Window Woes

Last night Dave told me that the projected delivery date for the windows for the south and west side of the house is November 18th, a month from now.  These are the windows with the "old" glass which Anderson used until they trotted out their "new" glass.  The latter has a film which reduces the amount of UV radiation entering the structure and thus protects fabrics from fading — sort of like sunglasses for your windows.  Unfortunately, if your goal is passive solar heating, the "new" glass is not helpful, precisely because it reduces UV penetration and the free heat that comes with it.  As they say at their web site:

The Low-E glass in Andersen windows works like sunblock to help protect your home and furniture from ultraviolet (UV) light.

Ordinary dual-pane glass lets 62% of UV light pass through. Our High-Performance™ Low-E glass cuts that down to 17% with virtually no effect on the clarity and color of the light.

With Low-E glass, if your thermostat is set at 70°, the temperature of the innermost glass pane won't drop below 57° even if it's 0° outside. In warm climates, Low-E glass works just as hard to keep your home cool. For extreme climates, we also offer High-Performance Sun™ glass for maximum UV protection and temperature control.

Anderson touts the energy efficiency of its products.  And I suppose the "new" glass makes sense in the South, where keeping the sun out can reduce air conditioning costs.  However, they sell the same windows in the North, where passive solar strategies can cut winter heating costs and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.  Getting the proper glazing for passive solar requires a long wait (two months in this case) and a substantial up-charge (don't ask).  In effect, Anderson penalizes those customers who seek efficient energy solutions.  Someone ought to pull Anderson's chain.

The practical problem is that we need to seal the building.  Winter is coming.  We could easily have snow before these windows show up.  Kyle and Dave are discussing how to temporarily seal the window openings with Visqueen. •••