One of the best ways to ensure you have energy efficient windows is to look for the “ENERGY STAR” label. Windows, doors, and skylights that are ENERGY STAR qualified will help to bring down your heating and cooling bills by up to 15%.

Vinyl Frames
Vinyl is usually the least expensive frame option, though prices can sometimes vary considerably, based on the thickness of the vinyl and how the window is assembled. Vinyl frames require very little maintenance and are very energy efficient; especially when foam is added inside the frame. And -- forget vinyl’s unfortunate connotation with cheesy 1960s synthetic materials -- that association is as outdated as bell-bottom pants, love beads and vinyl LPs! Of course, vinyl is not for every product and use, but for today’s windows, nothing is better.

Aluminum Frames
Compared to vinyl, aluminum frames are poor insulators and prone to condensation problems. However, those that have a thermal break (insulating strips that separate the inside and the outside of the frame) will perform satisfactorily in warm climates. But then, these frames cost about the same as better quality vinyl frames. Although aluminum frames are usually no longer the best option from an insulation and energy saving standpoint, many condominium complexes and homeowners’ associations will nevertheless require aluminum frames to preserve the original architectural character of a subdivision or neighborhood. And that’s OK!! There are many great aluminum frame products available – they are simply not always the very best option for energy efficiency.

Wood Frames
Wooden frames are good insulators, but unless the wood is clad with vinyl or aluminum on the exterior, they must be painted to protect them from the weather. Unfinished wooden windows are also 15-40% more expensive than vinyl. Cladding will add to the cost but will also save the cost of future maintenance. Also, bear in mind that wood windows will be more vulnerable to insect damage and longer term wear.

In many cases you will not have to replace your window frames when you have new windows installed – a new replacement window that is installed without removing your old frames is called a "retrofit window." On the other hand, a new replacement window that is installed after removing your old frames is called a "new construction window." There are many architectural, permitting and budget issues to consider when deciding between retrofit and new construction windows. Both methods have their advantages and both methods are common, but, on the budget factor alone, installing retrofit windows will almost always be somewhat less expensive than new construction windows. Contact our sales team for more information.

The sealed air gap between the two glass panes slows the transfer of heat. Filling that air space with an inert gas improves the window’s performance by further slowing the rate at which heat is transferred from one pane to the other. Argon gas is an odorless, invisible and non-toxic gas with a thermal conductivity that is 30% less than air. (In fact, these properties are so useful that the US National Archives uses Argon gas to protect the original Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution!)

• We are family owned and have almost thirty years in the business.
• We at Bay City Windows use only our own professionally trained employees in order to maintain the highest standards of quality. We don’t use subcontractors. We are accountable for everything we do.
• We are fully licensed by the State of California and we are bonded and insured -- for your protection and peace of mind. Even if you choose not to work with us PLEASE be sure that whoever works on your home is fully licensed and bonded.
• We will happily provide references in your area.
• Your satisfaction is guaranteed. As a family owned business, we believe the best business strategy is a satisfied customer.
• We have been on the Better Business Bureau’s "Honor Roll" for years (that means we have had NO COMPLAINTS with the BBB!! )
• Nearly half of our business is based on referrals! So, we have every reason to do great work – after all, today’s happy customer leads to tomorrow’s referral. And, don’t forget that we offer a $100 referral fee for every referral that does business with us.
• We don’t use pricing games, gimmicks or tricks to sell windows. Yes--we do have great prices and we often negotiate with our manufacturers to offer our clients exciting specials and promotions. But we will always provide simple, easy-to-understand pricing that includes taxes, tempered safety glass, screens, installation, grids, hauling away old windows and all debris and additional security locks on patio doors. With Bay City Windows, you know exactly what you are paying for and you will never stumble on hidden charges or choke on last minute "upgrades" or pricing surprises.

Low-E glass is coated with microscopically thin layers of transparent silver in between a layer of anti-reflective metal oxide coating that prevents energy transfer through the double paned glass unit. Low-E glass also allows visible light to enter a home, while blocking infrared light and more than 80% of the sun’s ultraviolet light. As a result, there is less heat loss in the winter and less heat gain in the summer. In other words, throughout the seasons, rain or shine, your home will maintain a more consistent average temperature and be more comfortable all year round. In fact, Low-E coatings improve the insulating value of a window almost as much as adding an additional pane of glass! Low-E glass also protects carpets, window treatments, furniture, stained wood, wall paint and fabrics from the fading effects of the sun. Finally, by combining Low-E coatings with a "low-conductance gas", such as argon, you can boost your energy efficiency by nearly 100% over clear glass!

In the end, the added cost for Low-E coatings and low-conductance gas fillings is only about 5% of the window’s total cost. In short: it’s a no-brainer.

Yes, definitely! Bay City Windows will gladly have your windows delivered directly to a job site. Call us to arrange for delivery.

Fortunately, the Bay Area climate allows us to do home improvement projects just about any time of year. There is definitely a “busy season” of approximately June through November, as homeowners seek to complete their home improvement projects before the winter. But, although there are some predictable lulls during the holiday season, we are always fully engaged throughout the year, so there isn’t really a "slow season" – it’s more like a "busy season" and a "less busy season"! Of course, national manufacturers are much busier in the summer months because homeowners in other regions of the country like New England and the Upper Midwest really cannot install windows during the colder half of the year so they order almost all of their windows in the summertime. So, for us, in the peak summer months, it might take an extra week or two to receive the windows from the manufacturers and to schedule our installs, but there is almost never a longer a wait than that.

As I noted above, the summer time is definitely busier than other times of the year, but for our clients, that really only translates into a wait of maybe an extra week or two longer than in the winter. Of course, on the flip side, the chances of a rain delay are much lower in the summertime.

In the wintertime, there is less congestion at the factories, so the windows will typically arrive at our warehouse a little bit sooner than in the summer (but again, this is not a big difference, we’re really talking about four weeks instead of five or six weeks’ production time). Obviously, there is a greater chance of a rain delay in the winter, but it is surprising how infrequently we are delayed by rain. Our installation teams work all year round and are very, very careful about cleanliness, so winter weather rarely delays and almost never inconveniences our clients.

Probably 80% of our installations are completed in one day and another 15% are completed in two days. Larger or trickier projects may take a few days longer, but that only accounts for maybe 2-3% of our jobs.

Our installers work very carefully to minimize the inconvenience of the installation. Obviously, on the day of installation, there will be lots of fresh air in your house as the window openings are exposed, but again, the Bay Area climate really does minimize the hassle. Of course, there will be installers working outside and sometimes inside of your home, but our teams are fanatical about cleanliness and courtesy. In fact, we take great pride in the fact that many of our clients leave their homes for part of the day while we work – that is a level of trust and confidence that we honor, appreciate and take very, very seriously.

At Bay City Windows we value our strong relationships with contractors and design professionals. Here are some of the benefits we offer exclusively to professionals:

• Fast turnarounds on vinyl windows
• Competitive pricing on all major brands
• FREE jobsite delivery (or, if more convenient, free loading at our warehouse)
• Personal Oversight by Gina Rivera