In Baltimore, the coldest temperature on record is -7 degrees, which last happened on January 22, 1984. Thus far, there are no signs to indicate that 2013 will break that record. Regardless, locals will have the advantage if they make an effort to prepare for below-freezing temperatures, and with impacts of climate change these days, people can never really tell when those preparation efforts will come in handy.

One thing that locals can do to be winter-ready is to have energy-efficient windows in their homes; otherwise, they can expect to rack up huge energy bills. However, the term usually results in confusion for some people since they think that energy-efficiency merely depends on how the window protects them from the outside elements. Only a few people are aware that choosing energy-efficient windows should also be based on whether they live in cold-climate cities like Baltimore.

Homeowners should take into account the windows' U-value when they are buying energy-efficient windows, and this refers to the flow of heat through the windows, and the lower the windows' U-value, the better their insulating abilities are. In warm climates, the windows' Solar Heat Gain Coefficient is the more important consideration since this determines how well the windows block out the sun. Homeowners should also look into low-emissivity coatings in their new windows as these can prevent heat loss in cold-climate cities like Baltimore.




Leave a Reply.