WHAT'S THE BUZZ ABOUT FIBERGLASS WINDOWS?
Fiberglass Windows were named material of choice by "Health House" in Toronto Canada, a project to design and promote the reduction of chemical and vapor emissions that cause indoor pollution in home construction. Fiberglass was chosen as the most environmentally friendly material under criteria that could not be met by either vinyl or wood.
Studies have shown over the years that building materials and procedures can affect the health of occupants. Fiberglass Windows are selected by Canada's Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) when specifying windows for occupants who are susceptible to, or who already suffer from chronic allergic reactions to materials.
Quotes
“Replacement (or for new construction) windows with fiberglass frames are clearly the best type of window available. If I had to replace the windows in my own home, I would definitely choose fiberglass windows.”
--James Dulley, nationally syndicated newspaper columnist, mechanical engineer and writer for Sensible Home
“Fiberglass has the highest ‘R’ value (resistance to heat loss/gain) of all window frames."
--US Department of Energy (DOE)
“It is not enough to have double- or triple-pane glass if the frame is lousy.”
--John Morrill, NFRC (National Fenestration Rating Council)
"Fiberglass window frames were found to have the highest ‘R’ Value of all window framing materials tested."
--National Renewable Energy Laboratory
“Fiberglass is the ideal material from which to make window frames.”
--Michael McCabe, PhD, Research Scientist – ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and
Air-Conditioning Engineers)
"Fiberglass windows and patio doors have the highest Energy Efficiency Rating among 1,300 products by over 100 manufacturers."
--Ontario Hydro
"Within 20 years, half of the new window market in America will be fiberglass."
--Pella Corporation (Peter Fritz, Manager, Materials and Innovation)
"Fiberglass is the ‘Lumber of the Future.’"
--Popular Science (June 1995), in defining trends in window technology and compared advantages of various materials
"The majors (window manufacturers) are either leading or reacting to what may become the new phenomenon in the window industry."
--Window World (trade publication, April 1998), following a list of manufacturers who sell fiberglass windows or patio doors
Links
See what nationally syndicated newspaper columnist and Sensible Home writer James Dulley had to say when asked by readers for his opinion on replacement windows: http: //www.consciouschoice.com/2002/cc1501/sensible1501b.html and about fiberglass window shopping: http://www.dulley.com/docs4/926.htm
Greenpeace article regarding international concerns about PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride - also known as "vinyl"), the most commonly used material currently used in window frames.
My House is Your House is the consumer education and advocacy campaign jump-started by the premiere of the feature documentary Blue Vinyl at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival: http://myhouseisyourhouse.org/. (For information about the film itself, go to www.bluevinyl.org.)
Fiberglass Production
HOW FIBERGLASS LINEALS ARE MADE
High-tech fiberglass lineals offer an exciting alternative to metal, vinyl or wood framing materials for windows and sliding patio doors. It has all of the advantages of competing systems without their disadvantages.
Fiberglass is the ultimate window framing material. Pultruded fiberglass differs from common fiberglass that is used in cars, boats and swimming pools. Continuous strands of glass are saturated in a thermoset resin and pulled through a heated die, as opposed to being pushed through the die. Hence the term “pultrusion.”
