First, I would never choose Pella windows. There are better brands available, and you can mix them with your existing Pella windows. You did not mention whether your windows are wood-clad, vinyl, or fiberglass. Anyway, I replaced Pella windows with Marvins, but I still have a couple remaining old Pella windows I haven't replaced yet, and the two brands look fine together.

Second, you can choose which Low-E window coating you want. Most windows today have the Low-E270 or Low-E272 as the standard coating because that level of coating is good for most climates. That level of coating does not have a greenish tint. People who live in a place like Arizona or Florida might want the upgrade to Low-E366, and that is the level that will have the greenish tint.

What is irritating about Pella, and makes me detest them all the more, is that they do not specify what level of Low-E their various windows coatings are. Pella just gives them different names and says broadly what climates they are suited for. The one that you mentioned, "NaturalSun Low-E" says it is for "cold climates in the far northern U.S. and Canada", so one would think the coating is likely one of the Low-E2s, or even LowE-180 which is minimal coating. Try to find out for sure, or perhaps one of the Pros on this forum will know.

You need to ask your neighbor which Pella line of coating they have and whether it's double-pane or triple-pane. It could be the "SunDefense" line, and/or it could be triple pane, and that is why it has a green tint.

We just installed Renewal by Andersen windows with =their High Performance Smart Sun glass and I don't notice any green or other tint at all.....

Pella's Natural Sun is LoE-180, a high solar gain coating with no noticeable tint at all. It is nearly indistinguishable from clear glass.

The top picture is clear and lower picture is LoE-180.

LoE-180 can be a great choice in the right conditions, but I would never use it on south or west facing windows unless there is sufficient shade in the summer to block direct solar on the glass. Also I would never use it in a moderate or cooling dominated climate.

If you are in a moderate climate, then either LoE²-270 or LoE²-272 might be the best choice balancing performance and aesthetics. There is no LoE-266, thinking that was meant to say 366?

While I am not a Pella apologist, it is actually rather common for window companies to give a name to the various LowE and other glass otions. For example Andersen uses Passive Sun for LoE-180, SmartSun for 366, and Low-E4 for LoE²-272, while Marvin uses Low E1, Low E2, Low E3 to differentiate, and other companies might use their own name or else just use the Cardinal numbers, probably just a marketing thing. However I am puzzled why Pella lists only UV percentage with the coating though. That one makes no sense to me.

“There is no LoE-266, thinking that was meant to say 366?”

My mistake - I was typing fast and conflated the 366 in there because I was about to type LowE-366 in the next sentence. I just now edited it to LowE-270.

Following...

I had to replace a double sliding glass door 2 years ago. The prices were crazy high or absolute junk brands, but I was calling companies that just do windows and doors, Anderson Renewal, Pella and some local yahoos. I posted something on Houzz and was directed to some better brands that didn't have a local window company installing them in my area, but you could get them through a local lumber / building supply company. The lumber yard gave me the names of a couple of contractors to call. One came out, measured, talked to me about the doors that were available, what brands he liked and why, actually discussed the differences instead of selling me on a brand, and together we decided on an Anderson door that had all the same specs as the door that Anderson Renewal had recommended, but the price was half. ($8,000 vs $16,000). It ended up just a bit higher than the estimate because they found some wood rot where water had gotten in around the door and some wood framing needed to be replaced. That ran an extra $500 or $600.

If I hadn't posted on Houzz and checked out the recommendations I would not have known that the window and door companies were charging so much more than my local contractors.

Jennifer, does your cost comparison include the outside contractor's costs? The door itself may have been cheaper but what was the final cost for the project? One reason we went with Renewal was the "one stop shopping" of not having to find and deal with an outside contractor to replace 20 windows. Yes, it was expensive, but the outcome was outstanding.

@cathi33

It was the total cost for the door and the installation. The other bonus was having a contractor who has been in business in our area for 50+ years and employs all his own tradesmen (not subcontracting work out). Great reputation and great service. I could not be happier with the job that was done.

We are in the process of bids to replace 3 oversized windows (each 120" w x 65" h), and one regular size window. The new design will have 2 windows for each of the oversized, so a total of 7 new windows.

The cost of windows & installation from Andersen Renewal was $30K. So far, contractor bids are running around $12K, using Andersen 100's.

Renewal and 100's both use the fibrex frames. Renewal did NOT give us a choice of glass styles. I think they just quoted the more expensive one for our area.

