Americans are asleep, post European windows

balderdash@lemmy.zip to Lemmy Shitpost@lemmy.world – 1070 points –
327

You are viewing a single comment

That window design looks like it would never seal properly. Here in Germany any window from the last 30 years or more will not let any air in when its fully closed.

Why wouldn't it seal?

Because its not possible to pull the window into the seal when the window also needs to move up and down.

The seal is on the bottom so it just falls into it using gravity

And how is it sealed on the sides and the top? European casement windows actually get pulled into the frame (and seals) all around the frame by rollers which move sideways along sloped ridges when you move the hinge to the closed position.

The window stays sealed on all other sides. It just slides up and down. Windows in Europe sound needlessly complicated

But will there still be air coming through when there is wind pushing on that side of the house?

I guess they are kind of complicated, but energy efficient windows make it possible to increase the window area and size without losing too much heat. Energy is also more expensive over here, which probably helps in that decision, as the cost of these windows can be easily recouped in a few years just by needing less energy to heat the house.

It seals. There's a small recess underneath the window lined with weather stripping that when pressure is applied from closing the window and even locking it, it becomes air tight.

Double hung windows don't seal quite as well as casement windows, but honestly, unless you're going to the absolute best energy efficiency possible, like a net-zero house, then it's really not a big difference. Any halfway decent quality, properly installed window won't have any noticeable drafts. Plus, as others have mentioned, double hung windows are far cheaper than casement.

1 more...