Update: The friendly folks at Kensington HPP have reached out to us with some new info about their company and it’s relationship to another company formerly known as Kensington Windows. This post is an update to an earlier post I wrote about Kensington. Everything you’ll read in this post is accurate as far as I know based on my conversations with the folks at Kensington HPP.
So, with that said, if a google search for Kensington Windows lead you to this page you’ll fall into one of two camps.
If you have Kensington Windows in your house and you’re looking for warranty or service information:
You’ll want to pay close attention to when the windows were manufactured. There was another company, legally unrelated to the current company, that went out of business in 2008. They don’t exist anymore and if you have warranty issue you’re likely out of luck.
If your windows were manufactured after that you’re likely in luck and you can contact Kensington HPP or the contractor that installed them for service issues.
If you’re shopping for new windows and a contractor recommended windows from Kensington HPP then you’re in better shape. Here’s the scoop on that company.
After the old Kensington Windows company went out of business in 2008 and the assets of that company and another window manufacturer called Republic Windows in Chicago were purchased by Serious Materials out of California in 2009. They were trying to get into the window business on the cheap during the financial crisis.
I remember reading an article about their maneuvers with the financing and the unions back then thinking they sounded like a smart group of people. Unfortunately that plan didn’t work out so well and Serious left the window business in 2013.
A group of the former executives from the old Kensington Windows got together and reopened a new company called Kensington HPP that now offers windows in most of the eastern half of the country. If you’re wondering Kensington HPP stands for High Performance Products.
They took over operations from Serious in 2013 so they’re been around in their current form for 4 years or so as of this writing. That certainly doesn’t make them the lowest tenured company around, but we all started out somewhere. My company is about to turn 10 years old and when we had only been in business for 4 years we still offered great service.
The models offered by Kensington HPP are:
- Quantum 2
- Huntington
- Williamsport
- Kingston
- Euro Tilt and Turn
At this point I don’t have enough info about their products to offer great reviews, but if they send the info I’ll be happy to publish more content.
They are also the only vinyl window manufacturer in the country that uses heat mirror technology. This is a 3 pane sealed unit with the center pane being a plastic material instead of glass. I’ve heard of some rather high prices for Heat Mirror products. To decide if it’s right for you be sure to get past the sales jargon and compare the efficiency ratings vs the cost. You should be able to tell rather easily if the increase in efficiency is worth the increase in cost.
If I hear about any new info from the folks at Kensington HPP I’ll be happy to post it and if you have any experience with their company or their products feel free to post a comment for everyone to see.
What if I have more questions about Kensington HPP windows?
We can help! Find our Kensington HPP windows FAQ page here. If you don’t see the answer to your question post a comment and we’ll answer your question for everyone to see.
Looking for any additional information on Kensington HPP windows that you’re not finding here? Post a comment and let us know. We’ll be glad to help out!
How can you find a great window company?
When shopping for windows I do always suggest finding a great installation company before you fall in love with any particular window model. There are plenty of great window options out there but not as many local companies that are great to work with.
To know which companies to avoid you can find common window sales tactics here. That’s become one of the most popular sections on the site.
Remember, for more great window company info you can find our suggestions for the best local companies right here. There’s no need to work with a company that gives you the run-around or makes the process difficult. There are plenty of fish in the sea as they say. The best way to get started is to check out our list of great window companies here.
Any new info on Kensington Hpp? We are considering them for replacement of 39 windows on a farm house that we are purchasing next month.
I’m not aware of anything new window Kensington HPP Windows. What was it that you liked about them?
Phenomenal manufacturer. Great people. Solid products.
I’m also looking to replace some windows and found local window dealer Premier in Lincoln, NE offers Kensington HPP windows with the Southwall Heat Mirror glass. They tout that all of the windows in the Empire State Building were replaced with them for their efficiency. I’ll need to get to the showroom to get any idea of quality and pricing.
I’ve had customers send me copies of their NFRC stickers showing the ratings because I wanted to verify their claims. For example, I heard from someone who said the salesman claimed he’d get a 0.11 U-Factor which isn’t likely. I asked him to send in a picture of the sticker when the windows came in and it was 0.17. Now that’s still perfectly good, but lots of companies offer options in the 0.17-0.19 range so it’s not the super duper deal that the salesperson may make it appear to be.
They certainly did a great sales job putting them in the Empire State Building and I do give them credit for that. The overall ratings are perfectly good, but you can get similar ratings from other companies as well.
Let us know how it goes.
Just an FYI, Kensington did not put windows in the Empire State Building. They do a great marketing job, their website’s home page states, “The Home of the only vinyl window manufactured in America with Heat Mirror glass technology.” Then when you read their story on the Empire State Building, the first line says, “Replacing the 6,514 windows in the Empire State Building with high-performance glass was estimated to cut the building’s energy costs by more than $400,000 per year.” First thought is, they state replacing the 6514 windows and they are the only manufacture in the US. The Empire State Building ended up using the original glass packs in their current windows and remanufactured them onsite to include the heat mirror technology. Not taking anything away from Kensington HPP or Heat Mirror, but it is definitely a marketing spin they use to their advantage.
