Gorell vs Sunrise for Massachusetts climate?

[prestopony]

Hi, would anyone be able to weigh in on the following options? I think I've thoroughly confused myself at this point - we live in rural Massachusetts, long cold winters, short summers.

The need: 13 Double-hung, most of them 36" x 54"ish. The installation is not a straightforward replacement job though, due to way the existing window (Phillips Industry single hung) was installed. So the whole old window has to come out flange and all, siding pulled back, and the new window with a flange installed, maybe lose a little bit of the inside sills, etc.

We've narrowed it down to three, after looking at the Sunrise lines, Gorell 5100 and 5300, Harvey Classic, EnviroView and Okna 800. The Okna was beautiful, but it was wayyyy out of our budget. The only Okna dealer in the area could 'possibly' get a lower end Okna, but I didn't care for his sales tactics so I let it go. Sunrise has a promotion right now with the Verde line, triple pane for the price of double, seems to be the same window frame as the regular Sunrise (is this correct?). The Harvey wasn't what I was looking for so that was easy.

The Sunrise dealer was great, I feel comfortable with him and his services. I also feel comfortable with the Gorell dealer and his services.

Here's what we're down to (these numbers come from the nfrc website):

A. Sunrise 'Regular' double glazed Ultra-U Pluss glass / U: .29 SHGC: .25 / Condensation Rating: 57 / Air infiltration: .03 / 90/10 argon/air fill / $8000

B. Sunrise 'Verde' triple glazed SolarAr3 glass / U: .22 SHGC: .20 / Condensation Rating: 67 / Air infiltration: .03 / 90/10 argon/air fill / $8000

D. Gorell 5300 double glazed Eco master glass / U: .29 SHGC: .18 / Condensation Rating: 54 / Air infiltration: ??? / 95/5 argon/air fill / $8700

I thought it would be a no-brainer to go with the triple glazed Sunrise for the same price as the double, but since we live in New England, I'm concerned about losing some of the sun's rays in the winter with a lower SHGC. Is that incorrect on my thinking? Is it better to go with the the double glazed? I read that .01 in U-Value translates to $100 savings per year, so as one helps us out, the other one gets hurt?

My head is starting to hurt - can anyone help?? Thanks in advance!

[pondscum]

I'm also in MA. I had the double-pane Sunrise Restorations put on my house last fall. I didn't think triple pane was worth it.... additional weight, lower VT, maybe higher probability of seal failure over the long run. And the double-pane seemed fine in terms of keeping my house warm over the winter.

I'm not familiar with Sunrise's Verde line. Do they have the fiberglass sash reinforcement like the Restorations and Vanguard lines? That's a feature I'd definitely want if I were going to get triple-pane glass (stronger frame to handle the extra weight).

[buddy110]

Both are good choices IMO. The 5300 is a tank.

[HomeSealed]

I am partial to the Gorell, however the SHGC has to be a consideration as well as the price. You really can't go wrong with any of those choices.

[prestopony]

Would it be odd to put in double pane on the 4 south facing windows and triple on all the rest? (cape style home)

Or would it be better to take the better U-value all around and not worry so much about the SHGC so much and do triple everywhere?

[markf57]

I read that .01 in U-Value translates to $100 savings per year, so as one helps us out, the other one gets hurt?

I'm curious where you read that. I don't it's true or even close. I might think that a .01 might save $100 over the lifetime of the window, but not per year.

BTW, I've just ordered Sunrise (Vanguard) windows. They are able to provide a low U high SHGC package. I got the VG12 (.28/.21) on all non south facing windows and a hard coat low e on the south facing (.31/.50). This will allow me to capture the nice sun we get here in Colorado in the winter.

I don't think there is anything wrong with getting triple on the non south facing and double on the south. You could end up with .22/.22 and .31/.50 on the south. That would be the best of both worlds.

[copykatpro]

I have Sunrise double and triple pane windows in my house and I'd have to say you're going to lose the heat from the sun's rays in winter regardless of which one you choose. You can feel the sun a little in spring and fall with the double pane when the sun is stronger but it's still minor. You really can't go wrong with either.

[prestopony]

Hi, I read that .01 figure in this thread:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2582]Head Spinning-(Okna, Ideal or Simonton)?

Even if it's not accurate I'm sure that whatever windows we go with will outperform what we've got now. At this point Sunrise has the edge, the dealer did an excellent job with addressing every concern I had with the installation process to make sure the final look is what we want, lifetime transferrable warranty, 40% energy reduction statement (Gorell claims 25%), and better pricing.

This board is terrific, thanks to all who contribute their expertise.

[buddy110]

Hi, I read that .01 figure in this thread:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2582]Head Spinning-(Okna, Ideal or Simonton)?

Even if it's not accurate I'm sure that whatever windows we go with will outperform what we've got now. At this point Sunrise has the edge, the dealer did an excellent job with addressing every concern I had with the installation process to make sure the final look is what we want, lifetime transferrable warranty, 40% energy reduction statement (Gorell claims 25%), and better pricing.

This board is terrific, thanks to all who contribute their expertise.

You are NOT going to save 40% on your fuel bills with just windows. I don't care what anyone tells you. I know Sunrise and I know the guarantee intimately. They have so many ways to wiggle out of that it's not funny. Now I'm not saying Sunrise is a bad window. On the contrary, it's a very good window, but that guarantee is nothing more than a sales gimmick.
40% of your heat escapes through your attic. If you want to save 40% on your fuel bills, insulate your attic along with your window replacement

[Windows on Washington]

Hi, I read that .01 figure in this thread:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2582]Head Spinning-(Okna, Ideal or Simonton)?

Even if it's not accurate I'm sure that whatever windows we go with will outperform what we've got now. At this point Sunrise has the edge, the dealer did an excellent job with addressing every concern I had with the installation process to make sure the final look is what we want, lifetime transferrable warranty, 40% energy reduction statement (Gorell claims 25%), and better pricing.

This board is terrific, thanks to all who contribute their expertise.

You are NOT going to save 40% on your fuel bills with just windows. I don't care what anyone tells you. I know Sunrise and I know the guarantee intimately. They have so many ways to wiggle out of that it's not funny. Now I'm not saying Sunrise is a bad window. On the contrary, it's a very good window, but that guarantee is nothing more than a sales gimmick.
40% of your heat escapes through your attic. If you want to save 40% on your fuel bills, insulate your attic along with your window replacement

75% savings....

[buddy110]

We saved about 65% comparing this December to last by turning the heat down to 50

[WindowInfo]

Every Gorell dealer in my area is pushing a 40% fuel pledge. We had 3 Gorell dealers at the last home show advertising the 40% fuel savings.....

[buddy110]

Every Gorell dealer in my area is pushing a 40% fuel pledge. We had 3 Gorell dealers at the last home show advertising the 40% fuel savings.....

Yep. We sell gorell, but we know better than to offer the guarantee.

[pondscum]

I got that 40% fuel savings guarantee with my new Sunrise windows last fall. You know what? First thing I noticed when I got my next gas bill was that gas prices per therm were about 40% lower than the previous year!

[markf57]

I got that 40% fuel savings guarantee with my new Sunrise windows last fall. You know what? First thing I noticed when I got my next gas bill was that gas prices per therm were about 40% lower than the previous year!

On a serious note, did you see any therm usage decrease over the winter?