Window Performance

Windows are both good and bad elements of a green home. Having lots of strategically-placed windows lets in daylight, reducing the amount of time that lights need to be turned on around the house; however, windows are also the weakest element of a home’s outer skin (the ‘building envelope’) from the point of view of heat retention. Want to see for yourself? Just put your hand on a nearby window during the next rainy Vancouver day, or move the couch to be next to that big bay window in the living room. It will make you shiver.

The Green Homes Program has mandated a minimum window insulation performance level in order to help reduce this energy loss. The technical requirement is a little difficult to deal with [“Windows shall have a maximum thermal conductance (U value) of 2.00 W/(K•m²)”], but there’s an easy solution: any window that carries the Energy Star™ label meets this requirement. Going green doesn’t always have to be confusing!

Learn more about the Energy Star program

By-law Language:

12.2.1.1. Windows

1) Windows shall have a maximum thermal conductance (U value) of 2.00 W/(K•m²).

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