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Choosing replacement windows for your home is not an easy task. As you’ve discovered, there are many variables to balance when making the selection: energy efficiency, cost, aesthetics, and the frame material’s effect on the environment. Each homeowner has their own unique criteria for making the final decision, and only after becoming knowledgeable about these variables can you make the right decision for your situation. Replacement versus new-construction windows Replacement windows are different from new-construction windows and will usually look different, both outside and inside, from the windows currently on your home. The advantage of using replacement windows is that they fit within the existing openings and can be quickly and easily installed without the need to patch the exterior siding material or interior drywall. When you use a replacement window, the new window itself will be more energy efficient than your old single-pane window, but there will still be air infiltration and leakage through the walls around the window and the channels and gaps in the framing around the window openings. With new-construction windows, these areas can be insulated and sealed, creating a much more energy-efficient home, but the process takes several days and is more expensive. Life-cycle considerations Homeowners interested in green products will want to consider more than energy efficiency when choosing the materials used in the construction of their new windows. It is important to look at the entire life cycle of the product and its effects on the environment from the manufacturing process through its serviceable life, as well as what happens to it when it is removed from our homes. There is continued debate in the green building community, and in the vinyl industry, about the environmental health hazards caused by the production and disposal of vinyl products. Although theoretically vinyl is recyclable, only about one percent of the material produced is actually recycled annually, and more than 14 billion pounds are produced each year. It takes generations for vinyl products to degrade in a landfill. There is more plastic in the ocean than plankton, and for an environmentalist, the thought of adding to that is distressing! When vinyl is incinerated, toxic dioxin is the byproduct. Concern about whether vinyl windows offgas while installed in your home is probably greatest if you are extremely sensitive. Other vinyl products like shower curtains and flooring products with more exposed surface area are a much bigger threat to indoor air quality. Fiberglass is composed of 60 percent glass, or silica (sand), a common and plentiful resource. The other agents present in the production of this material are formaldehyde, urea, sulfuric acid, phenol, and ammonia. If proper precautions are not taken during the manufacture of fiberglass, the workers exposed to these materials may suffer serious health effects. The production of fiberglass takes significantly less energy than producing vinyl. Fiberglass does not offgas, so there are no air quality issues with fiberglass windows. Theoretically, fiberglass is recyclable, but like many products, windows are often discarded into the landfill at the end of their usable lives. It is our responsibility—homeowners, contractors, and manufacturers—to appropriately recycle products. Wood and wood-clad replacement windows might be the most environmentally friendly choice when looking at the life-cycle issues, especially if the wood is certified from a sustainable source. Look at Andersen Renewal, Marvin, and JELD-WEN windows. Each of these manufacturers has information online about their environmental stewardship program. Green Home Guide. Susan Davis . “Should I choose vinyl or non-vinyl replacement windows?” February 2011.
http://greenhomeguide.com/askapro/question/should-i-choose-vinyl-or-non-vinyl-replacement-windows
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