trinker

Rob,

Good luck on you article. If I remember my old architecture class instruction, a single pane of glass has an R value of about 1 and a 2 pane system has about a 2. Some or the new argon filled low-e systems have a little over 3 so no matter how you slice it, a window is going to be the worst energy loss in your wall unless you have a hole or a fireplace. You need to show some Manual J calculations of configurations with different window types. If they aren't leaking air and are wood, (and you don't have a wall of glass) they won't get you any LEEDs points but there are other places where money might be better spent. I just did a new house that is super tight with double pane low e argon filled windows and Manual J showed that the biggest heat loss would still be infiltration. My vented gas fireplace wiped out all the windows by itself and if I replaced it with a wood burner, half of my heat loss would have been on that one item. Old houses with old single glass windows likely have far bigger infiltration problems that are a better place to start and cheaper to solve. Manual J will likely point you to the fireplaces first. A good thermal gun or a blower door test will likely lead you to a lot of other solutions that will pay bigger dividends and preserve the old time quality and style.

Once again, thanks. You have a long hill in front of you if you are to overcome years of advertising by window and siding companies.

There are very old structures on the Appalachain Trail constructed of Chestnut bark siding and still durable. I checked out this product pretty carefully and had two concerns. One was the rustic look and the second was price. One vendor advised a full overlap of the siding requiring 200 feet to cover 100 feet. At that coverage and the cost of materials it became very expensive. Like many "green" products, it costs a lot of green. Otherwise, it appears to be as good or better than any other wood siding product. I suggest that you check it out if you like the rustic appearance. I ended up choosing pre-stained cypress, also from North Carolina and much more reasonably priced but much more of a maintenance burden down the road. But it is wood, not cement or plastic. In town I would use brick or stucco and not endure the hassle of wood.