Those are two different numbers on the label, and in a high-desert climate you need both to be right. We spec replacement windows for the sun your house actually gets — not just a generic energy rating.
Licensed Nevada contractor — Advanced Design & Development Inc, NV Lic. #0077896A.
Both are printed on the NFRC label stuck to every new window. Most quotes never mention the second one, and in Reno the second one is often what you actually feel.
How much of the sun’s energy the window lets through. Lower means less solar heat entering the room. This is the number that governs a west-facing living room in July, and it is the one that gets left out of most sales conversations.
How readily heat conducts through the whole assembly — glass, spacer and frame. Lower means better insulation. This is the number that governs a January night, and it is usually the only one a brochure quotes.
A climate with hard sun and cold nights punishes a window chosen on one number. Optimize only U-Factor and the west rooms still overheat; optimize only SHGC and the house is harder to keep warm in winter.
North-facing glass gets little direct sun, so a lower SHGC buys you little and costs you winter warmth. South and west glass is where a low-SHGC package earns its keep. One spec for the whole house is a compromise, not a plan.
Deep eaves, mature trees and neighbouring buildings already cut solar gain on some elevations. We look at what is actually shading each opening before recommending a glass package for it.
No obligation, and no pressure to decide in the room.
Tell us which rooms get uncomfortable and roughly how many windows you are thinking about.
Openings, frame condition, orientation and existing shade — elevation by elevation.
Line-item pricing with the SHGC and U-Factor we are proposing for each elevation, in writing.
Permits pulled where the scope requires them. The old units leave with us.
Not for work installed after 31 December 2025. The federal 25C energy-efficient home improvement credit ended for windows installed after that date, so anything we quote you today should be evaluated on its own merits.
You may still see contractors advertising it. Ask them for the installation date it applies to, and check with your own tax preparer before counting on any credit.
Usually they help, and we will not put a percentage on it. Savings depend on what you have now, how your house is insulated and shaded, how your HVAC is sized, and how you actually run it. Anyone quoting you a specific percentage before measuring is guessing.
What we can promise concretely is comfort: rooms that currently become unusable in the afternoon generally stop doing that.
Up front, yes, and sometimes it is the right call — particularly if your frames are sound and only one or two elevations are a problem. Film lowers solar gain without touching the U-Factor, so it does nothing for winter heat loss or for drafts around a failing frame.
If your existing units are fogged, sticking, or leaking air, film is money spent on a window you are going to replace anyway. We will say so.
It depends on the scope and the jurisdiction. A like-for-like replacement in an existing opening is treated differently from enlarging an opening or altering structure. We identify what your specific scope needs and pull it where it is required.
The on-site work for a typical whole-house replacement is usually measured in days rather than weeks, but the honest constraint is lead time on the units themselves, which varies by line and by season. We give you a date range in writing with the quote rather than an optimistic number on the phone.
Tell us which rooms are the problem. We will come measure and put a real number on it.
We will call you back at the number you gave us. If you would rather not wait, call (775) 391-8487 and we will take the details now.