Argon vs Krypton Gas Windows: Which Is a Better Insulator?

Having well-insulated windows is essential to maintaining not only the temperature and comfort level of your home but also your monthly energy budget. When heat easily passes through your windows, it is far too difficult to regulate not only your energy use but also the amount of money you spend each month on either heating or cooling your home.

Among the many options available to insulate your windows, the installation of either krypton gas windows or argon gas windows is a popular solution for this problem. Krypton gas windows and argon gas windows are the two most common types of insulated windows. Both have an inert gas that sits between the 2 panes of glass. Both of them give better insulation than just using air in double-paned windows.

Argon

Argon is a cheaper gas to use, which makes it much more attractive to manufacturers. It helps to prevent heat from escaping through the panes of glass, which keeps the house warmer. You’ll find that most double pane windows will have the area between the panes filled with argon, as it works well with a gap of around 0.5-inches between the panes.

Krypton

Although most double-pane windows use argon between the glass panes, it’s not as good an insulator as krypton (although it is nearly as good). There’s another reason argon is more commonplace, and that’s because Krypton is more effective where there’s a smaller gap between the panes. This is why krypton glass windows often tend to be a triple pane. Krypton gas windows function most effectively when the gap between panes is no more than 3/8-inch. The problem is that krypton is much more expensive than argon, which greatly increases the cost of the windows.

Now that you are equipped with the proper knowledge of argon and krypton gas windows, you can make the best decision for your needs.