Difference Between No Argon & Argon
Argon filled or "no argon" are two labels commonly seen on double-pane windows. Window manufacturers often fill the area between a double pane with an inert gas, such as argon, which helps reduce loss of heat through the window. Replacing regular single-pane windows with argon-filled double-pane windows can save you hundreds of dollars in heating and cooling costs each year.
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Single-Pane Windows
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Single-pane windows have only one pane of glass. They never contain argon because they do not have any space between panes to fill. These windows are the most lightweight and often the least expensive. Single-paned, untreated windows can cause as much as 25 percent of a home's heat loss during the winter months and heat gain during the summer months. Single-pane windows can be made more energy efficient through the use of shades, screens or window tinting.
Double- or Triple-Pane Unfilled Windows
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Double-pane windows, or windows with two panes of glass, are twice as energy efficient as single-pane windows. Triple-pane windows are three times as efficient. The addition of panes makes the windows heavier and more expensive. Double- or triple-pane windows can be made with a coated glass called low-emittance glass. These windows are as much as 35 percent more energy efficient than untreated double-pane windows but also more costly.
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Double or Triple Argon-Filled Windows
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Insulated, multiple-paned windows can be made even more energy efficient by adding an inert gas to the space between the panes. These gases resist heat flow more than just air, and so they are used to decrease the rate at which the window conducts heat flow. Argon is a readily available, nontoxic, odorless, colorless, nonreactive gas. Double- or triple-paned windows filled with argon are more energy efficient than double- or triple-paned windows without argon gas but are also more costly.
Double or Triple Krypton-Filled Windows
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Krypton is another inert gas used to fill double- or triple-pane windows. It is more thermally efficient than air or argon and is also colorless, odorless, nontoxic and nonreactive. Windows filled with krypton are more expensive than argon-filled windows. The choice of krypton versus argon-filled or air-filled windows depends on your climate and heating bills. In very cold or very hot climates, the savings from more expensive but more energy-efficient windows makes them a prudent choice.
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