An energy-efficient window is a system, not a pane. Low-E coatings, argon between the panes, two or three layers of glass, and a frame that seals. We install ENERGY STAR rated Pella windows, measured and fitted by our own employees.
Choose a Style
A window's style is how it opens, and that decides how much air you get, how easy it is to clean, and what the room looks like from inside. We install all six, in any material, backed by the same 15-year labor warranty.
Two sashes that slide up and down in the same frame. Both tilt inward, so you can wash the outside of a second-floor window standing in your own hallway. The most common window on Michigan homes, and the safest bet when you want the house to look the way it always has.
Hinged at the side and cranked open like a door. Because the whole sash swings clear, you get the full opening for air, and the seal presses tighter the harder the wind blows. Good over a kitchen sink or anywhere reaching a sash is awkward.
Hinged at the top so the bottom swings outward. The open sash acts as its own little roof, which means you can leave it cracked through a spring rain. Often set high on a wall or paired underneath a picture window.
One sash glides sideways past the other. No crank, no lifting, and nothing sticks out into the room or the yard. A practical choice for wide openings and for basements, hallways, and rooms where furniture sits against the wall.
Fixed glass that does not open. With no moving parts there is nothing to leak air, so a picture window is the most efficient shape we install, and the biggest view. Usually flanked by casements or double-hungs when you still want ventilation.
Several windows joined at an angle so the unit projects past the wall. It adds a shelf of usable space inside, pulls light in from three directions, and changes the front of the house more than any other single upgrade.
Our Work
These are our photos from our jobs across Downriver and Southeast Michigan. Click any photo for a closer look.
In Detail
If you’ve lived in southeastern Michigan for any length of time, you know the climate doesn’t mess around. Winters in Southgate, Wyandotte, and throughout the Downriver communities can be brutal, bitter cold snaps, heavy snow, and lake-effect weather that blows in off Lake Erie and Lake Huron without much warning. Then summer flips the script with weeks of humid heat that puts your air conditioner through its paces. Your home’s windows sit right at the front line of all of it. If they’re not doing their job, you’re paying for it, every single month on your energy bills. The good news? Energy efficient windows have come a long way, and upgrading your old windows is one of the smartest home improvement investments you can make. At Adkins & Sons, we’ve been helping Michigan homeowners cut energy costs and improve comfort since 1979, and we’ve seen firsthand what the right replacement windows can do for a home.
The older the window, the bigger the problem, and most homes built in the 1950s through 1980s in Lincoln Park, Trenton, and the surrounding Downriver area are still sitting on original or near-original windows. Here’s what’s actually happening when those old windows are fighting against Michigan weather.
Single pane windows are essentially a thin sheet of glass standing between your heated or cooled air and the outdoors. Glass is a decent conductor of heat, which means warmth from your living room travels straight through the pane and escapes outside in winter. In summer, radiant heat gain works in reverse, solar energy passes through the glass and heats your interior, forcing your HVAC system to work overtime. With a single layer of glass and no insulating barrier, there’s almost nothing slowing that transfer down.
Even if the glass itself is intact, old window frames and worn seals are notorious for air leaks. As wood frames age and warp, as vinyl degrades, and as weatherstripping compresses and cracks, tiny gaps form around the perimeter of the window. These air leaks are hard to see but easy to feel, that cold draft you notice near the window on a January night in Southgate isn’t your imagination. It’s conditioned air escaping and outdoor air infiltrating. Your furnace kicks on to compensate. Your energy bills go up. It’s a cycle that quietly drains your wallet season after season.
In the summer months, old single pane windows offer essentially no protection against solar heat gain. South- and west-facing windows in particular can admit enormous amounts of solar radiation, turning your living spaces into a greenhouse effect situation. Your air conditioner has to remove all that heat, which dramatically increases your energy costs from June through September.
Modern replacement windows are engineered systems, not just glass in a frame. Several technologies work together to deliver real energy performance improvements.
Low-emissivity (Low-E) coatings are microscopically thin metallic layers applied to the glass surface. They work like a one-way mirror for heat energy, allowing visible light to pass through while reflecting infrared heat. In winter, Low-E coatings reflect interior heat back into your home rather than letting it escape through the glass. In summer, they block a significant portion of solar heat gain before it can warm your interior. The result is better thermal comfort year-round and measurable energy savings on both your heating and cooling bills.
The space between the panes of a double or triple pane window is typically filled with argon gas, a dense, inert gas that conducts heat far less efficiently than regular air. Argon gas fills add another layer of insulating performance between you and the outdoors, slowing the rate at which heat moves through the window assembly. It’s a simple technology with a significant impact on overall energy performance.
Going from single pane to double pane glass is one of the most impactful upgrades a homeowner can make. Adding a second pane creates a sealed insulating air space (filled with argon gas in quality windows) that dramatically reduces heat transfer. Triple pane glass takes it a step further, adding another insulating chamber for maximum performance, particularly valuable in extreme cold climates like Michigan’s. For homeowners in Northville, Ann Arbor, or anywhere in the Downriver communities looking for the best possible insulation, triple pane is worth serious consideration.
Every energy efficient window comes with two key performance ratings: U-factor and Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC). The U-factor measures how well the window prevents non-solar heat loss, the lower the number, the better the insulation. For Michigan’s Northern climate zone, look for windows with a U-factor of 0.27 or lower for strong performance. SHGC measures how much solar heat the window lets in, expressed as a number between 0 and 1. In a cold climate like ours, a moderate SHGC can actually be beneficial on south-facing windows (free solar heating in winter), but you’ll want a lower SHGC on east and west exposures where summer heat gain is a concern.
