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Low-emissivity or low-E windows have become increasingly common as homeowners look for ways to lower their energy bills. The increase in low-E window installations has brought an increasing problem: warped vinyl. More and more, there are reports of reflections from low-E windows melting the vinyl siding of neighboring homes or an adjoining portion of the home. In the hot California sun, this problem can be even more prevalent.

Low-E warps Siding

Applied to windows, a low-E coating is meant to reflect the sun’s hot rays, keeping homes cooler and reducing the burden on air conditioners. When the sun reflects off of a low-E-glazed surface, however, it can reflect that sunlight and focus it intensely on another object. In a tightly packed neighborhood, or on L- or U-shaped homes, that sunlight often focuses on vinyl siding. While the melting point of vinyl siding is between 160 and 165 degree Fahrenheit, the temperatures caused by the sun reflecting off low-E windows can be up to 219 degrees Fahrenheit. The occurrence of melted vinyl siding due to low-E windows worsens in the winter, when the sun is lower, and when windows curve slightly inward.

What to do About Warped Siding

When vinyl is warping due to the reflection of a low-E window — which is usually evident because the warping happens in a curved diagonal that follows the path of the sun across the window — it can cause a major quandary. Siding manufacturers generally won’t cover the cost of siding replacement under warranty. And if the window isn’t dealt with, the problem will occur again and again.

How Solar Screens Can Help

One of the easiest, and cheapest, ways to avoid warped siding to low-E glass is with solar screens. The only other options, replacing low-E windows with less energy efficient ones or continually replacing siding. Both options can cost thousands of dollars. Instead, you can cut the glare and prevent the warping with solar screens. Solar screens are designed to keep sunlight from hitting windows, thus keeping homes cooler without overtaxing air conditioners. When you put solar screens over a low-E window, prevent the sun from reflecting off of the low-E coating and melting vinyl siding or other nearby objects. Or, if you’ve been considering low-E windows to save on energy bills but your windows reflect lights onto your home or nearby homes, you could safely block the sun, cool your home and lower energy bills by foregoing low-E windows and installing solar screens.

If your low-E windows are melting vinyl, or if they have the potential to melt vinyl, call A to Z Window Screens to ask about solar screens today! We can help you solve the problem of melting vinyl quickly and without the expense of removing your low-E windows.