Four Seasons Sunrooms is pleased to offer a wide range of ENERGY STAR® qualified products
in our full spectrum of patio enclosures, sunrooms and conservatories
More Than Just Dollar Savings
ENERGY STAR qualified windows, doors, and skylights in Four Seasons Sunrooms do
more than just lower energy bills – they deliver more comfort, create less
condensation, and protect your valuables from sun damage better than
conventional clear-glass double-paned alternatives. By lowering your energy
use, these windows are also better for the environment: The less energy you
use, the less air pollution power plants produce.
Protection from Winter Chills
On cold winter nights, do you avoid seats near the window? Do drafts chase you
from room to room? When the mercury drops to single digits, even tightly sealed
traditional double-paned windows can still make you shiver. The cold, inside
surface of an inefficient window pulls heat away from your body, so you can
feel chilly in a sweater with the thermostat at 70 degrees. With ENERGY STAR
qualified windows, the inside window glass stays warmer, so you can relax in
your window seat even when the temperature outside dips well below freezing.
Shielding from Summer Heat
In summer, do your windows seem like giant heat lamps? Are you denied your view
because you have to keep your blinds perpetually closed? A typical
double-paned, clear-glass window allows approximately 75 percent of the sun's
heat into your home, almost as much as a single-paned window. Windows qualified
for ENERGY STAR in the North/Central, South/Central and Southern ENERGY STAR
Climate Zones transmit only 30 to 55 percent of the sun's heat, usually without
noticeably reducing the visible light. You get the light but a lot less heat.
So you can relax and enjoy the view in summer too.
Protection for Valuable Interiors
Your favorite photograph, half a loveseat, your Persian rug, even your flooring
can fade or discolor after repeated exposure to direct sunlight. An ENERGY STAR
qualified window with Low or Moderate Solar Gain Low-E coatings--the same
coatings that keep out the summer heat--can reduce fading by up to 75 percent.
These coatings are like sunscreen for your house, reducing damaging
ultraviolet light without noticeably reducing visible light.
Information courtesy of the
U.S. Department of Energy
Our room additions featuring ENERGY STAR qualified windows, doors and skylights:
- Help reduce heating and cooling costs
- Minimize condensation issues
- Enhance occupant comfort
- Reduce UV damage to carpet and upholstery
- Help the environment
- Save you money!
ENERGY STAR was created to help consumers easily identify products, homes, and
buildings that save energy and money, and help protect the environment. As the
government-backed, trusted symbol for energy efficiency, the ENERGY STAR label
identifies highly efficient products and designates superior energy performance
in homes and buildings.
In 2004 alone, Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved enough energy to
power 24 million homes and avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those
from 20 million cars -- all while saving $10 billion.
The cost of energy has become a major factor in sunroom selection. You can learn
a great deal about a sunroom’s energy performance by examining the window and
door’s National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) label. Contained on that
label is information about the U-Factor and Solar Heat Gain Coefficient
performance. The NFRC is an independent, third-party certification organization
with industry accepted standards for evaluating and certifying the energy
performance of windows and doors. NFRC ratings for U-Factor and SHGC are used
to judge the performance of windows and doors to determine qualification for
ENERGY STAR.
U-Factor
U-factor measures how well a product prevents heat from escaping. The rate of
heat loss is indicated in terms of the U-factor (U-value) of a window assembly.
U-Factor ratings generally fall between 0.20 and 1.20. The insulating value is
indicated by the R-value which is the inverse of the U-value. The lower the
U-value, the greater a window's resistance to heat flow and the better its
insulating value.
Solar Heat Gain Coefficient
Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) measures how well a product blocks heat
caused by sunlight. The SHGC is the fraction of incident solar radiation
admitted through a window, both directly transmitted, and absorbed and
subsequently released inward. SHGC is expressed as a number between 0 and 1.
The lower a window's solar heat gain coefficient, the less solar heat it
transmits
Click HERE to learn more about
ENERGY STAR
Click HERE to learn more about Four
Seasons accreditations by other independent agencies.