Bunch of fallacies in some of the comments in here to be certain.

Did the original poster ever post back?

WOW, explain the "fallacies". Statements like that aren't helpful if a "pro" can't be more specific!

Has the original poster posted back? Many of these statements, except @oberon476 and opinion and personal interpretation. The idea that a non-low iron glass doesn't have some green tint is false. The idea that employee based labor is best is also false.

The question has been beat to death in other threads and the reality is that the overwhelming majority of complaints on this matter is because the contractor and client went with a 3 coat Low-e coating, whether that is Low-3 366 from Cardinal (the most popular) or an equivalent from PPG or Guardian.

Every piece of float glass out there and certainly those with Low-e will have both some reflectivity and some tint.

We have been planning our project since before Covid. During that time, I have been trying to find more and better info on the types of glass. Is there a link to something that explains it?

" I think they just quoted the more expensive one for our area. "

Your area may help us help you by narrowing in on the glass recommended for your region.

@millworkman,

We told the Renewal salesman that we wanted an explanation and cost break down of the difference between the types of glass. He did not even attempt to do that.

At mimimum, they should be able to explain the options.

We are north of Minneapolis, on a lake - replacing windows in one room, but on 3 sides - east, south, and west.

You would want a Low E 366 (triple silver coating) at a minimum. I would look into triple pane as well were it me.

@millworkman, I appreciate your time. Please explain the advantages of the Low E 366 and/or triple pane in our situation.

House was built in 1965; 6K sq ft.; previous owner installed all vinyl windows except for a 38' wall of Andersen 400's (casement/fixed/casement on either side and a center casement/3 fixed/casement arrangement).

When we purchased the home in 2011, the utility bills were running over $600 per month. We've had the attic sealing done, plus additional added insulation (spray foam) where we could. Our average bill (electric & gas combined) is now about $275 per month.

If we're only changing the windows in one room, how much benefit will we get from triple pane?

ETA: I apologize to the OP, as I don't mean to hijack this thread. Just trying to understand the different types of glass, and how to choose!

@Mary Elizabeth LowE-366 coating is not needed for windows in your home near Minneapolis. Your windows will be green-tinted with that coating. That level of coating is for homes in Arizona, Florida, and the like. Get LowE-270 or 272 which is often the coating that windows manufacturers offer as standard with no upcharge.

As to triple-pane, the highlight of triple-pane windows is their insulating properties, which allow for better energy savings. But double-pane windows - if a good-quality window - are also energy efficient and prevent heat loss. There are many statistics online about the difference in heat loss between the two. Do your research. Depending on your perspective, you may find triple pane is not worth the significant extra cost vs the annual energy savings, or you may find that it is.

@M Miller, thank you for the additional explanation. As for the triple pane vs. double pane - it seems that using triple pane windows in only one room of a 6K sq ft house would yield a very minimal savings.

@Mary Elizabeth I also want to say that I dislike Renewal by Andersen that you are talking to. And I actually do like Andersen windows. But Renewal by Andersen is different. Andersen windows (not Renewal) are sold via an Andersen network of authorized dealers. Renewal by Andersen are franchise operations with no real oversight by Andersen, and they also do not offer the full line of Andersen windows available. Renewal by Andersen franchises tend to hard sell, they often come to the house and monopolize you with a pitch for 3 hours to wear you down, and they often do the trick of "buy right now and we will give you an enormous discount that will not be available after today".

Please keep looking for better windows contractors than Renewal by Andersen. Your area should have a good selection. There is even a frequent poster on this site, @toddinmn, who is a windows contractor in Minneapolis (though I have no knowledge of him, just seen him post on here often).

@M Miller, I completely agree regarding the Andersen Renewal brand. The windows in our current home are a mix of Andersen 400's and Alside vinyl. We're replacing some of the Alside.

Planning to use Andersen 100's (picture windows) as we like the Fibrex, and our interior trim is all white.

I'll see what brand Todd sells and/or installs - thanks!

Per Cardinal Glass

Cardinal Glass write-up re LowE-270/272.

https://d5ofx1dg93v3j.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/13150220/Cardinal_LoE2.pdf

Based on your location, you should be looking at triple pane glass.

What is the usual extra cost for a tint on Pella windows facing the west? Is that what we would need or a triple pane window? Thank you.

Suzpri, typically you want to block sun on west facing windows, but deciding on coating and whether or not to use triple pane depends a lot on where you live and how your home is situated.