07 February, 2025
windows
When choosing windows in Europe, we will most often reach for windows for a temperate climate. What does this mean in practice? What specific windows are we talking about? And when will we decide on something else? We invite you to read a comprehensive guide in which we will determine what we need and how to meet these needs without overpaying.
There are different theories about the origin of the continent's name. The most popular of them mentions a Phoenician princess of that name, whom Zeus, because of her beauty, kidnapped and took with him to Crete. However, scholars usually lean towards the version related to the etymology of the name, i.e. its linguistic roots. Then Europe would be "wide", by implication: great.
Great and beautiful – it's hard to disagree with this if we compare the Nordic fjords, Polish forests, French hills covered with vines and Greek archipelagos, to mention just a few of the countless charms of the continent. In practical terms, more important than the overwhelming beauty of Europe is the fact that the continent is as large as it is diverse.
The vast majority of the continent is covered by a temperate climate.
It has two faces:The maritime climate covers the western part of Europe, mainly France and Great Britain, Ireland, Benelux and western Germany. The continental subtype is Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, practically all of Central Europe with most of Germany, as well as Hungary.
Why do we need such theoretical considerations? We need to know the significant climatic differences between these areas in order to be able to adapt the windows accordingly.
The maritime subtype of climate is characterised by:
On the other hand, the continental subtype is:
In short, in a maritime climate it is sometimes a little cooler, sometimes a little warmer. In a continental climate, on the other hand, there is rarely any doubt as to what season it is, although the direction of the winds and what air they bring at any given time often determines the weather on a given day.
Of great importance to Europe is also the Mediterranean climate, which covers the countries of the Mediterranean basin. It is characterised by:
It happens to be cool in these regions, but certainly not very cold. Real frosts are known to the inhabitants of Scandinavia and the Alpine regions, where there are:
In the Alpine regions, conditions are very similar, but even more drastic, i.e. it is colder, there is more snow, and you can count on sunshine even less often.
A good distinction of climatic zones in Europe is crucial for choosing a high-quality window. It must be adjusted to the real requirements in a given area. For convenience, we can say that we will have windows for a temperate climate, for a Mediterranean climate and for a cold climate - Scandinavian and Alpine.
Bearing in mind that the temperate climate is divided into two subcategories, we arrive at a complete list of windows needed on the continent. These are:
Is this a long, exhaustive list? No, because it must be remembered that climatic zones are largely arbitrary and the boundaries between them are very blurred. Nevertheless, it is a very useful list as a compass for our search.
It should be noted that although not all windows will always be a good choice, climate is not as serious a limitation as it might seem. We can thank modern technology for this, which provides durability to delicate materials and warmth to those that theoretically lose energy easily. Often the same product will be available in several versions adapted to different conditions. So let's get down to specifics.
The north of the continent and mountainous areas are beautiful places, although very demanding for any settlement. Two aspects are crucial when it comes to windows:
Driving rain and snow, strong winds, large temperature differences - all this is potentially very harmful to windows, so our solutions must be ready for it. It will also be cold for most of the year, so if we don't want to freeze, the thermal insulation of the windows will be a priority. Triple-glazed windows are the minimum of decency here.
Windows for a continental climate will not differ much from their northern cousins due to the need to face continental winters. They are rarely as drastic as those in Scandinavia, but double-digit frost is not uncommon.
Window profiles with low permeability, triple-glazed units, preferably with warm frames, extensive sealing systems - all this will be very useful in the case of continental windows.
In the maritime variant of the temperate climate, windows can breathe a sigh of relief. Triple-glazed windows are still recommended, but double-glazed versions should usually suffice. The technical parameters of the windows do not have to be at the highest level here, at least in terms of thermal performance, because it is still important for the windows to effectively block gusts of wind and rain, which is not always so obvious.
