Window woes

I spent a lot of time trying to get the right windows for the cottage. The first priority and problem was trying to find a window/glass that would allow heat in. Most windows today are designed to keep heat in the house and use the title E2 ('E-squared') to indicate the efficiency. The problem with E2 windows is that in addition to keeping heat in they keep heat out while I'm counting on the sun to warm up the concrete floors.

So I called lots of companies; retailers, window manufacturers, and glass manufacturers to try and get the right window characteristics - one with good solar heat gain (SHGC or solar heat gain coefficient) and good efficiency (as measured by u-value or the rate at which heat transfers through the material).

I thought I had reached a reasonable solution with Milgard's Hardcoat Low-e product but I was disappointed when, after already ordering the product, I found the SHGC numbers to be moderate at best. But, what's done is done and we'll see how they perform.