Triple Pane Window Pros, Cons, and FAQs

Triple pane windows are high-performance windows that add comfort, soundproofing, and save on energy bills. But are they worth the investment? In this video, Matt answers the internet's most frequently asked questions about triple pane windows.

Matt's 1850s Victorian Renovation got a big wall of beautiful triple pane windows to create an open, functional, and comfortable kitchen area. But triple pane windows aren't the top choice for every homeowner, and windows are actually a rather complicated thing to shop for. Jump to the section that answers your question the fastest:

00:00 Introduction
01:14 What are triple pane windows?
02:02 What are the “pros” of triple pane windows?
02:21 What are the "cons" of triple pane windows?
02:39 What makes triple pane windows “better” than double pane windows?
03:04 How much do triple pane windows cost?
03:27 How much money do triple pane windows save on energy bills?
04:18 Do triple pane windows make a home more comfortable?
04:57 Do triple pane windows reduce noise?
05:20 What do I need to know when buying a triple glazed window? (U-factor, SHGC)
06:34 What are Passive House windows?
06:46 What is a window’s visual transmittance?
07:34 What is a “low-E” window?
08:18 What is the best window frame material for energy efficiency?
09:51 What type of house should have triple pane windows?

#buildwithrise #windows #homeimprovement

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[charlieshew]

This is the most thorough video I have watched about windows. I appreciate that you actually gave information about cost comparison, sound reduction, and how long it would take to recoup your savings.

[pcho]

i'm an energy advisor and do energy modelling of homes. I can vouch for the accuracy of this video's calculations on energy savings . Stepping up to triple paned won't save a ton of money and the payback is not there but I'd still go for them in a heartbeat.

[cw]

Triple panes are common for houses near airports and expressways. The justification is noise deadening, not insulation.

EDIT: You covered this later in the video

[robertfrisby]

We had a company here in the Salt Lake Valley by the name of Wasatch Vinyl install triple pane low-E vinyl windows in our home about 14 years ago. We have loved them, no more cold coming off the windows, no more sweating from the windows during the winter, the furnace doesn't run anywhere near as much, came with a life time warranty but I can't use the warranty because the company closed their doors several years ago, plus I can't find the sales paperwork, I think my wife took it with her when she divorced me. One window's lift spring broke, the largest window's lifts seem to be getting weak/harder to lift it to open it and a few are going cloudy. Not happy about the cloudy thing. No way I could ever replace these windows now/ can't work anymore because of health problems, thus the divorce. Have no money. Guess I will just get to where I can't see out of the windows. Should have been built so this would never happen. Windows if not broken would last forever but now they have a short life span. 10-14 years is not very long.

[gregcorwin]

Matt, excellent presentation, lots of information presented without becoming overly complicated or confusing.

Quick comment on triple pane glass and sound performance. Although very commonly stated as an attribute of triple pane windows, improved sound performance isn't a given when moving from dual pane to triple pane windows. A National Research Council of Canada study several years back concluded that "Despite the widespread belief that adding another layer of glass must be beneficial, triple glazing provides essentially the same noise reduction as double glazing, unless the interlayer separation is very large." MIT also did a study with the same conclusion. Ultimately any potential advantage of triple pane over dual pane becomes more pronounced when using wider airspaces as noted in the above quote.

The optimum airspace in a window IGU for energy performance is about 7/16" to 9/16" or about 11mm - 14mm. The potential advantage in sound performance when using a triple pane would occur when the two airspaces individually are in the same width range as the single space in the dual pane, so that the combination of the dual airspaces in the triple result in an overall airspace from something like 7/8" - 1-1/8" or 22mm - 28mm. At about 25mm or more is when the advantage of the wider airspace becomes noticeable, so while wider is better, unless it's pushing 1" the potential for sound improvement over dual pane is minimal.

Cascadia makes a very nice window, good choice!

[cowboycatranch]

Informative and to the point. Excellent. Thank you!

[andreykashin]

Criterion Resin frames are the best of both worlds! Apex Energy Solutions uses them, they are actually insulated too! And yes they are triple-pane.

[unclebob]

If noise is your main reason, then buy acoustic glazing, it's double pane and laminated, the outside pane is thicker than the inside, these layers help to diffuse the sound as it travels. Triple glazing isn't as effective.

[stephen]

Good information, well presented. Thanks.

[patrickmike]

Pulled the trigger and getting the top floor windows replaced, and can't wait to see the difference in my 150 year old house in CT.

[briansung]

Thank you for your details 😊 Would it be better to have all side (North and South) windows with triple pane? We live in northern hemisphere 36 degrees latitude, have 4 season.

[shubinternet]

So, what is the STC rating of these windows? How do they compare to specialized windows that are designed for high STC?

[kevin.j]

What about high wind areas and how that pertains to the different kinds of windows you’ll need?

[nwhite]

What about the visiability? Does tripple pane reduce or darken the view?

[wildpigremovalinc.executio]

Thanks for the information. But I have been looking for information on hurricane windows, storm windows, that are triple pane and I'm guessing I'm SOL because I still can't find any information on storm windows and low-e triple pane. Have a nice day.

[zororat]

Am I right in saying triple glazing reduces 'VT' visible light passing through window, compared to double glazing?

[Kevin-ynht]

what triple pane window would you recommend

[xxwookey]

One thing you didn't cover was the importance of the inner leaf temperature in 'apparent comfort' and the avoidance of condensation and condensation damage. A 3G window will keep the inner leaf above 14C down to about -10C outside, which means it's always above the condensation temp for normal house humidities, so you never get water dripping down the glass (or frames if the frames are good too - they are usually the worst bit on 3G). and having warm surfaces is a big part of feeling warm in the room because people are sensitive to radiant heat transmission. This is one of the reasons passivehouses almost always end up being 3G in most climates.
(We replaced 2G with 3G here 4 years ago and they are _really_ nice! The silence is perhaps the best bit but the radiant heat comfort is very nice too.)

[mrporsche]

Get vacuum sealed glass its cheaper and much better insulation the triple glaze

[milowu]

Matt, I really appreciate how clear and concise your video is. It's the best one I've seen so far. I'm looking for a curtain wall system. Are there other window companies in addition to Cascadia you'd recommend for a modern and clean curtain wall system? I'm on the Gulf Islands.