Why Fibrex Makes for Better Windows

Why Fibrex Makes for Better Windows

Most people have a good enough understand-ing of the advantages of energy-efficient win-dows. And with everyone from the US gov-ernment to green building advocates and local contractors promoting their use, it’s easy to see why more and more property owners are investing in them. Energy-efficient win-dows lower utility bills, lengthen the service life of heating and cooling equipment, and in-crease comfort inside homes and workplaces.

But what many property owners fail to under-stand is that not all energy-efficient windows are created equal. Different components and mech-anisms contribute to a window’s performance, resulting in different levels of energy efficiency.

Window frames, for instance, tend to be points of heat conduction, which means the choice of frame material will affect both solar and non-solar heat gain coefficients (SHGC and U-factor, respectively). Some of the most popu-lar window frame materials—vinyl, wood, and aluminum—do not perform very well in terms of heat transfer. And no matter how low a win-dow’s center-of-glass SHGC and U-factor are, a poor choice of frame material will have a detrimental effect on its overall efficiency.

The good news is that Renewal by Anders-en offers a revolutionary product that takes care of this issue, and more. It’s called Fibrex.

not all energy-efficient windowsare created equal.“

Why Fibrex Makes for Better Windows

PartHistoryandManufacture

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Why Fibrex Makes for Better Windows

Fibrex is a family of composite materials that combines vinyl’s low maintenance requirement with the strength and stability of wood. Renewal by Andersen calls it both revolutionary and evo-lutionary, because it follows on the heels of their earlier forays into energy-efficient window frame research and development. They pioneered the manufacture of hollow vinyl windows in 1959 and went into engineered composite frames in the 60s and 70s. Having perfected composite win-dow technology, Andersen began production of

Fibrex windows in 1992.

renewal by andersen calls it bothrevolutionary & evolutionary“

Why Fibrex Makes for Better Windows

Fibrex is made from a blend of re-claimed wood fibers and thermoplastic polymers in a weight-to-weight ratio of 40:60. The material is then extruded or injection molded into di-fferent func-tional components that can be welded or mechanically fastened into products

for specialized applications.

After production, all Fibrex products are then tested in simulated environ-ments—such as hot and cold cham-bers—to measure their performance in

extreme temperatures.

But how well does Fibrex do in real-world stress tests?

Why Fibrex Makes for Better Windows

Partreal-World PerforMance

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Why Fibrex Makes for Better Windows

A product like Fibrex may perform well un-der carefully controlled laboratory condi-tions, but the real test of its durability comes upon installation. How well does it hold up to real-world conditions? To answer that, let’s take a look at its primary physical properties.

Fibrex, being a family of composite mater-ials, offers one huge advantage that window frames made of only a single primary material cannot match: it can be custom-engineered to suit a range of customer requirements. Its main physical characteristics include:

▶ Low thermal expansion coefficient. Ther-mal expansion is a measure of how much a material changes in volume after being sub-jected to a change in temperature. Fibrex has a thermal expansion coefficient of 1.6, while vinyl’s is 4.0. This means that Fibrex frames can go through extreme weather changes without undergoing as much warping, bow-ing, and cracking over time as vinyl.

Why Fibrex Makes for Better Windows

▶ Low thermal conductivity ratio. Fibrex’s insulating ca-pacity is comparable to that of wood (pine) and vinyl and 700 times better than that of aluminum. This makes it ca-pable of providing outstand-ing protection against heat transfer through windows.

▶ High moisture resist-ance. The cell structure of the wood fibers in Fibrex is completely surrounded and filled with polymers. This makes the material resistant to moisture penetration and fungal growth, which means less rotting, peeling, and splitting over time—a huge advantage over both treated and untreated wood frames.

▶ High flexural and tensile modulus. Fibrex is twice as rigid as vinyl, which makes it stiffer and more stable. Wood has a higher average modu-lus; however, unlike Fibrex, it has physical inconsisten-cies (like knots and grains) that make it less manage-able. Fibrex therefore offers the best of both: strength and flexibility in form.

That said, Fibrex already sounds as if it offers a win on all counts. That it can deliver excellent protection for any property has been established. But is it good

for the environment?

Why Fibrex Makes for Better Windows

PartenvironMentalBenefits

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Why Fibrex Makes for Better Windows

Renewal by Andersen believes in the extension, preservation, and protection of resources during the manufacturing process. Fibrex demonstrates this belief and makes it possible for property owners to enjoy products that are environmen-

tally friendly in more ways than one.

Why Fibrex Makes for Better Windows

Here are some interesting facts about the company and their product:

▶ In 2008, Renewal by Andersen was recognized by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) for their use of recycled materials. In Fibrex, they achieved the high-est SCS-certified recycled content of any window replacement company: 40% reclaimed wood, 60% thermoplastic polymer. The thermoplastic polymer is itself recycled from other manufacturing processes. Even better, the company recycles already-made Fi-brex composites (from products not sold or sent out) to make more Fibrex.

▶ Fibrex does not need wood preservative treat-ments or paint, which means that it doesn’t contrib-ute to volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. Their use of Fibrex helped Renewal by Andersen and parent company Andersen Corporation earn the Indoor Advantage Gold certification from SCS. It is the country’s strictest indoor air emission standard, and Andersen is the only window company to date to have earned it.

Fibrex also helps property owners reduce their car-bon footprint in more ways than one:

▶ Energy efficiency. As mentioned earlier in this se-ries, Fibrex helps reduce energy consumption in liv-ing and work spaces by virtue of its thermal perfor-mance. The Department of Energy says that as much as 30% of energy consumed in each household is lost through windows, so every little bit helps.

▶ Longevity. Fibrex windows do not need to be replaced as frequently as vinyl or wood windows. With the US already generating 124 million tons of debris from building demolitions alone each year, the less waste households and businesses send to landfills, the better.

Why Fibrex Makes for Better Windows

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