Andersen Heritage Windows Reviews

Andersen Heritage windows reviews prices, efficiency, warranty and more.

Here we have Andersen Heritage windows reviews so you can find out if these are the best windows for your project. These are aluminum windows which aren’t nearly as popular today as they once were. Why have customers turned against aluminum windows? Are the Andersen Heritage windows any good? Let’s find out.

What are the advantages of Andersen Heritage windows?

These windows are made in the Southwest. That’s about the only part of the country where you’ll still see a lot of aluminum windows.

Advantages of aluminum windows are that they can be made with very slim frames in a wide range of styles. Aluminum is stronger than other materials like vinyl or wood so the frames can be smaller and the windows can be larger.

You also get a more commercial look which can be a good fit for some projects. Here’s an example.

Andersen Heritage windows looking very commercial or industrial.

In order to get a look like this you really need an aluminum window. In that case, the Heritage model might fit the bill.

What are the disadvantages?

The downsides of aluminum windows including the Andersen Heritage windows are the prices and the short warranty.

Aluminum windows are generally a fair bit more expensive than their vinyl competitors. In the case of the Heritage window the warranty is also much shorter. We’ll have more warranty info below, but it’s not a great sign that this window model might have the shortest warranty of any Andersen window product. In my mind the warranty is an indication of how long the manufacturer expects the products to hold up. It’s pretty important.

How efficient are Andersen Heritage windows?

Interestingly, Andersen publishes efficiency data for just about all of their window models, but they don’t appear to publish ratings on the Heritage aluminum windows.

Aluminum windows are often not as efficient as other window types and I can only assume that’s why this info isn’t published. In addition to probably being less efficient than other types, aluminum windows can also have relatively high air infiltration rates. If anyone out there has real info on the efficiency ratings, including air infiltration please post a comment below to let us know.

If you’re considering these windows I suggest you do it for the look and the commercial style rather than for the efficiency.

Andersen Heritage windows for a corner window with max glass area.
Here you can see the commercial window style that aluminum windows provide. Check out that cool corner window!

What colors are available?

The color options are rather limited. Below you can see the popular interior and exterior colors. They do also offer custom colors, but that’s not always a great idea.

These are the available color options for the Heritage windows.

You can see they offer the same colors in the thermally improved and the non-thermally improved options. Who knows why they make that distinction in the colors graphics since the choices are the same. They do list the options in a different order which is also a little weird.

The finish warranties are different on the painted vs anodized finishes so that’s something to be aware of. More info on the warranty below.

Is the Andersen Heritage window warranty any good?

Not really. In fact compared with the A-Series, E-Series, 200 Series and 100 Series it might be the worst Andersen window warranty. That’s not good.

Important opt-out clause in the Andersen windows warranty.
Here you can see one important aspect of the Heritage warranty.

This limitation recently appeared in all of the Andersen window warranties. I think it’s a bigger deal than people might realize. If you don’t opt-out of this clause within 1 year of purchase (not installation) your rights are severely limited. I don’t really know how that’s legal, but I’m not a lawyer.

Beyond that, there are other important limitations to be aware of. For example, you get coverage on the insulated glass for 20 years. That’s pretty good, but there’s more to the story.

Very short 2 year warranty on non-glass components of the Anderson Heritage windows.
Here you can see the warranty coverage for non-glass components.

As you can see above the warranty for non-glass components is very short. 2 years from date of purchase is almost silly compared to what you get from other manufacturers. Say it takes 2-3 months from when you ordered until the windows are installed. That means you might only get 21 months of warranty coverage. That’s unusual.

Finish warranty on Heritage aluminum windows.
Here you can see the finish warranty is only 5 years on anodized finishes.

The warranty on the anodized finishes is only 5 years. You also get that same 5 year term on the applied finishes. That’s not a particularly long time for something that is sold as being very durable.

What’s the bottom line?

If you need aluminum windows for a commercial look or for extreme sizes this might be a decent option. Just be aware that the warranty is short and you’ll want to understand the efficiency ratings.

Aluminum windows used to be very common, but other materials have gained substantial market share as customers pick other options. If you don’t need aluminum windows for your specific project you might want to look at other frame materials.

Other Andersen window posts you might find helpful:

How can you find a great window company?

That part is easy.  Check this section for recommendations of window companies all over the country. There’s no better way to get new windows.

Other posts you might find interesting:

Update: We now have more recommend LOCAL window companies than ever before.   Click here to see who we recommend in your town.  It's 100% free.  You'll thank me.  There is no better resource; you're going to love it.  See for yourself right here.  

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