Correctly chosen windows that sit best for your needs, home design, and weather conditions can be more beneficial than you perceive. They can provide you fresh air, ventilation, and energy efficiency, without compromising your privacy. They also have a greater role to play in increasing the curb appeal and overall appearance of your home.
However, out of all the available options in the market, awning windows are turning out to be the most trusted option. Many homeowners choose them because of their easy to deal unique design. Being the most popular does not make awning windows perfect for you. It is better to know about the functionality and advantages and disadvantages of these windows, to make a better decision.
Also Read: Are Awning Windows Energy-Efficient?
To help you in deciding, whether the awning windows will work for you or not. The article explains the basic pros and cons of awning windows.
What Are Awning Windows?
Awning windows are the windows that are hinged at the top and opened outside by turning the handle. These windows are also known as crank windows, owing to the opening style using a cranking mechanism. They are perfect for the rectangular-shaped windows opening spaces.
They provide exceptionally good ventilation and natural light, making them ideal for kitchen and bathroom areas. They are ideal for areas receiving regular rainfall, as they can be kept open without water seeping through. They are super easy to operate and can be installed in hard-to-reach places. These windows do not have any bars enabling you to enjoy a complete outside view.
Pros Of Awning Windows
After knowing the basic structure and functionality of the awning windows, now let’s see the advantages these windows offer.
Better Ventilation
Selecting awning windows for your home will enable you to enjoy the best ventilation. It will help you ventilate in situations when you are forced to close the windows of other designs. The awning windows open outwards while acting as a shield for your inner space. Due to this unique opening design, you can keep these windows open during heavy rains as well. These windows let the cool air in and keep the rainwater out.
Choose Better Materials
The availability of awning windows in a variety of materials enables you to choose the best-fitted materials for your home windows. The wood and steel awning windows are most popular because they provide a lot of customization options. However, they are at high-end when it comes to cost. Whereas, fiberglass or aluminum awning windows are the best options for budget-conscious people with a little fewer customization options. If you don’t want any customization and cheaper insulating windows then vinyl awning windows are your best choice.
Energy-Efficient Choice
Windows play a vital role when it comes to the energy use of a house. This is why people are always looking for windows that will help them tightly close their house to the outside elements. Awning windows provide perfect insulation to your house as they leak less air as compared to traditional windows.
The U-factor rating of the windows shows their efficiency in providing insulation. The lower the value of the U-factor, the higher the insulation power of the windows. The U-factor of awning windows is somewhere between 0.17 to 0.18. The lower number shows their ability to keep the heating and cooling from escaping the home during the summer or extreme winter months. The lower the value of the U-factor higher is the quality of the window.
Cons Of Awning Windows
There is always another side of the picture. Besides many benefits offered by the awning windows, they have some drawbacks as well. Let’s see some of the cons of having awning windows in your home.
Easy To Run Into
If you live on the main road lane or an area that experiences a heavy traffic influx. It is better to not install awning windows on the first floor. Heavy traffic and outward opening windows can be a dangerous combination. A person can easily run into them and suffer injuries. Keeping this point in mind, the areas where you should avoid using awning windows include; porches, decks, patios, terraces, etc.
Not Helpful In Emergency Exits
Unfortunately, the biggest setback of these windows is that they do not offer help in an emergency evacuation. If there is a fire in the house it will be difficult to use these windows to escape safely and quickly. Another reason is that they are often installed high at the wall.
Before installing these windows you should check the building code of your area. Also, don’t forget to ponder on the emergency exit plan in case of a house fire. You can always incorporate other types of windows for this purpose along with your awning windows.
Harder To Clean
The unique opening style of these windows makes them slightly difficult to clean. The opening slant makes some areas difficult to reach. These often require a little bit more diligence and care while cleaning and dusting.
