Monday, August 16, 2010

SHGC Important Factor in Making Replacement Window Choices

According to the Article Company, searching for the right replacement windows can be challenging, and considering the Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) is one factor that can help consumers find the windows that will best suit their needs.

The Efficient Windows Collaborative (EWC) describes SHGC on its Website as 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.

EWC goes on to explain that SHGC measures how well a window prevents heat from entering your house. It includes the heat directly transmitted through the window, as well as the heat that is absorbed by the window and later transmitted into the home. Basically, it measures a window's shading ability.


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