible to the inside wall, there will be more warm air moving by the glass, increasing the inside glass temperature and giving the window the ability to handle much higher rates of humidity. The warmer glass also improves comfort when sitting near the window and reduces the heating system’s need to recycle as frequently, saving energy consumption.
