On 25 Mar 2006 21:48:35 -0800, "kutupembe"
wrote:

I am in the process of choosing windows for a SIPS home to be built in
northern Minnesota.

Here are the things I have heard:

I don't know what is better but the arguments here make no sense.

Contractor- Don't waste your money on Triple-pane, the house is so well
insulated that the difference in energy cost won't be worth it.

Triple pane isn't advertised to solve problems in the rest of the
walls, only what leaks out the windows. It doesn't matter how good
(OR bad**) the rest of the house is if enough leaks from the windows
to be worth it.

**It matters how bad it is in that there may be heat losses that are
greater, or cheaper to fix or to lessen. If one is not going to fix
all heat losses. But he's saying that those others are well insulated.
Therefore the question is, Are triple better than double enough to
warrant the cost.

Also,
triple panes means two areas where seals can fail.

That's an arguement in favor of triple. If one seal fails the other
will still be there. It's only if seals almost never fail that you
could live with only one seal. Maybe he's confused with EXTRA
windows, where each one that fails causes a leak. Would he say, Don't
put in any windows because the seals might leak ?

On this site- Energy savings is the same because the insulation
advantage of the triple-pane is countered by the fact that it reflects
more energy.

Not sure.

Friends - Dorwin (sp?) triple-paned have been great.

There is a tendency for people to believe, to want to believe, they
did the right thing.

Friend - Really like H-window triple paned



I am looking for more advice. Thanks