Windows can be one of your home's most attractive features.
Windows provide daylight, views, ventilation and solar heating in the winter.
During the summer, sunny windows make your air conditioner work two to three times harder. To minimize energy consumption in homes and larger buildings, you should pay particular attention to the windows, since they can greatly affect building heat loss and gain. Clear plate glass windows can allow up to 20 times more heat to enter or leave a structure than a comparable area of a well-insulated wall. A number of factors influence the energy efficiency of windows, including the kind of glass used, number of panes, position, size, type of frame, ability to reflect sunlight and shading. During the summer, interior shades or draperies should be closed to prevent the home from overheating.