Yes, I always thought that was great marketing too. I believe they were owned by a company out in California for a little while and they did a great job of making it sound sexy. I don’t think you see much of a difference in efficiency ratings from regular triple pane glass, but they can make heat mirror sound pretty exciting.
My name is Tim. I am replacing some windows and installing on new construction. Usually I use Millard windows and for this project I have spec the Tuscany 8220 with 1/8” glass and 3/16” glass for the double pane. I went with the thicker pane because I am close to rail road tracks and sound proofing. When I met with the Kensington sales rep he stated the frame is foam filled. I thought that was a good feature and compared to other windows I have not seen this before. It appears that sound and energy saving could come from this. Can you comment on this for me.
Here’s an interesting video I found. It seems that Serious had setup the whole IGU sealing system within that building…. being that they were architectural grade windows I’m pretty sure the glass spacers needed to be customized …. you can’t replace the whole window in an architectural landmark unless you replace it with architectural grade window …. So retrofitting the glass was the economical way of going about it… also NYC has very strict rules about landmarks/ historical buildings. They did the retrofit to make the whole building more energy efficient as per the NYSERDA initiatives of making all commercial buildings have less of a carbon footprint…. that was just a little bit of info that I know being in nyc and having seen different ways of insulating glass units/ packs…. and Kensington HPP now uses that same system in their vinyl windows…
In May of 2020 Kensington HPP released an updated lineup of windows. The Meridian, Ascent and Genesis. Ascent and Meridian available with Heat Mirror Glass. Genesis (DP35) with North package is a .28 (not energy star). Triple Glass windows were eliminated. Ascent (DP50) is available with optional Heat Mirror North Barrier has a U=.20 (Krypton & Argon Gas), North Barrier Plus U=.18 (Plus having Krypton Gas). Base Ascent is U=.27 with Low “E” Argon Gas, Meridian (DP 55) and Heat Mirror options up to . All windows Made with pure Sunshield Vinyl enhanced with Titanium Dioxide for UV resistance engineered to be phthalate free (never emit toxic off gases). Eco-Clean polyurethane foam filled. All window joints mitered and permanently welded together unlike composite, wood, aluminum, or fiber glass according to Kensington HPP’s latest literature.
We replaced 14 windows in 2016 with Kensington double pane vinyl windows, at half the cost of the nearest competitor. It is now four years later and no complaints, even though we live in the cold winters of Minnesota. The house is nice and warm with no cold air leaks from these great windows. Great product!
I am considering KHPP over Provia, a 15% cost savings. Is it time for another update to this review? It’s 2025 and KHPP is now 12 years old in its current corporate form, though the LinkedIn profiles of their executives and some employees show much longer careers there. The Genesis line has no negative reviews that I could find, though people are still slapping at the heat mirror technology without providing specifics. A lifetime warranty is only as good as the life of the company, so my question is what does the future hold for KHPP? Are they still considered a small regional company? Thank you for the thoughtful and thorough reviews!
Hi John, I’d defininltey say they’re a smaller company and perhaps a little risky. The reason you see some executives seem to have been there longer is that they probably worked for the previous company that went out of business. That’s not a great track record. Where are you located? We might be able to make a recommendation.
I’m in Alexandria, VA. The KHPP Genesis windows look attractive to me, and cover less see-through space than some of the other windows I’ve looked at. I found an installer in Washington Consumers Checkbook with both quality and price checkmarks who will install 12 of these windows for $9800, including full-size nearly invisible flex screens and aluminum wrapping.
The KHPP executives and staff did migrate from their previous incarnation.
This is a rental townhouse, so durability is more important to me than energy efficiency. The home is 40-years old and I feel that I received good value from the builder’s traditional wood windows. I’m between tenants, so it’s a good time to swap them out. The unusually terrific views demand clear windows.
I suppose my question is whether the KHPP heat mirror technology will hold up for 40 years, and if not, will the manufacturer still be here to honor their lifetime warranty. Perplexity seems to think (as much as AI can think) yes on both counts. I’m open to listen to mortal opinions.
Ha neither Perplexity nor I will pay your bill when that company is gone. I have no information about their financial status, but in my 20 years in this business I have seen smaller manufacturers, including some that were loved by the internet “experts”, vanish into thin air. It happens more than people realize. This is why we always suggest working with well established companies that didn’t go out of business several years ago.
Window Universe offers replacement window quotes by email and they’ve been in your area for quite a long time. Not sure how the pricing will compare, depends on exactly what is involved, but it’s easy to get a quote by email from their website.