Let's compare the 3 most common window materials in America: VINYL, WOOD, & ALUMINUM.
There are 3 main categories when choosing a window: COST, DURABILITY/MAINTENANCE, & ENERGY EFFICIENCY.
Let's look at cost first: You can still find single pane aluminum windows out there, and that would be the least expensive option, but it doesn't make any sense to replace single pane aluminum windows with single pane aluminum windows. So let's compare dual pane aluminum windows with Vinyl and wood. If you're going to be replacing your existing windows, and you don't feel like ripping apart the exterior to get to the nailing fins, then you're going to be ordering custom size windows to retrofit the existing opening. In that case, there is virtually no difference anymore in price between aluminum and vinyl. Wood, on the other hand, is significantly more expensive than both vinyl and aluminum.
What about durability & maintenance: Aluminum in its raw form is a silver color. Any other color is the result of paint. Paint fades, peels, and chips over time. Aluminum can corrode and pit due to the effects of chemicals and weather. Even the best quality wood products can't avoid the negative effects of weather. That's why you will be hard pressed to find a wood window with a lifetime warranty. Aside from the potential for warping and cracking, there is always maintenance involved when dealing with wood. The beauty of vinyl is that they are virtually maintenance free. They are impervious to heat and other elements. There is no paint involved. In Fact, you can scratch a vinyl window frame and never even know it, because the material is the same color all the way through. You can wash them occasionally with soap and water and they look like new. Vinyl is such a durable product, most vinyl window
manufacturers are able to offer lifetime warranties.
Let's look at energy efficiency: Aluminum windows are a distant last in this category. Have you ever noticed on a hot day how easy it is to burn yourself by touching anything made of metal? How about that old school prank of touching a metal pole with your tongue during freezing conditions? Metals retain heat and cold, and, consequently transfer those temperatures through the frame and into your home. Wood and vinyl are equally good insulators of
both heat and cold.
When vinyl windows were first introduced, one of the complaints from the wood window crowd was the fact that they didn't have the detail of wood. In essence, they were plain looking like aluminum windows. But over the years, vinyl window manufacturers have made great strides in implementing much more detail and style into their products, including offering colored vinyl frames to match the outside of the home.
