Residential Windows

Residential Windows

by John Carmody, Stephen Selkowitz, and Lisa Heschong.

W. W. Norton & Co., Inc., 1996. Softcover, 214 pages, $22.

Simply put, this is one of the best books on energy to come out in recent years. The authors have done a superb job of clearly and accurately describing the complex developments in window technology and providing guidance on window selection.

Residential Windows is quite technical, but also highly readable—making it appropriate for both building professionals and homeowners.

The book’s six chapters and several appendices focus primarily on energy issues, though such topics as durability, maintenance, fading of fabrics, and aesthetics are also covered. There is an excellent discussion on the use of windows for daylighting and passive solar heating—issues too often lacking in literature about window and glazing selections.

Throughout the book, twelve representative glazing systems are modeled to show the impact on heating and cooling energy costs. These configurations vary from single-glazed, non-thermally broken aluminum frame windows to triple-glazed “superwindows” with two low-e coatings and krypton gas fill. The selected configurations allow the reader to compare different glazing/window systems in many different applications: different climates, different orientations on the house, different glazing areas, and different times of the year. The reader learns why low-solar-heat-gain glazings make sense in climates dominated by cooling loads, and why high-solar-heat-gain glazings can be a better choice on southern orientations when passive-solar heating is being used. Window frame materials are addressed, though some of the newest composite materials are not covered. Recommended installation practices are illustrated and described with simple checklists. At the very beginning of the book is a very clear discussion of the process of window selection that helps guide the reader through the rest of the book so that the information can be used most effectively.

Straightforward and effective graphics throughout the book—drawings, charts, graphs, and photographs—help make complex issues understandable. A comprehensive appen- dix includes lots of detailed information: specifics on the computer modeling used throughout the book; an overview of the National Fenestration Rating Council window rating program; sample specification language for architects and specifiers based on NFRC ratings; and much more. In short, if you are at all involved in selecting or designing with residential windows, buy this book!