When designing and building your house, windows play a huge role in the function of your home. They allow for natural light, ventilation (passive cooling) and provide for the best unobstructed views especially for scenic locations. If your priority is views, then you may want more larger “picture” windows in your design. If you prefer catching the breeze, you can have “casement” windows strategically placed to direct the air inward or across from each other for better air flow. Of course, large patio doors (such as single or double sliders) are also a way of providing easy outside access, a modern look, and expansive views.
Depending on the time off day, time of year, and the location of your windows in your home, there are many considerations about energy efficiency. Allowing heat to transfer into your home in the winter in south facing windows for example, will allow for passive solar heat gain. In the summer months, reflecting heat is often the focus to keep your home cooler, and therefore you will benefit from having reflective coatings on your glass and by using higher end vinyl frames or metal cladded wood windows which will have a higher insulation value. As energy requirements continue to become more stringent across Canada and the USA, it is more common to provide your home energy calculations or base line window energy ratings to your local authority at permit submission. Tamlin helps you navigate through this process by providing detailed window specifications (such as below) at the time we produce your final permit drawings.
A number of factors will affect the energy rating such as double or triple pane glass, argon gas filled chambers which increase the insulation value, and Low-E glass coatings that will also prevent UV rays from fading your furniture. Other coatings such as LoE-i89 (applied on the inside of the glass), are available. This product essentially turns your double-pane windows into triple-pane performers. As illustrated in the image below, LoE-i89 helps the energy efficiency by reflecting escaping heat back into the room.
For ease of maintenance to keep your windows clean, “Neat-Glass” is another great option. This exterior glass coating provides you with and anti-static surface that reduces up to 40% less dust and dirt, year-round. Essentially, it is like “Rain-X” but permanently for your windows. This helps keep your windows clean for much longer and keeps water residue from building up. (See below).
Choosing the right combination of windows can be challenging and that is where the experience of Tamlin designers can help. You can choose from one of our standard models of prefabricated home designs or you can customize your home with Tamlin. Windows in your Tamlin house package come standard with energy efficient double glazing, Low-E and argon gas in a high-quality vinyl extrusion. Tamlin offers options such as custom factory pre-painting, a variety of energy efficient coatings, folding door systems, and aluminum or metal clad wood windows options.
Our knowledgeable sales staff and designers are happy to answer any of your questions and will work with you to select the best windows to customize your prefabricated home package. We hope to hear from you soon!