In a maritime climate, it is also worth considering more how much of the sun's energy the windows will be able to stop from reaching the inside of the house than how much they will keep inside. Using the right glazing in combination with advanced window coverings will significantly reduce air conditioning bills and improve thermal comfort inside.
Many residents of Tuscany or Catalonia would prefer not to close their windows at all, so shutters alone to protect them from the rain would be quite sufficient. Some windows should appear in the body of the house anyway, so it is worth thinking about the protection from the sun they offer, as well as their aesthetics. Design, important in any climate, can most easily spread its wings here.
We already know more or less what our windows should be like in terms of their overall technical parameters. We will go into detail in a moment. For now, let's focus on materials, because this is a very interesting topic. At dealers we will find:
Which of them are the best? It depends.
The most popular PVC windows today are an excellent choice. The technical parameters of this type of window are phenomenal, especially when you consider the ratio of their capabilities to price.
Popular plastic systems allow for the production of incomparably warm windows. When a low heat transfer coefficient is a priority, they are the first, but by no means the only choice.
PVC is also a durable material that will last for many years with virtually no specific maintenance. Deficiencies related to poor mechanical strength and stiffness are eliminated by steel reinforcements.
Plastic can also be very aesthetic thanks to veneers, the possibility of painting in different colours and special surfaces available in some systems.
Wooden windows are still a controversial topic. There is a persistent myth about the delicacy of this material, which unfortunately is not entirely a myth. Modern methods of preparing wood, including gluing it from several layers and coating it with effective varnishes, very effectively eliminate its weaknesses. However, wood still requires intensive maintenance and is not resistant to either mechanical factors or weather.
So why is wood gaining so much popularity? It has strong arguments:
Ecology is considered the most important. Wood is a natural, fully renewable material, which is also obtained in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. The same cannot be said for any other raw material, even though an increasing proportion of PVC in windows comes from recycling.
Wood is a natural insulator. The chambers in PVC windows were inspired by the natural structure of wood, although this is only a fraction of the millions of natural, walled cells present in wood. PVC profiles usually have no more than 6–7 of them.
Wood also cannot be denied its beautiful appearance and the warmth it brings to the home. The pleasure of being in touch with wood is so unique that wood-like veneers imitating wooden windows are popular in the case of PVC and aluminium.
Aluminium is a material gaining increasing market momentum mainly due to its style. It fits perfectly with modern buildings with a minimalist, post-industrial character. It is also performing increasingly well in terms of thermal performance, and windows with hidden sashes are in great demand.
Although the warmest PVC windows still beat aluminium windows, the distance is not great, and for many manufacturers it is the aluminium solutions that are at the forefront of the energy-saving stakes.
The ability to easily and aesthetically combine aluminium windows with window coverings, garage doors, exterior doors and even pergolas is also important.
Modern steel windows are very similar to aluminium windows in terms of performance parameters. However, they are most often chosen not for their parameters, but for their appearance.
Steel is a traditional material for the production of windows. From the beginning of the industrial era and the widespread use of steel, a fashion for large glazing began, which the wood of the time could not withstand. Steel had sufficient strength. As a result, historic buildings often require the use of period materials in them, so property owners are doomed to steel.
In places where conservationists are less demanding, it is possible to choose aluminium that imitates steel. Examples of such solutions are MB-Ferroline and Decalu 110 Steel.
Characteristic, slender steel profiles are currently gaining more and more supporters, although they must remember that regardless of the quality of protection, window steel will never be perfectly resistant to corrosion. As a result, it is not recommended to use Unico or Presto type windows in oceanic climates and by the sea itself, regardless of temperature.
Yes, this is not a mistake. Neither the best energy-efficient windows nor windows with terrible energy efficiency will ever be perfectly transparent. It is also not about some trifles resulting from the reflection of light on the surface of dirty windows. Glass, or rather insulating glass units, can block a significant part of the radiation coming from the sun. Depending on the conditions in a given place, this can be salutary or extremely problematic.
