The right window replacement helps keep homes cool

In windows, the lower the Solar Heat Gain Coefficient - what tells the fraction of solar energy reflected away from a window - the more energy efficient the window.

It's among the things people shopping for quality, cost-effective replacements should be looking at, said Jones, owner of Tulsa Renew, a home improvement business that specializes in siding, window and door installations.

The rating measures on a scale from zero to one with most values ranging from .25 to .80. An SHGC value of .25, for example, means that 25 percent of available solar energy is penetrating a given window with that rating.

"The closer to zero you get, all that means is that you're going to keep out more heat," Jones said. A rating of .30 or lower is widely accepted as ideal.

Last week, the Federal Trade Commission ordered five companies to stop making exaggerated claims about the energy efficiency of their windows. The five companies promised their energy-efficient windows would cut bills by 40 percent to 50 percent, though the claims are unsupported, the FTC said in a press release.

The FTC named Pennsylvania-based Gorell Enterprises Inc., Maryland-based Long Fence and Home, LLLP, California-based Serious Energy Inc., Kentucky-based THV Holdings, LLC and Winchester Industries, also based in Pennsylvania, in its complaint.

"If a company is making big, big claims about how much money their windows can save, (consumers) want to get online and research that company," said Scott Burnett, owner of Burnett Inc. Windows and Siding.

At most, homeowners replacing windows can expect savings between 7 percent and 15 percent - this from the government-backed Energy Star program, which tests products against a set of standards laid out by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Windows alone can't make for those bigger types of savings, Burnett says. But combine other factors like attic and wall insulation and high-efficiency HVAC with window improvements, and the savings will go up.

Ratings matter and so do materials, Burnett says. The best materials for the frame and sashes, he said, are wood, fiberglass, vinyl or a composite of the three. When it comes to the glass pack, shoppers should look for the high efficiency, low-E glass, both business owners say.

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The right window replacement helps keep homes cool