What I Learned Shopping for Replacement Windows

Window sales reps will talk for hours, given half a chance. So do your homework before you ask them in. You’ll know better what you want and what specific questions to ask, plus you’ll have more control over the conversation (and your time). CR’s replacement window buying guide is a good place to start. It’s where you can learn terms like sash (the part of the window that holds the glass), double hung (a common window style with overlapping upper and lower sashes), and casement (a window that hinges open).

While Consumer Reports has found that the best time to buy replacement windows is in March, April, and September, you can find promotions most of the year. And as the folks at Pella note, you may very well find off-season bargains from window installers.

We began our window search in mid-October, at the end of the promotional season. Act before Sept. 30 for the best deal, the TV ads had told us. But when I contacted the Renewal by Andersen rep at the end of December, he said he could still offer us the same promotional prices—assuming we acted before Jan. 1, when prices were set to rise. And I would continue to see promotional ads through February, weeks after our new windows were installed. 

Practice patience; don’t proceed prematurely from pressure. (Say that three times fast!) We felt that pressure to nab the discounts and could have spent longer analyzing the offerings. The deals would still have been there.

The third installer we considered was a local company called Windows by Toll, which was recommended by a neighbor. We were prepared to fend off another sales assault, but the rep didn’t seem interested in giving us one. Perhaps that’s because he wasn’t a salesperson but a co-partner in the company and a veteran window contractor. In less than an hour, he told us which products could work in each room, offered options from two manufacturers, and explained his installation warranty. 

To be fair, we didn’t need as much time with him because we’d been schooled by the reps who preceded him. But this pro also had experience the others didn’t. He’d worked for Andersen, and he currently sold and installed windows from that company as well as from Marvin, ProVia, and Arcadia. He was able to offer his expert views on the strengths and weaknesses of each brand and material.

We were impressed that the Windows by Toll guy diagnosed rot under the exterior sill of the picture window. The salespeople hadn’t identified that, though in theory their installers would, later in the process. This rep assured us that his price would include remediation. 

The takeaway? By engaging with an independent contractor, we were treated to a unique perspective on competing brands and products. We also got an important heads-up on necessary remedial work. All of this was helpful in making our final choice.

Apples-to-apples comparisons can be hard to do, because not every retailer offers the same product, brand, or window styles. But for the best value, try to get several bids for items that are as similar as possible in materials and features.

All three of the vendors we consulted were selling windows with the name “Andersen,” but they represented two different brands: Andersen and Renewal by Andersen. Traditional Andersen windows, sold by Home Depot and independent suppliers and installers, are made in standard and custom sizes and styles. They are available both as replacement inserts and as full-frame, new construction designs. Their interior sashes can be made of several materials, including Fibrex and solid wood. Replacement by Andersen, by contrast, is purely a custom Fibrex replacement window. The company can provide a wood interior veneer, and we were assured we’d get a new frame to fit its replacement windows, something we needed for our rotten picture window.

Both the Renewal and Windows by Toll reps suggested a Fibrex “gliding” window for the living room, a picture window flanked by two sliding windows. We decided we liked that style, so we focused on comparing those. We appreciated that the independent contractor had a 20-year installation warranty vs. two years for Renewal. When we added several windows to our shopping list, the Windows by Toll guy suggested less costly vinyl windows from ProVia that had a lifetime warranty. The combination of price and the warranties we’d reviewed made us favor the independent vendor. But this wasn’t strictly an apples-to-apples exercise.

The Renewal by Andersen rep mentioned the 20-year limited lifetime warranty on the Fibrex in his company’s windows; we didn’t give it much thought. But after our new Andersen windows were installed, I realized that the ones we’d bought had only a 10-year Fibrex warranty. I’d assumed the coverage on Fibrex would be the same because Windows by Toll assured us that the material was the same and that all Fibrex was made in the same factory.

It was a small consolation that I wasn’t alone in my assumption. When I followed up with Windows by Toll, I learned that neither they nor the Andersen distributor were aware that Renewal by Andersen had upgraded its Fibrex warranty in 2022. Lesson: Read the fine print.

The Renewal by Andersen rep mentioned that his company’s Energy Star certified windows would qualify for a new tax credit. It’s worth up to $600 per window and $1,200 annually, courtesy of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA). But when I did some digging, I found that Energy Star certification is no longer enough under the 2022 law. Newly installed windows now have to be Energy Star Most Efficient, not just Energy Star, to qualify for the tax break. From my research, it wasn’t clear that the windows we were considering fell into that group.

We asked the Windows by Toll rep whether we’d need a permit for new replacement windows. He said he didn’t know and he’d check—but he didn’t. I found the answer myself by phoning my town’s building department. No permit was needed when the window opening size stayed the same. 

Bottom line: Research these topics on your own rather than relying on a window rep who may not have complete information. This includes money-saving items like tax credits and potentially costly or time-consuming requirements like permits.

Despite our gaffes, we stand behind our decision to work with the independent contractor. The company’s pricing was good, the warranty on the vinyl windows was excellent, and the installation was clean and professional. And in our shopping process, we learned some useful hacks for saving money on replacement windows.

Check out bulk pricing. When we asked Renewal by Andersen and Windows by Toll for estimates on a larger number of windows, each mentioned bulk discounts. For Windows by Toll, for instance, the sweet spot was nine windows: Buy at least that many and save 40 percent off the total, for a final price of $11,000. In contrast, the price for just five windows with Renewal by Andersen was $14,738. 

Mix and match . . . in select situations. If you’re not fussy about having your windows all from the same brand, consider using a vendor that can provide a choice of brands and materials, a potentially money-saving gambit.

For the big picture window, we chose pricey Fibrex, which the Windows by Toll rep confirmed was a superior material. But for our side windows that don’t face the street, we chose less costly all-vinyl. We opted for white interiors and exteriors, and the brands don’t look all that different.

Use cash when you can. Contractors love cash—who doesn’t?—and may offer a discount for all-cash payments. We paid cash: half down at signing, half at installation. That saved us another 5 percent off the total price.

If cash isn’t an option, compare the financing terms of the window company’s lending partner with those of local and online lenders. I’ve seen a number of window installers online that offer a no-interest payment period of 12 months. Once the promotional period ends, though, you could be stuck with high interest rates. (Greensky, the finance company used by Renewal by Andersen, currently offers loans with an annual percentage rate of 15.99 percent to 24.99 percent, depending on your credit history.) You also can borrow off your home equity; for this type of project the interest is tax-deductible and is typically less costly than taking out a personal loan.

Now, with our windows installed, I can say I’m glad the shopping is over. We’re enjoying less outside noise and fewer drafts, not to mention lower energy costs. And though I won’t recoup my window investment through energy savings anytime soon, receiving a lower oil bill this month was a very nice perk. 

Learn more about window types using CR’s replacement window buying guide. Consumer Reports members can read about the top models from CR’s tests of replacement window models constructed of vinyl, composites (like Fibrex), and wood. All our tests are of double-hung windows.