Is a Wooden Bucket Really Better Than a Plastic One?
When renovating a home, almost all owners pay a lot of attention to its insulation properties. Home insulation is the main factor according to which building materials for renovation are selected. While homeowners can decide for themselves whether and how to insulate their house, provided a proper project has been prepared, apartment owners can most quickly improve insulation by replacing windows. Let's take a closer look at two eternal rivals – PVC or plastic windows and wooden windows – since these two are the most common window types for home insulation.
If you ask homeowners which window they prefer, the answers are divided roughly in half, and asking manufacturers doesn't help either. Therefore, it's best to put the comparison into numbers.
Insulation is the first thing every homeowner should consider when starting to renovate their home. According to various data, 17% of heat is lost through openings or windows and doors, which is 2–4% more than is lost through walls or ceilings, and even 10% more than is lost through floors. Therefore, the insulation value of windows and doors is the most important factor in their selection.
How insulating is a wooden window? Does a plastic window keep more heat?
Since a window consists of two main components – the frame and the glass – the insulation value of the window must be determined by looking at these separately. According to research from the University of Tartu's energy-efficient building core laboratory, a poor plastic window frame can have a thermal conductivity coefficient Uf of up to 5.0 W/m²K, while the best wooden and plastic frames with thermal breaks have 0.6W/m²K. When choosing glass packages, you should also compare their thermal conductivity coefficient or U-value. For example, the U-value of a double glass package filled with argon is 1.1–1.3 W/m²K, while the same indicator for a triple glass package filled with krypton is 0.5 W/m²K.
Certainly, when choosing windows, you should look at the entire window's U-value, which should be close to 1 W/m²K for a well-insulated window.
Will my wallet also suffer from a well-insulated window?
Price is the second aspect according to which homeowners choose their windows. Generally, plastic windows are considered cheaper than wooden windows. However, this is not true, as proper and well-insulated plastic windows fall into the same price range as wooden windows. That said, if a proper well-insulated window is about 30% more expensive than the cheapest options, the more expensive window pays for itself through lower heating bills in approximately 8 years.
Do windows also need to be maintained?
The third and perhaps even second most important aspect alongside insulation is proper window maintenance. Since windows are in constant contact with weather effects, such as rain or intense sun, wooden windows require repeated painting and repairs over time. However, plastic windows are not spared from the weather either. Over time, their colors fade, and to prevent this, it is recommended to clean them with special products.
If home renovation or insulation has been planned, the choice of windows should also be based on the surrounding environment. For example, local authorities may not give permission to install plastic windows on a building located in an environmentally valuable area.
Therefore, when insulating a house and selecting windows, the most important thing is a proper project that specifies the required thermal conductivity coefficient of the windows for the desired result. However, if only windows are to be replaced, a project is not mandatory, and therefore you should rely on the entire window's thermal conductivity coefficient or U-value.
Article source: Arco Vara
