unfortunately people fall for this scam. customers are told the company makes their own window so costs are kept down ect... this is another line of nonsense. any company who invests in quality material could never produce a window that cheaply; its impossible. you are correct, when lowE/ARGON, capping exterior, and debris removal is added, its much more. however, the window is still cheaply made. i am also seeing companies offer windows for 349.99 installed but even at that price you are getting low quality.
vinyl windows are an excellent investment as long as its a high quality vinyl window. dont be fooled into thinking all vinyl windows are the same, they certainly are not. higher quality vinyl windows are more energy efficient than expensive wood and fiberglass windows. again, quality is paramount.
of course you need to hire a company that specializes in window installations.

Very good post and should be required reading for anyone getting ready to do windows.

Quality?

You mean anyone cares about quality anymore???

I have spent a lot of time (sometimes just mine, sometimes getting paid) to renovate and restore old wood windows.
I have even made new wood double hung windows that none of the large companies would even try.

'Curved in two planes' is the old description.

They went in a Queen Anne house with actual curved walls, and also had arched tops.

It took a while, and initially a couple tries to make some of the pieces, but they matched the originals that still remained and replaced the flat 'arched top' windows that had been stuck in the openings.
The owner was ecstatic, paid the bill, then took me and my small crew out for a very expensive steak dinner.

In the words of P.T. Barnum

Here is a link that might be useful: One Born Every minute

We just saw these in the JB Dollar Saver we get every week or so. They definitely scream cheap crap to me. My problem is I'm replacing 9 windows that are probably 4' by 5' tall in a sun room. Currently they're single pane pieces of junk that make the room unlivable in the winter and on all the extremely hot days we have in OH. Need something to help with the winter. Summers we use shade and curtains to control the heat input from all the solar gain.

The quality is not the only problem, its also the fact that when all is said and done, you'll end up paying $400 per window with all of the added fees, etc... Your best bet would be to call a local window company for an estimate.... and btw, to clarify, $400 is not a lot for a quality window (in fact that would be on the extreme low end of the spectrum), but it is a lot of money for a terrible product.

A good rule of thumb is about $100 per R value so in essence an R5 window (which the Dept of Energy considers a u-value of .22 or less) is about $500. Now obviously, size, style, grids, color, type of tear out, etc. factor into that but for an R4 window (.25 U Value) they do run about $400 a piece but that is base model and less than 84 UI typically. Where the real Value-for-the-dollar is, would be when you go with Triple Pane glass. That is where you get a better ROI and pay less than $70/R. This also gives a quicker payback, greater interior comfort and better resale value.

http://www.windowsvolumepurchase.org/

Here is a the link

Here is a link that might be useful: Dept Of Energy High Performance Windows Volume Purchase Program

a window with a u-factor of 25 is going to be more than 400 installed redardless of how basic the install is. usually 500 - 700 is the range for aqualuty window.. of course a difficult install and some other options could cause the range to increase.

Ohiowindoze,

I think that's a very over-simplified rule of thumb. Using that method does not take window quality, structural ratings, air infiltration ratings or manufacturers reputation into consideration. It also does not account for installation quality or regional price differences.

That would be equivalent to saying a Hyundia Accent will cost more but is equal in quality to a Lexus LS450 because it gets better gas milage.

I'd have to agree. Generally, you are not going to touch a .25 for $400... You either need a very high-quality double pane, or a triple pane to reach that. Either way, a reputable company with a professional installation will be higher than that. In addition, beware of looking at U value only. The structural ratings as Sky mentioned should be considered, as well as the shgc. Often times, companies will sell a you a window that is totally inappropriate for your climate, such as a "solar control" package that is meant for warmer climates, but sold in cold climates where it should not be. They do this because the u-value looks great (lower numerically), but it is at the expense of a super low shgc (.18-.23 or so). This could actually be detrimental to overall efficiency.... This phenomenon started when the manufacturers were caught off guard by the 2009 30/30 tax credit qualifications which were completely illogical. Instead of a window with U .31 Shgc .30, you had to actually sacrifice efficiency and go with U .30 SHGC .23 (give or take) just so you could get your $1500 rebate... Big government at its best ;).

Sorry guys i apologize. The pricing was product only and only up to 84 UI. I didnt factor in the installation when i did the quick math. No worries.

fair enough ohiowindoze.