MARVIN LEADS THE WAY IN ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Marvin is the market leader in energy-efficient windows and doors. We offer more than 150,000 energy-efficient window and door options, along with the superior quality and made-to-order flexibility that all our products are known for.
With Marvin, you can create the right solution for any project in any climate. Marvin provides best-in-class products that will help limit your energy costs -- without sacrificing quality, appearance or durability.
Marvin continually strives to improve the energy efficiency of its windows and doors. Our new window and door offerings include new glass options, new coating options and design refinements that make our products more energy efficient than ever.
Our guiding principle: Windows and doors should be beautiful, functional, durable and energy efficient.
THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY STORY
Windows and doors are key to your home’s comfort and energy efficiency. Outdated or failing windows are responsible for a large percentage of the wasted energy in homes and other buildings.
In the winter, windows can leak heat or block too many of the sun's warming rays -- meaning you burn more fuel and pay higher utility bills. In summer, poorly performing windows let cool air escape and fail to reflect outdoor heat.
Today’s windows and doors are far more energy-efficient than those of even 10 years ago. Modern, energy-efficient windows and doors can save you 15 to 25 percent on your monthly heating and cooling bills, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
Where single sheets of clear glass once ruled the day, there are now windows with multiple glass layers. Special coatings on the glass reflect sunlight and ultraviolet rays without dimming the view. Gases injected between panes create extra insulation. Advanced framing materials and innovative design provide further efficiency gains.
Marvin operates at the leading edge of window and door technology. With Marvin, you can have it all -- products that look great and function flawlessly.
ABCs OF ENERGY AND INSULATION
Think of windows and doors as hatches in the protective shield around the spaces where you live and work. These openings are the fenestration, or the arrangement of openings in a building. Fenestration is crucial to ventilation, lighting, comfort -- and energy efficiency.
The performance of a window or door is all about the flow of air, heat and solar radiation. Let's take a look at all three factors:
Air - We often want air to get through a window or door on purpose. That's ventilation. But when the window or door is closed and air leaks in or out, that reduces energy efficiency.
Heat - Energy in the form of heat moves through glass and framing materials, even if they're perfectly sealed. If you're paying to heat or cool the air in your home, you want to minimize that energy transfer.
Solar - Sunlight passes through glass to warm the air inside a building. In cold weather, that can be a good thing. In warm weather, you want to reflect back as much solar energy as possible.
Various parts of windows and doors work together to control air, heat and solar radiation.
Glass is crucial, of course. Heat moves easily through clear glass -- think how quickly your mug gets hot after you fill it with coffee. So a single pane window doesn't do a great job keeping warm or cool air indoors.
Modern windows provide much more insulation. Two- or three-pane windows with space between the panes conduct much less heat than their single-pane counterparts. Pump an inert gas such as argon or krypton between the panes and you boost efficiency even more.
In recent years, special coatings sprayed onto glass panes allow for further energy-efficiency gains. The coatings are extremely thin layers of metal or metallic oxide that reflect heat and solar radiation without blocking the view.
Framing materials have gotten more energy efficient, too. The insertion of special non-conductive material between framing components creates a thermal break that helps prevent energy transfer.
Consumers also have benefited from gains in rating the energy-efficiency of windows and doors. The federal ENERGY STAR program and the National Fenestration Ratings Council (NFRC) provide uniform and easy-to-understand ways to measure and compare the performance of products from various manufacturers.
Such advances mean builders and homeowners can create solutions tailored to their needs and tastes. Marvin is here to help by offering more than 150,000 product options that meet or exceed stringent federal ENERGY STAR standards.