A house full of light is always welcome. The same is true for offices and public buildings. Sometimes, however, you may want less light, for example in the bedroom, to sleep better.
The Lt coefficient, expressed as a percentage, tells us how much visible light passes through the glass. This is crucial for the sun-hungry north of the continent and wherever much of the year is overcast.
This indicator usually decreases with the thickness of the glazing package and additional technologies that affect energy efficiency. It can also be improved in various ways. For the end customer, it is important that its level is acceptable. Choosing very warm windows without paying attention to the Lt parameter can end in an unpleasant surprise.
We have already talked about heat transfer, but in a different context. The U coefficient tells us how quickly heat passes through a wall, door or window. Uw is the coefficient for a window. Now we need to look at the g coefficient relating to sunlight.
Like Lt, g is expressed as a percentage. This is the percentage of heat from the sun that can pass through the glazing.
In a Mediterranean climate, we will aim for a low g, so that the windows protect us from the heat waves falling on our heads for most of the year. In continental and colder climates, on the other hand, we will be more interested in a higher g, allowing us to replace the radiator with the sun at least to a small extent.
The choice of the right g must be made wisely, because heating the house with the sun in winter may not be a good idea if the glazed facade will cause the air conditioning to have to work non-stop in summer to make the house liveable.
Today's window manufacturers are able to offer us a lot of additional solutions in the window itself and in the package with it. Among them are purely aesthetic additions, such as wooden heads or muntin bars, thanks to which the windows gain a unique character. Others focus on functionality and make the window joinery better suited to our requirements.
Especially in older buildings that have been insulated and have had their window frames replaced, it happens that the interiors suddenly become damp. This is the result of excessive airtightness and thermal insulation of buildings that were not designed with such airtight windows and doors in mind. This phenomenon usually occurs in Central Europe, in a continental climate, where house designs are sometimes too optimistic and then require additional, unplanned insulation.
To prevent the building from becoming a breeding ground for fungi and diseases, we need to act. We can reach for two solutions:
Microventilation is a functionality of window fittings that allows the window to be unsealed without opening it. Small gaps are created, often even invisible, through which the exchange of humid, stale air for new and fresh air from outside takes place.
Ventilators, on the other hand, are accessories mounted on the window frame or directly in the pane. These appropriately protected openings can let in fresh air after we open them manually or they can react independently, for example to the difference in humidity between the environments.
The use of window coverings such as:
is a very effective way to get rid of excess sun and heat. Each of these options does it in its own way and with a slightly different effect, but especially in Mediterranean and oceanic climates at least one of these options is indispensable. In continental temperate conditions, they also come in handy during hot summers, and some of them can also act as effective protection against harmful factors.
If the window covering is able to create an effective outer shell, in which external roller shutters and, to some extent, shutters excel, the window will not be damaged by the impact of branches carried by the wind, it will not be harmed by UV radiation, and driving rain will also be less of a problem.
Especially in the age of smart home solutions, the use of window coverings can dramatically improve the comfort of interiors.
A very interesting addition to windows are aluminium covers, which we find mainly on wooden windows, but also on windows made of PVC. They distinctly change the aesthetics of the windows and help them fit into the modern architectural order characteristic of big cities, where minimalism and simplicity prevail.
However, this is not just an aesthetic element. Aluminium covers, especially on windows made of wood, are very often found in Scandinavia, where they protect windows from destructive weather. They are also popular in Scotland. They can be recommended practically whenever someone chooses wooden windows, and in the case of plastic windows they certainly won't hurt.
The ways of opening windows often depend on the legal regulations in force in a given location, and are most often determined by custom. Regardless of everything, it is worth considering whether, for example, windows that open outwards would not be an interesting solution for us? They are particularly recommended for maritime climates and areas where cold winds blow. Why? Because this opening scheme means that gusts of wind press the windows in and improve their airtightness instead of creating a risk of blowing heat out of the house.
