Vinyl vs Aluminum Replacement Windows

When replacing your windows it is important to decide what type of window you should put in your home. There are good characteristics of both vinyl and aluminum depending on what you are looking to get out of your windows. In this post we will try to explain the good and bad of both and help you decide what works best for you.

Aluminum windows are without a doubt structurally sound. We have replaced aluminum windows that are some times up to 50 years old, and typically could last another 10 years. The down fall of the aluminum window is that it is not energy efficient. You can buy the best aluminum window that money can buy, double paned, LowE glass, argon gas and it will not be energy efficient. This is because the aluminum frame conducts heat and cold into the house. This is why no aluminum window qualifies to be EnergyStar.

Vinyl on the other hand is very energy efficient. It doesn’t matter what vinyl window you buy, it is going to be energy efficient. They can qualify to be EnergyStar, as long as they are double paned with LowE glass and argon gas between the panes. However most vinyl windows are not structurally sound. In fact, we have replaced vinyl windows that were as little as 2 years old. This is because vinyl when exposed to extreme heat will expand and when it cools down will contract. This causes the frame to be structurally compromised. When a vinyl window expands bigger than the size of the opening it is installed into it can cause catastrophic damage to the window and the wall that it is installed to. If you are thinking about upgrading your windows its important that they are designed to hold up to the heat in the climate in which you live. So in South Louisiana simply the cheapest will never be best.