Sunrise Standard Windows Reviews

sunrise windows reviews, warranty, prices and features.

The Sunrise Standard windows, also often just called Sunrise windows, are a step up from the cheeper Sunrise Essentials that we reviewed yesterday. That’s a good thing.

They Sunrise standard windows use a nicer window extrusion. That’s the actual vinyl window frame. They’re not as energy efficient as the nicer Sunrise Verde, Vanguard or Restorations windows that we’ll be reviewing in the coming days.

Will these Sunrise windows offer a good balance of quality, efficiency and price? Let’s find out.

Sunrise standard windows reviews, prices, warranty and more.
Look how happy she is to be cleaning her windows. If you buy Sunrise windows you could be that happy to clean your own windows!

What are the advantages of the Sunrise Standard windows?

As with all Sunrise windows you get upgraded block and tackle balances with these windows which are a nice feature. As I mentioned before I think the hardware that companies use can be a good indication of the quality they’re trying to provide.

Since the standard Sunrise windows have the upgraded frame they will be a better solution than the cheaper essentials model. That said they’re still not going to be as nice as the other Sunrise options.

What are the disadvantages?

One disadvantage to this model is that it’s not as efficient as the Sunrise Verde model. That model will come with foam inside the frames and the standard model does not.

Now, readers of the site will know that I often discount the value of foam in the window frames. That hasn’t necessarily changed. The trick is to look at the difference in efficiency and the difference in cost.

For example, if the price of the Sunrise Verde vs the Sunrise Standard is $100 per window different and the difference in U-Factor is 0.01 I’d say that’s not worth it. I would not suggest paying $100 more for a 0.01 improvement in efficiency.

You may not be able to easily compare the options like that for a few reasons.

One is that Sunrise only sells through limited dealers in any town. And, they’ll offer different models through different dealers. That means there’s probably only one company in your town offering each Sunrise window model. If they happen to be great that’s not a problem, but if they’re not great you’ll have no other options.

Another downside is that Sunrise was recently purchased by Mi Windows. They are known to be a low cost window producer. That might make me a little nervous if I were a Sunrise window dealer who is used to selling quality.

Is the Sunrise Standard windows warranty any good?

Yes. We have a full Sunrise windows warranty review coming soon so keep an eye out for that. To offer a quick summary here, the Sunrise windows will come with a lifetime transferable warranty.

Those are terms you’ll hear from most vinyl window manufacturers. It seems almost everyone offers a lifetime transferable warranty. Sunrise does have fewer limitations to their warranty than some other companies so that’s a good thing.

But, check out this picture from a Sunrise sales brochure:

Sunrise standard windows warranty reviews.

Note that they’re comparing the warranty on Sunrise vinyl windows vs Marvin, Renewal and Andersen windows that are not vinyl. It’s true that wood or composite windows like Renewal by Andersen will often have shorter warranties than vinyl.

It would be a better comparison to look at other nicer vinyl windows. If you were to do that you’d see that the warranties are often pretty similar.

So, I’d say that graphic seems to be a little misleading, but it is true that the Sunrise window warranty is perfectly good.

How efficient are Sunrise windows?

The efficiency options from Sunrise have always been on the better end of the spectrum. As with most vinyl window manufacturers the windows are all custom made and you can pick from several efficiency packages.

When comparing the options you’ll want to take all of the ratings into consideration. The U-Factor is one factor, but there’s also the SHGC, VT, CR and Air Infiltration.

It can seem like a lot to compare, but it’s easier than you might think. For example, if the cold is the mail factor you’ll want to look for a lower U-Factor and a higher SHGC. That’s because you want the heat from the sun to help warm your house in the winter.

If you’re concerned about getting nice light into the house you’ll want windows with a higher VT rating. The lower the VT rating the less light gets into the house.

We’ll often see customer weighing options and focusing on one rating or another without recognizing the whole picture. Would you be happy if you were in a cold climate with windows that don’t let any solar heat through while also blocking a lot of light? I’d say probably not. Packages like that are better for very hot climates, but we see them offered in Detroit or Cleveland or Boston and that makes basically no sense.

What about Sunrise windows air infiltration rates?

Similar to the way they presented the warranty info, the info on Sunrise windows air infiltration rates is also pushing the envelope a little.

Sunrise windows air infiltration.

Here’s another chart from a Sunrise brochure. Note they’re comparing their windows with Andersen 400 series wood windows and then a mystery competitors vinyl window.

I’d say that’s not the most clear info since there are many other vinyl windows with air infiltration rates very similar to Sunrise. Generally speaking we tend to suggest looking for a double hung window with an air infiltration rate under 0.05 and there are plenty of choices in that range. So the rating here is perfectly good, but not as remarkable as this graphic might lead you to believe.

What’s the bottom line?

Overall the basic Sunrise Standard windows could be a good choice. I would suggest you’ll want to compare a few other options and also evaluate the efficiency packages. If you’d like us to look over your quote and offer suggestions you can find our Quote Review service here. Note, it’s completely free.

Other popular posts about Sunrise Windows:

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