Windows are an important and valuable part of a home, as any architect or engineer well knows. The design and placement can let in light, heat from the sun, and be a view to the outside world, as well as provide insulation and safety if installed correctly. Steel windows and fire rated windows are an expensive investment but save money on energy costs and provide the best safety in a home.
One important factor in a well-made window product is home security. Homes are accessed through an unlocked or open window in about 1/3 of home intrusions, which occur about every 13 seconds in the U.S. Some older windows don’t have proper locks or the locks don’t work anymore, so even if the homeowners wants to protect themselves, they may not be able to, and there is fairly often a way to get into a home via a window. Steel windows and doors are the strongest option and will protect better against an intrusion.
An obvious reason to have fire rated window and door units is that they do not conduct and spread heat in the case of a house fire, which occurred every 85 seconds in 2013. The small ways in which the spread of a fire within a house can be slowed may give crucial extra minutes to fire suppressing attempts and save lives and possessions within the home.
An additional concern with residential windows is heat efficiency, as it has been estimated that a house can lose 15% to 22% of heat from drafty windows. Thermally broken steel windows are a technology that traps heat and are reported to be the most energy efficient on the market. Windows are already an expensive repair and replacement and this is probably at the high end of the price range, but the savings in heating costs in winter will most likely be more significant. One estimate is that these types of windows cost a homeowner 10% to 15% more but prevent energy loss by 30% to 50%.