Hello All ~  It has been a while since I logged on here and worry that I will spend the next days on here instead of the rest of my life! 

Our (green, modern, small) house design has taken an interesting turn.  We are going to try to get a "5 star built green certification" for the project.  This rating system has been fascinating in how it informs design decisions.  But, I digress. 

The site is on an island near Seattle (Vashon Island) and is completely private and has gorgeous outlooks on to trees and water so the design had about 40% glazing (windows) and we had to reduce this number to 30% to get this built green certification.  And, at 30%, we still need very efficient windows in order for the whole house to perform in an energy efficient manner. 

We need super high efficient windows (and I have been forbidden to look at vinyl) that have perhaps a heat mirror (?) in them to increase efficiency.  We found a manufacturer in Colarado (alpen windows) that makes a high efficiency fiberglass window.

Anyone have any good ideas on how to find these types of windows at a price that, well, won't have the whole project go down the toilet?  Obviously, for cost and green consideration, we would love to have a supplier/manufacturer who is geographically close to us to minimize shipping miles. 

Thanks! 

eddie

Hi eddie,

Have you tried http://www.efficientwindows.org/selection.cfm?  I love that site since it lets you find windows based on efficiency search criteria, which I haven't been able to do elsewhere.

Your search for "efficient" windows is kind of vague.  It sounds like an energy model has probably been done of the house.  What u and SHGC values were used in the model to get the energy consumption that you are aiming for?  With that info you may be able to go to a local supplier and ask for NFRC-rated windows that meet your criteria.

Durability should also be a consideration in any climate, but especially in the Northwest.  Make sure that the exterior is going to hold up to being damp a lot of the time, make sure the flashing is done correctly, and make sure that you have a good drainage plane for when something inevitably fails.

Sydney