Energy Star

LearnEnergy Star

ENERGY STAR^® is a voluntary partnership between National Resource Canada, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the fenestration industry. It is designed to assist consumers in the recognition of energy efficient products and promote the environmental and economic benefits of these products with the ENERGY STAR^® label and other program activities.

Find additional information regarding the ENERGY STAR^® program and available products:

U.S INFORMATION CANADA INFORMATION

Windows can be a major source of heat loss in your home, this is why homeowners have demanded higher performance windows that meet the energy star standards. With considerably lowering energy costs, energy star can represent substantial savings to your home.

VWD is a proud member of the energy star program, this program ensures that energy performance is tested by a laboratory accredited by the Standards Council of Canada.

All VWD windows bear the energy star symbol and are designed to withstand northern winter conditions.

Low-E or low-emissivity glass was created to minimize the amount of infrared and ultraviolet light that comes through your glass, without minimizing the amount of light that enters your home. Low-E glass windows have a microscopically thin coating that is transparent and reflects heat. The Low-E coatings keep the temperature in your home consistent by reflecting the interior temperatures back inside.

WHAT IS ENERGY STAR

ENERGY STAR^® is the government-backed symbol for energy efficiency, providing simple, credible, and unbiased information that consumers and businesses rely on to make well-informed decisions. Thousands of industrial, commercial, utility, state, and local organizations—including about 40% of the Fortune 500^®—partner with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to deliver cost-saving energy efficiency solutions that improve air quality and protect the climate. Since 1992, ENERGY STAR^® and its partners helped American families and businesses save more than 4 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity and achieve over 3.5 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas reductions, equivalent to the annual emissions of more than 750 million cars. In 2018 alone, ENERGY STAR^® and its partners helped Americans avoid $35 billion in energy costs.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT ENERGY STAR FOR YOUR HOME

Consult the Canada’s ENERGY STAR^® map divided in climate zones in order to know which one you are in.

The ENERGY STAR^® products that will suit your zones will be indicated on your windows and doors. Your retailer will be able to give you more information. Choose a model that suits the climate zone where you live or a superior zone.

ENERGY STAR^® windows and doors will allow you savings that could reach 12%. There are many more advantages in the quality of these products: better comfort, less noises coming from the outside and less condensation than the traditional models.

UNDERSTANDING PERFORMANCE ENERGY RATING (ER) AND U-VALUE

U-value measures the transfer rate or the thermal conductance of a product. The lower this value is, the more isolating value of the product is.

The energy performance rating assesses a window based on 3 aspects: the solar heat gain contribution, heat loss by the frame, the glazing or the spare and the heat loss by air leakage, no matter the material and the assembly method. Also, the higher the ER value of a product is, the better its energy performance.

Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC)

This is the fraction of incident solar radiation that is admitted through the window. This can be either directly transmitted and absorbed or radiated inward.

U-Value

This is the rating that is given to a window based on how much heat loss it allows.