double or triple pane ?

[Lorraine]

I am replacing 11 DH, 1 3 lite casement window and a sliding patio door in my home. I live in PA near Lake Erie. The winters are cold, snowy and windy and the summers are moderate. I have quotes for 3 brands of vinyl replacement windows that all qualify for the tax credit; Gorell 5300 with AC Master glass, Seaway Encore -another double pane, or Simonton 5500 with starter ETC -for this quote the sliding patio door will be triple pane. The quotes include full screens, and woodgrain on the inside and are all close to $10,500. For an additional $80/window, I can upgrade the Gorell to the EM3 glass -triple pane. I realize that I am not going to be saving any money on my heating bill if I get the triple pane. But, won't I be more comfortable as in less convection heat loss? Another question, the EM glass is filled with argon, not krypton. I assume that this is a lower cost alternative, but is it less efficient? Is the double pane going to perform as well as the triple pane with no noticable difference? Thank you in advance for any help.

[Windows on Washington]

Triple on the East, North, and West.

Double on the South if you have good exposure to sunlight.

[buddy110]

I would stay with the AC master. The Em III isn't all that much better. If you really want a TP ask for SM III. It will drop the U to .21. The Em III is a .25 i think

[Lorraine]

Oh, I now see that there really isn't much difference between the Gorell glass packages as far as the numbers go. About the only thing that changes is the price. My next decision, is whether or not to go with the Gorell window. The local dealer has only been installing windows for several years. If he goes out of business, will I still receive support from the company for any warranty issues? The Simonton and Seaway windows have excellent service in our area.

[buddy110]

Gorell stands behind their products as does Simonton

[monyet]

Why not Okna? I thought they were in your neck of the woods. OK, maybe not that close, but in the same state.

[Lorraine]

Okna is not available yet in my area. I like WoW's suggestion for triple pane on the north, east and west. As others have said, I never knew that buying windows for a house would be so difficult. I fear what I might have bought, if everything I learned about windows was from the salesperson selling them. Thanks!