Residential Windows: A Guide to New Technologies and Energy Performance (Third Edition),   ISBN:9780393732252

Customer Rating: 

Not recommended. Having previously read "Window Systems for High-Performance Buildings" (covering commercial and institutional buildings) by most of the same authors, I assumed "Residential Windows" would continue the same detailed discussion and information applied to residential buildings. It does not. "Residential Windows" particularly lacks information about windows used for passive solar heat gain.

Customer Rating: 

I used the first two editions of this book to educate myself about modern windows. This knowledge was used to design and build a passive solar house at 7300' in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, where the winters are often severe. The design was successful since the heat has been left off for more than three years, yet the house stayed comfortable year round.

Residential Windows is written at a semi-technical level that is ideal for builders, architects, and home owners. I have given several copies away (including this third edition) and recommended it without reservation to many others. All the issues pertaining to windowing are explained lucidly and are well illustrated. Other than a Consumers Union style review of named makes and models (which it scrupulously avoids doing), you could hardly ask for more.