Selecting Window Replacements in Chicago

Selecting Window Replacements in Chicago

Chicago may be called the "Windy City," but it's also the freezing city and the hot and humid city. Its residents know that Chicago is a city of extremes when it comes to weather. In summer it's scorching hot with high humidity and temperatures rising up into the 90s. In winter, the city receives nearly 40 inches of snow on average, with January temperatures dropping into the teens. To best protect their investments, homeowners in Chicago routinely seek contractors for window replacements.

Finding the best replacement windows in fiberglass or vinyl for the sweeping changes in Chicago climate is actually simple. The Efficient Windows Collaborative reports that Chicago is located in the International Energy Conservation's Climate-Zone Five, with the most efficient Chicago windows carrying a U-factor rating of .35. The U-factor measures the amount of heat loss through a window.

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Chicago Window Replacements

Chicagoans may also qualify for a $1,500 tax deduction based on the cost of materials for window replacements completed by the end of 2010. The window replacements must carry the Department of Energy's ENERGY STAR label and meet U-factor, coatings, and warm-edge spacers.

You can determine the ratings of your replacement windows by reading the National Fenestration Research Council labels applied to all products. The label cites the material's U-factors, air leakage rating, resistance to condensation, and solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC). The SHGC measures the solar radiation that passes through the window into your home.

Most construction contractors do not need to be licensed in Illinois, however out of state contractors doing business in Illinois must hold a Certificate of Authority to do business from the Secretary of State.