Okna 500 Inslu-tec delux or Verde by sunrise(final decision)

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bhswrestler150
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Okna 500 Inslu-tec delux or Verde by sunrise(final decision)

#1 Post by bhswrestler150 »

Alright, so after weeks of research and every shady sales tactic under the sun I think I am ready to make a decision.

I found a 30yr plus 3rd generation family owned business that has actually been reviewed on this board a few times. My quotes are for 18 DH with beveled grids (6 over 0) and 2 4x4 pictures, and full cap and trim

Verde Windows (by sunrise) – w/ foam insulated frame, 7/8th double pane glass with their superspacer and 12 coating system, argon and low-e. includes pop out screen. Lifetime warranty with glass coverage, also includes self cleaning glass
.28 u-factor and .21 SHGC $ 9,625
http://www.verdewindowsanddoors.com

OKNA 500 Insul-Tec deluxe – w/ foam insulated frame, 7/8th double pane glass, argon, low-e, and superspacer, Also includes locking screen Lifetime warranty with glass coverage
.25 u-factor. $ 8, 495

This dealer also said he can get Soft-lite windows as well but did not get a quote from him.

The dealer likes the Verde better than the okna even thought the okna has slightly better numbers. He ranked Verde the best, Okna a close second, and Soft-lite 3rd.


I narrowed it down to these two windows because of the aesthetics and I was unable to find dealers for other higher end windows mentioned on this site. I had gorell come out but did not like their salesman. I know very little about Verde. I like the fact that onka is made in PA only a few short hours from CT. But it seems both windows are a great option and both within budget. Do you experts have a preference between the two.

also I plan on doing a few review after install is finished. Is it frowned apon to use company names? and Window Questions the best place to post this ?

monyet
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Re: Okna 500 Inslu-tec delux or Verde by sunrise(final decision)

#2 Post by monyet »

bhswrestler150:

I can't speak to Verde, but I had Okna Insultec 500 installed at my home about 2 months ago by a well-respected pro who frequents this board. The windows are working out well for me. The Okna I have comes with a duralite spacer. The only regret I have is not looking at their triple pane option because I still get some condensation on the windows during the cold winter months. The other thing was pricing vs budget as to what I could afford at the time. Mind you, before the Okna, I was getting ice on the builders' special windows that came with the house, so the Okna is way ahead. Considering the pricing you've posted, for that price difference and if condensation is of concern to you, would you consider pricing out a triple-pane option on the Okna? Now others will say that I'm suggesting comparing apples to oranges, no argument from me, but pricing out Verde with triple-pane would increase the pricing as well, so I say if you were already looking at upwards of $9k for Verde, why not put that money towards a triple-pane and get better value & better performance for the money?

Going back to the condensation thing, others will say that condensation will occur on any window given high enough humidity, once again no argument from me, and if I were to keep a drier house, my condensation problems will be gone. Just to throw some numbers at this, the house keeps at 45% relative humidity. For health reasons that's been a comfortable number for me. If you keep your house drier, then condensation won't be a big deal. Just my 2 cents.

bhswrestler150
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Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2010 10:21 am

Re: Okna 500 Inslu-tec delux or Verde by sunrise(final decision)

#3 Post by bhswrestler150 »

I never realy considered triple pane, I just always thought them to be too expensive. to elaborate on my situation a bit I am a first time home buyer and the 8000 tax credit is going right back into windows. I plan on living in this house for many many years to come so I wanted to get a "lifetime quality" window at a price as close to 8k as possible. I set my absolute max budget at 10,000 if a product realy blew me away. Im not sure how much more triple pane would cost for the okna but my geuss is it would put me very close if not over 10k and i am not sure the benifits would outwiegh the extra cost for me.

Is the triple pane realy worth it. I live in CT and it does on rare occasion drop into negitive numbers

monyet
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Re: Okna 500 Inslu-tec delux or Verde by sunrise(final decision)

#4 Post by monyet »

In the end, the question of whether triple-pane is really worth it is up for you to decide. In my mind, it wouldn't hurt to ask what the upcharge would be going from double pane to triple pane, then you can make a better informed decision. In your post, you mentioned being a first time home buyer, and I can relate to that in terms of what you want to spend on windows versus other items for the house. Let's just say for talking purposes the upcharge is $2K, ( I don't know exactly how mcuh, perhaps the pros' can provide some info), and you say you're looking to live in the house for many, many years. So is $2K over the time you will enjoy your windows really that much, not to mention the energy savings. I'm just looking to pass along some benefit of hindsight because others have helped me on this board. In the end tho', I'd say going with Okna wouldn't be a bad decision given a proper installation.

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Windows on Washington
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Re: Okna 500 Inslu-tec delux or Verde by sunrise(final decision)

#5 Post by Windows on Washington »

Triple pane is a great option and will certainly drop the U-Factors on the window. If you don't mind the expense of the triple pane krypton option, you can get that Okna 500 down to a U-Factor of 0.15. Those are superb numbers at that point.

The data on the Okna windows is better than the Verde windows that you have quoted because you will have higher SHGC (0.27 in the Okna with full grids so you will likely have a 0.285 with top sash grids) and therefore more passive solar heating potential.

I would put Triple pane in my North, East, and West elevations while leaving the South facing windows with Double pane if you have good exposure.

The SHGC on those Verde windows is a bit low at 0.21 for a double pane window.

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Window4U (IL)
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Re: Okna 500 Inslu-tec delux or Verde by sunrise(final decision)

#6 Post by Window4U (IL) »

Okna's triple with ARGON is over 50% cheaper than their triple/krypton and still has a .19 U-Factor for those looking to save a little on triple pane. Other windows like the Softlite Elements are the same with their triple/argon also being a .19 and much cheaper.

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Windows on Washington
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Re: Okna 500 Inslu-tec delux or Verde by sunrise(final decision)

#7 Post by Windows on Washington »

Window4U (IL) wrote:Okna's triple with ARGON is over 50% cheaper than their triple/krypton and still has a .19 U-Factor for those looking to save a little on triple pane. Other windows like the Softlite Elements are the same with their triple/argon also being a .19 and much cheaper.
+1

Krypton does double the price over the triple argon option.

If you want it, you are going to pay for it. :shock:

bhswrestler150
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Re: Okna 500 Inslu-tec delux or Verde by sunrise(final decision)

#8 Post by bhswrestler150 »

WOW could you explain your reasoning for triple pane on the north, east, and west but NOT the south sides of the house?

I think im pretty much sold on the OKNA 500 insul tex deluxe package but now im not sure about the double pane to triple pane. If I am droping U factor from .25 to .19 am I going to see a worth wile return on investment as far as energy savings.

Meaning if I spend 2 to 3 grand more for triple pane and I going to save enought in energy in the same 10 yr to make up for spending the extra money.

also have no idea if i want 6over6 or 6over0 grids on my very cookie cutter collonial

buddy110
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Re: Okna 500 Inslu-tec delux or Verde by sunrise(final decision)

#9 Post by buddy110 »

What WOW is saying is on the south side of your home you may get some passive solar gain in the winter with the higher SHGC. This will help reduce your heating bills. I will caution you however that if you have no trees for summer cover you may also gain heat in the summer thereby negating the winter savings

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