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Home : Material Reviews : Window Spacers
Window Spacers
Window spacers are placed between panes of glass (double pane or triple pane) and contribute to the energy efficiency of a home window. We will go over the basics of what they do for a window and list the most popular spacer systems and who makes them.
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Warm Edge Technology
Insulation plays an important role in window energy efficiency - poor insulation can have up to a twenty five percent impact of the heating and cooling of a window. Spacers between panes of glass play an important role to either helping or hurting the performance of a window. Today, warm edge technology is being used in the spacers, this is the type of material that separates the glass panes. Any material that conducts less cold or heat than the original aluminum spacers is called warm edged. Most of today's spacers will be a marked improvement over the original aluminum spacers. All spacers have some amount of metal in them, which conducts both heat and/or cold from the outside to the inside. Two of the most popular warm edge spacers include the Super Spacer by Edgetech and Duralite (Okna windows uses this warm edge spacer).
Window Spacers By Manufacturer
Below you will find the major manufacturers of residential window spacers. The company is named first, such as BayForm and the product is listed next, such as Thermal Edge Spacer.
BayForm - Thermal Edge Spacer
Cardinal - XL Edge Spacer
Edgetech - Super Spacer
PPG - Intercept Spacer
Quanex Building Products - Duralite Spacer - This uses non-metallic system and has a polycarbonate structure for maintaining its form. A non metallic spacer will provide a slight edge in glass performance.
Simonton - Supercept Spacer - The Supercept is an upgrade from the Intercept spacer that uses a stainless construction for a better structural consistency.
Truseal Technologies - Swiggle Seal Spacer
Window Spacer Reviews
Are Stainless Steel Spacers worth the upgrade over a Warm Edge Spacer? My contractor is telling me I would not see much of a difference (.28 to .27).
Jeff - Homeowner - from 2015
[Site Editor's Response]
Jeff, stainless steel is one of the materials used by spacer manufacturers and is considered one of the warm edge technologies over the old aluminum spacers. Stainless steel is 1/5 as conductive as aluminum, while rubber and foam (also warm edge technologies) are even much less conductive than stainless steel. There are two advantages to warm edge spacers, one is less heat loss, two is reduction of condensation at the edge of the window.
Popular warm edge spacer systems include...
Intercept Warm Edge Spacer - uses a 1 piece stainless steel alloy
Edgetech SST Spacer uses non-metal foam
Super Spacer is a non-metal foam spacer
Now, back to your question. Your contractor is right that the upgrade will only reduce your U-factor by .01 to .02. My own take is that as long as you are buying a window with some sort of warm edge technology, you are fine. If you live in a cold climate, I would get the best spacer system possible for the reduction in condensation at the edge of the glass.
Dane - Site Editor - from 2015