What To Know About Double-Pane Glass Windows

Every single hole in the side of your home makes your home more at risk of losing energy. This extends to every single window in your home that you use to bring in natural light or outdoor air. That's why it's so important to keep energy efficiency in mind when buying new windows for your home. Here are some things to know about double-pane glass windows, including how they work and when they can fail.

How Double-Pane Glass Works

One of the gold standards of energy-efficient windows is double-pane glass. This provides more insulation for your home by using two glass panes that traps a special gas between them, which is designed to keep your home well insulated by providing that additional barrier that prevents heat from transferring. It is possible to upgrade to triple-pane glass if you want even more protection, which has two gaps where that special insulating gas is trapped and helps separate the inside and outside of your home.

You'll find that triple-pane glass costs more money, but it can make a lot of sense depending on what part of the country you live in. If you are in a very hot region that pretty much requires air conditioning all year round, having high-quality windows with triple-pane glass is going to be much more important to improving your home's energy efficiency.

When Double-Pane Glass Can Fail

Have you noticed that there is condensation on your windows? This happens when cool air inside your home touches a hot part of the window glass. The exact opposite can happen as well, when the hot air outside your home touches the cold glass. It's very similar to how a cold glass of water forms condensation on the outside when you leave it in a hot area.

If you have condensation on your window glass, it means that the seal around your glass has failed, and you've lost all of that insulating gas between your window panes. You may need to have your windows sealed and refilled with more insulating gas to improve their energy efficiency once again. Thankfully, you do not need to buy all new windows to fix this problem with your home's energy efficiency. 

Do you have more questions about improving the energy efficiency of your home through your windows? Be sure to ask your window installation contractor about it when you are ready to upgrade your home with new, energy-efficient windows. 

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