Georgia Replacement Window Tips

In Georgia, climate changes according to terrain.  South and central Georgia sees different climate compared to North Georgia and the northeast mountains area of the state. To determine what windows are going to be the most energy efficient for your area, its important to know a few things.

First, you want to figure out the regional climate zone you live in. According to the Energy Star Regional Zone Map, the state of Georgia has three different climate types North-Central, South Central, and Southern. When you’re buying windows, you want to choose a set that has a rating suitable for your climate zone. When you get windows with rating numbers that are recommended for your zone, you maximize energy efficiency.

Next you want to understand the rating system so when you’re shopping for energy efficient windows in Georgia, you know what to look for. To simplify how it works, Energy Star windows also have an NFRC rating label that rates 5 different areas U-Factor, Solar Heat Gain Coefficient, Air Leakage, Visible Transmittance, and Condensation Resistance. As long as you buy windows with the recommended numbers for the area of Georgia that you live in, you will save on energy. Below, the map will show Georgia, and its 3 climate zones. Then we will show examples of labels and explain how to determine which zone the window will best perform in.

Energy Star Georgia

North Central Region (Yellow)

South Central Region (Orange)

Southern Region (Red)

NFRC Rating Label Examples for Georgia

If you live in a part of Georgia that’s in the North Central Region, you will want to purchase windows with an NFRC label similar to what you see on the right. The label shows a U-factor of 0.27, a Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) of 0.40, and an Air Leakage rating of ≤ 0.30. According to the table above, the window meets the recommendations for the North Central Region.

If you live in a part of Georgia that’s in the South Central Region, you will want to purchase windows with an NFRC label similar to what you see on the right below the first label. The label shows a U-factor of 0.20, a Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) of 0.25, and an Air Leakage rating of ≤ 0.30. According to the table above, the window meets the recommendations for the South Central Region.

And if you live in a part of Georgia that’s in the Southern Region, you will want to purchase windows with an NFRC label similar to what you see on the right below the second label. The label shows a U-factor of 0.35, a Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) of 0.20, and an Air Leakage rating of ≤ 0.30. According to the table above, the window meets the recommendations for the Southern Region.