....and what is the question?

You joined a forum just to post that; i find that very odd. Although i may add that Jeldwin make lower quality products in my view especially their doors and vinyl windows.

I am building a house and have been looking at window options. I clearly stated my question at the top of the first post but will simplify it for you to this: "What does LoE and LoE EC mean in Jeld-Wen speak?" For example, I knew that they used Cardinal glass but LoE EC could have meant anything they wanted it to.

I joined this forum 9 months ago in earnest but have been learning from it for years, I don't usually post unless I have something to give to the community. You can see an example of another helpful post of mine in the link. Also, I am not affiliated with any company involved in build supplies.

I'll add that while Jeld-Wen certainly does not have the best reputation on this forum, they are one of the few that offer a product that I am interested in at a decent price point, that my builder has access too. Of course value is relative but the Siteline EX with Alder interior seem to be a decent performance to value for my unique requirements.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cool Flooring

This post was edited by Old96er on Tue, Nov 12, 13 at 22:59

Ask them for the CPD number on the window you are getting quoted and you can find out what coating is specified.

Where is the home located?

Cardinal makes some great glass and Low-e 272 is usually fine in most applications.

Thanks for the tip about the CPD. The home will be built in Boise ID. Here is a comparison that may be helpful to others.

LoE Coating.................270..........272..........270+i89..........366
VT................................70%.........72%............69%.............65%
SHGC..........................0.37.........0.41...........0.36...............0.27
U (Air / Argon)............(.34/.30)...(.30/.25)......(.23/.20)....(.29/.24)
UV................................0.14.........0.16............0.14.............0.05
Fade............................0.53.........0.55.............0.51.............0.43

Given the climate there, I suggest you starting looking at triple pane IGU combos.

+1.... And invest in some 3m window film. ;). Air leakage performance is not very good on that one.

I posted a question for your flooring thread.

The climate here may be different than you might think as it can vary quite a bit on elevation. 10miles away from me can get 100" or more of snow, I will probably get about 5-10" the whole winter and it will not likely last more than a day. Typically winters where I am will barely get to freezing temps at night. Summers however will easily get to 100, this year we hit 110.

But rather than bore you with climate stuff you could look up, let me give you some real data for my locale. Our last house was 3700sq/ft and had 35 windows. It had a forced gas furnace and central air. It was 2x4 construction with the cheapest double pane builders vinyl windows I have ever seen. They were very drafty and could move the curtains if the wind blew hard. The sun would heat surface #4 to be hot to the touch with white plastic blinds. Overall the construction and insulation was bare minimum.

The utility bills for that house for gas and electric for the two highest months for each were as follows:
August: Electric $156 Gas $17
December Electric $63 Gas $127

As you can see they nearly reciprocate each other in the warmest vs coldest months. Total gas was $718 and total power was $987 for the year. I expect the new 3200sq/ft house with less and better windows and much better insulation to do a lot better. I will report back after a year of utility bills for everyone to compare.

Seems like a bunch more heating heating degree days than cooling.

I would look for a tighter window than the Jeld-Wen in this case.

http://www.climate-zone.com/climate/united-states/idaho/boise/

Here is a link that might be useful: Climate Map

Yep, I know our climate well, after all I live here. :) The map is an average of a larger area, a few miles from me will be a lot colder. We have interesting weather here because of how the valley intersects the hills. The reason I included my past utility bills was to show that although the map may show more heating days, the A/C days actually cost more overall per year.

Tighter windows would still be nice, but as I eluded to before there are very few alternatives for my budget when one of my requirements is Alder wood interior.

I would go with Low-e 272 on the south facing and you can go with Low-e 366 on the rest of the elevations.

I don't believe that I've ever seen a home with jeldwens that were not rotted somewhere between 10-20 yrs. Take that for what it's worth, perhaps they are doing something differently these days. That is just my experience.

I have been on several of these forms trying to understand window jargon.. but right now I'm just flustered with it... hopefully you guys can help.. I am building a passive solar house in KY and I have quotes on Jeldwen & Anderson windows.. Jeldwen is bidding wood clad / Aluminum Low E 180 on the south facing windows and doors, and Low E EC on the remaining portion of the house.. Anderson is quoting wood clad / vinyl clad high performance Low E 4 on all windows and doors... I need help deciphering which would be best on a passive solar home..