I am building a new home this summer and can say that windows are the most difficult thing that I’ve ever shopped for. Our home will be ICF to the eaves and spray foam in the attic. I intend on making sure it is well sealed and as energy efficient as possible within reason. I’m hoping to get some passive solar on the south facing wall, which is where most of the windows are located. I’ve been studying and pricing windows for a couple months now and have it down to two selections. I understand that I’m comparing a wood window to a vinyl, but my driving factors are efficiency ratings, availability, and price. Specifically, I’m looking for something that has a low u-value (<.27) and high SHGC (>.40) for the south side. These requirements eliminate a lot of good manufacturers because they just don’t offer anything with those specs. I’ve investigated at least a dozen manufacturers and obtained bids from Marvin, Earthwise, Atrium, Intus, Inline, Alpen, several Pella lines, and several Andersen lines. I’ve found windows tend to get exponentially more expensive with better efficiency ratings and there is a point where it just doesn’t make sense to upgrade any further. The windows will be white interior and exterior, so the wood “look” doesn’t really make any difference to me. We will have a few casements, but the majority will be double hung, so that’s what I’ve been using to compare.

The Pella 350 series is a really nice looking vinyl with several options. I have to get it in a triple pane to meet my requirements and it ends up being a little more money than the Andersen, but the u-value and air infiltration is a little better . I like the no maintenance of the vinyl, but the problem with the 350 is that is has a pocket sill. This definitely bothers me and I was hoping that someone could offer personal experience with the 350 or pocket sills in general.

The Andersen 400 series seems to be a decent window. I have a couple in my house now and have been fairly pleased with them. They would be a dual pane glass.

I’m looking for any suggestions to help decide between the two and any other suggestions you may have. Thanks