Sliding systems, on the other hand, are a great solution in terms of usability, but we have to take into account the climate in our surroundings. It is not without reason that they are associated with warm, pleasant surroundings.
Sliding windows and doors usually have poorer resistance to wind pressure and driving rain compared to traditional casement products. Their U-value also tends to be lower, and large glazing is something we certainly need to consider in the context of the amount of heat that will enter the interior. More expensive HST systems have better parameters. On the other hand, the cheapest PSK solutions can surprise, although their functionality is much worse.
Yet another option, which sometimes appears without an additional invitation due to legal requirements, is safety glass.
Safety can be understood here in different ways. Even standard double-glazed units are quite safe, because with a warm frame and professional installation they will provide warmth and limit phenomena such as the appearance of moisture on the glass.
Safety is usually associated with tempered glass. This is glass that is heated and cooled in such a way that its mechanical strength is significantly increased. Equally important, and often even more important, if such a pane breaks, it does not shatter into sharp-edged shards, but into rounded, much less dangerous fragments.
Professionals, when they talk about safety glass, mainly mean laminated glass. This is created from at least two panes of glass put together, between which is a layered film. The task of the film, in one or more layers, is to bond the panes together in such a way that if they break, a spider web will form, but the pane will not shatter and become a hazard. Such a film is, of course, not indestructible, but a sufficiently large number of layers makes it almost impossible to break through such a unit without extraordinary measures.
Safety glass, regardless of type, will be the more popular the more often we have contact with large glazing, which is why it is a solution mainly for maritime and Mediterranean climates. The truth about it is that it would be used almost everywhere if it were not more expensive than ordinary glass.
We already know very well what to look for and how to complement it to get the best possible windows. Two very important questions remain:
The right answer to these will put the best windows in the European climate at our fingertips.
Suppliers of window joinery can be divided into large and small entities. Large companies can employ several thousand people in several factories, and their turnover reaches billions of euros. Small companies are often garage companies, employing a few or at most a dozen people.
Is it better to trust a family business or a large corporation?
Even if your heart tells you otherwise, a large company that produces high-quality windows almost at its own expense is definitely a better choice. Such a manufacturer makes the insulated glass units itself, provides transport itself, assembles all the elements itself and only uses suppliers. It also has state-of-the-art technology, including robotic production lines that guarantee near-perfect repeatability.
Smaller companies may put their heart into their products, but they simply do not have the capacity, machinery and technology to compete.
First and foremost, we should always check the certificates held by the windows offered to us. This is particularly important in terms of the basic technical parameters of the windows and their anti-burglary properties. Burglar-proof windows that do not have an RC certificate are burglar-proof windows in name only.
In addition to detailed certificates, there are also quality-oriented certificates specific to different markets. An example of such a certificate is the KOMO mark, which tells customers in Belgium that the solutions they choose are of really high quality.
We already know how to choose the best windows in the European climate. Cold climates like plastic windows equipped with triple-glazed units. The warmer it is, the fewer panes we need and the more often we will opt for lightweight wooden and aluminium profiles. By the sea we will avoid steel, and in the most difficult conditions we will protect wood with aluminium covers. We will deal with excess sun with window coverings, which are also able to cope with dangerous weather phenomena, as long as we choose the right solutions.
With all this in mind, remember that modern technologies allow us to reach for almost anything we like. The only exception will be the installation depth of the system, as there is no chance of creating a very warm and at the same time lightweight window with a small thickness.
Nevertheless, we can do almost anything with PVC, and if we decorate it with veneers resembling wood or aluminium, it will be difficult to distinguish it from the original. Similar decors can be applied to aluminium. Wood can also be finished in a multitude of ways. The most popular are stains and varnishes that accentuate its natural beauty. Completely opaque varnishes are less common, but they can also work well in modern arrangements.
Therefore, when we are wondering how to choose the best windows in the European climate, let's make sure that the solutions we like also meet the requirements of the weather conditions.
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