New Windows: What’s the deal with E rating?

May 25, 2021 6:52 PM

We are getting new Marvin windows. We had someone come and give us an estimate and that estimate was for LowE-2 glass. We currently have old (50s/60s) windows with no coating at all and we are worried the E-2 will seem too dark. When we asked for an estimate for LowE-1, it cost more! Does anyone have any experience with the LowE-2 vs 1 and could speak to the difference in lightness/darkness?

Ultimately we are kind of scarred by the crappy newer windows in our kitchen that were there when we bought the house. They’re so tinted it’s like looking through a bottle of Windex.

We saw the sample window with LowE-2, but we have no idea what LowE-1 would look like or why it would be more expensive. I plan on asking the rep but I was hoping maybe someone here had some idea.

posted by degoao to Home & Garden (2 answers total)

You definitely want a coating, the energy advantages are significant. There are many many formulas and methods of application, so just the coating count isn’t necessarily indicative of either price or transparency. A coating is different than a tint, and I suspect you’ll find the visual difference minimal. It may also be that certain coatings and configurations go together due to energy factors. Eg, it may be E1 is only sold with Argon full

Looking at the Marvin categorization, the Low E2 sounds appropriate to your climate unless you specifically want more solar heat gain and less UV blocking. With that said, it does appear the Low E1 argon filled unit has a slightly higher visual transmission. Enough that I suspect you can see the difference in side by side samples which you should certainly see before deciding. Compare the samples to the windows you don’t like. Ideally open those windows and set the sample in the same plane to look through. That should tell you what you need to know.
posted by meinvt at 9:38 PM on May 25, 2021 [4 favorites]

Everything meinvt said 100%. You generally specify tint after you have decided what window you want, and most offer many different levels of tint. They are specific to each manufacturer, so if you can have the window rep show you the window and levels of tint that you are going to get. Even if it's it on someone else's house.
posted by The_Vegetables at 8:01 AM on May 26, 2021