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Courtesy of DOE/NREL
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Vinyl or PVC Window Basics
Vinyl or PVC extruded in standard sections and reinforced with steel angles and brackets.
Why we like it
It's cheap.
What we worry about
Where do we start. The production of vinyl uses fossil fuels and lots of chlorine. It probably has phthalates, an endocrine disruptor. If it burns, it produces dioxins and other toxic byproducts. It is not a h3 material and a double hung or slider window that is well-supported might last, but casements can sag. If they are any color other than white or beige they can almost melt in the sun. The stuff deteriorates in ultraviolet light so it is full of chemicals to inhibit deterioration, but they are not going to last as long as any other window material out there.
They are almost too cheap, perhaps cheaper than walls. Look at the picture; an entire wall of window, fixed glass, with virtually no insulation value and absolutely no ventilation. But when windows get so cheap they are suddenly everywhere in a house, instead of framing a view where it is really special.
Eco-factor of Vinyl and PVC Windows
Over at TreeHugger I have had a debate with another writer, John Laumer for five years about whether there is a role for vinyl windows. He and others say that their low cost makes them the only real choice for replacement of leaky old windows as a way of weatherizing and reducing energy waste. Some companies like Serious Materials are even calling their vinyl windows green, claiming that they can reduce energy consumption by 40%.
But there are far more cost-effective ways of reducing energy loss than changing windows; in our Planet Green series "green your house for winter" we found that replacing windows, in terms of bang for your buck, was one of the worst things you can do. In older buildings the change can dramatically affect the historic character of the homes they are in. The window salesmen of today are much like aluminum siding salesmen of the fifties, Spend your Weatherization Money Wisely">(watch tin men) promising huge savings that don't necessarily materialize. I suspect that huge portions of the weatherization grants and tax credits being offered by governments in North America are going to be blown on vinyl replacement windows, that could have been spent far more wisely on other things.
More on vinyl windows:
Look Out Any Window
A Year Ago in TreeHugger: A Defence of Vinyl
Vinyl Windows: John was Right and I was Wrong. I Think.
The Pluses and Minuses of Vinyl
