Vinyl - Energy Saving Home Improvement
The material of the window frame and how it is constructed has a big affect on thermal performance. Heat can definitely be lost through the frame; it doesn’t just leak through the glass portion of the window. Frames made of vinyl and wood perform well; aluminum or metal frames do not.
The structural integrity of the window also relies on the frame. The window’s performance can suffer greatly if the frame cracks or warps. Unlike wood, vinyl doesn't shrink or swell with changes in humidity, so cracking is deterred. The high end vinyl frames have “welded” seams rather than frames that are held together with screws which can loosen over time.
Of all the material choices for replacement window frames available today, Vinyl is still the material with the most market share—holding steady at 64% according to Ducker research. Wood has 27% of the market, aluminum has 7% and fiberglass and "other" have 1% each of the market.
Vinyl windows are made primarily from polyvinyl chloride (pvc), which offers many advantages.
- Less expensive -- Vinyl replacement windows are half the price of comparable wood-frame windows and significantly cheaper than fiberglass windows.
- Look Like Wood Without the Maintenance Issues -- Unlike wood that requires scraping and painting, vinyl frames never need painting or sealing. In addition, with these vinyl replacement windows you can choose from many different colors. Vinyl extruders and finish suppliers are featuring new color and finish options for vinyl replacement windows every day. The color is actually part of the material which makes them essentially scratch resistant. The only downside is that once you choose the color, you cannot change it.
- Energy-Efficient -- Vinyl frames have a honeycomb of chambers that improve insulating ability by trapping air. Vinyl windows have moderate to high R-values.
- Customizable -- Vinyl-frame windows were first introduced in the 1970s to answer the need for custom window sizes not offered by manufacturers of stock wood windows. Today, a variety of units in stock and custom sizes are offered by nationwide companies such as Owens Corning and CertainTeed. Even traditional wood-window companies such as Retrovision from Weather Shield and Monument from Hurd offer vinyl-frame replacement lines.
- High Resale Value -- Vinyl replacement windows and siding are among the top home improvement projects for recouping costs at resale, according to Remodeling Magazine's annual Cost v. Value Report.
Some Disadvantages of Vinyl
- One place where vinyl is generally unaccepted is in historical homes. Traditional wood windows found in historic homes are usually never all the same size and replacing them with vinyl can alter the appearance of the house.
- What’s more, vinyl windows only come in lighter colors and are hard to match to 19th-century homes which traditionally had dark window sashes.