I was interested in the article on the efficiency of  European windows in the September 2010 issue. Having lived in Europe over the past 8 years in several houses with German-made windows, I have a different reason why I like them so much better. While there can be arguments over efficiency ratings and such, I would like to say that European windows are more user-friendly.  For this main reason:   Casements can open inward.  I do not find  very many American made windows that do.  Instead we have a crank that wears out and is often inoperable even when rather new.  Also, it is so much easier to clean the outside of a casement that opens inward.  Need I say that the Germans have solved the problems of the wind banging them  back and forth inside your room?  And they do it without a crank.  Another advantage is the two-way option of opening.  You can either turn the handle one way and open like a cabinet door or you can turn it the other way and it will open at the top like a transom.  Much better than the awning type windows we have in the US that open at the bottom.  Screens are not a problem.  We had screens that mounted on the outside but were installed from inside the building.  You never need a ladder.  Windows are only one of the “better ways” of Euro building.  But don’t get me started.  Their only fault is their use of the metric system, where measurements are expressed in HUNDREDS of millimeters.  How smart is that?