ENERGY STAR certified windows have been tested and verified to meet performance standards established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The program divides the country into climate zones, and windows earn ENERGY STAR certification based on meeting the U-factor and SHGC requirements for their intended zone. Michigan falls in the Northern climate zone, so look for windows that are ENERGY STAR certified for Northern climates. It’s the simplest shortcut to knowing a window will perform in our weather.
As a Pella® Platinum Elite Certified Contractor, one of the highest designations Pella® awards, Adkins & Sons has deep expertise in the full Pella® product lineup. Here’s how the major series stack up for energy efficiency.
The Lifestyle Series represents Pella®’s premium wood window offering, and it delivers exceptional energy performance to match its stunning aesthetics. Available in double and triple pane configurations with Low-E glass and argon gas fills, Lifestyle Series windows can achieve U-factors well below 0.20 with the right glass package. For homeowners in Royal Oak, Ann Arbor, or anywhere in the Downriver area who want the warmth of real wood on the interior paired with a low-maintenance exterior, the Lifestyle Series offers beauty and energy efficiency in one package. Explore your wood window options with our team.
Fiberglass windows are the gold standard for dimensional stability, and Pella®’s Impervia® line doesn’t disappoint on energy performance either. Fiberglass expands and contracts at nearly the same rate as glass, which means the seals stay tight year after year, a major advantage in Michigan’s temperature extremes. Impervia® windows are available with advanced Low-E glass packages and argon gas fills that deliver excellent U-factors in the 0.25–0.30 range. For homeowners who want maximum durability with strong energy efficiency, fiberglass windows are hard to beat.
The 250 and 350 Series are Pella®’s vinyl window lines, and they represent outstanding value for energy-conscious homeowners. Both series feature multi-chamber vinyl frames that add insulating value, with Low-E glass and argon gas fill options that earn ENERGY STAR certification for Northern climates. The 350 Series steps up with additional glass and frame options for even better performance. For most Downriver homeowners, in Southgate, Wyandotte, Trenton, and beyond, the Pella® 250 or 350 Series vinyl windows deliver excellent energy efficiency at a price point that makes the investment easy to justify.
But beyond the energy savings, there’s a comfort dimension that’s hard to put a dollar figure on. When your windows are properly sealed and insulated, the cold walls and drafty corners that make you reach for a blanket in January disappear. Rooms that used to feel uncomfortable in summer stay cooler without cranking the AC. Your HVAC system runs fewer cycles, which means less wear and longer equipment life. Homeowners throughout Livonia, Trenton, Lincoln Park, and the broader Downriver area consistently tell us that improved comfort is the change they notice first, and the energy savings are a welcome bonus that shows up month after month on their utility bills.
At Adkins & Sons, we’ve been helping Michigan homeowners upgrade to energy efficient windows since 1979, and as a Pella® Platinum Elite Certified Contractor, we install some of the best-performing windows available anywhere. Whether you’re in Southgate, Wyandotte, Trenton, Lincoln Park, Livonia, or anywhere else in southeastern Michigan, our team is ready to help you find the right replacement windows for your home and budget. Visit our 4,000 sq. ft. showroom in Southgate to see Pella® windows in person, or let us come to you. Get your free estimate today. Contact us at 734.283.7120 or schedule a free in-home consultation, we’ll walk through your options, give you a no-pressure quote. You can also explore our financing options to make your energy efficiency upgrade as affordable as possible. See all the areas we serve across southeastern Michigan.
How It Works
Every part of a modern window has one job: slowing the heat that wants to leave in January and stay out in July. These are the four that do the work.
Low-E Coating
A metallic layer thinner than a hair that reflects heat back into the room in winter and back outside in summer.
Argon Fill
A dense inert gas between the panes that conducts heat far less than plain air.
Two or Three Panes
Each added pane is another sealed insulating chamber between your living room and the weather.
ENERGY STAR Rated
EPA-verified for the Northern climate zone, which is the zone Michigan sits in.
What Sets Us Apart
When the company that sold you the job is not the company that installed it, a warranty call two years later turns into a search for whoever did the work. We do not work that way. Our own employees do the installation, never subcontractors, and the 15-year labor warranty comes from us, so there is one company to call.
1979
Family-owned and operating since
15
Year labor warranty on our workmanship
3
Generations of the Adkins family
We are a Pella Platinum Elite Certified Contractor, which means our crews are factory-trained and certified directly by Pella. They are our own employees, on our payroll, not a subcontracted crew hired for the week.
View Our CertificationFactory-Trained Crews Certified Directly by Pella
Our Own Employees, Never Subcontractors
Our Process
Four steps, one point of contact, and a clean home when we leave.
01
We come to your home, measure, listen, and give you straight numbers. Or stop by the Southgate showroom and see the options first.
02
Every opening is measured twice, and every window and door is ordered to the exact size of your opening, so installation day has no surprises.
03
Our own factory-trained crew does the work, protects your floors and landscaping, and hauls away the old materials.
04
We walk the finished job with you and register your 15-year labor warranty before we leave.
Warranty
15
Years Warranty
Every installation is backed by our industry-leading 15-year labor warranty, on top of the manufacturer's coverage on the window itself. If the workmanship ever needs attention, one call and we make it right, at no cost to you.
180 Month
2
Years Warranty
Most window companies stand behind their installation for only a year or two. Once that coverage runs out, drafts, leaks, and seal failures become the homeowner's problem to fix.
24 Month
Energy Questions
Four things working together: a Low-E coating that reflects heat back where you want it, argon gas between the panes that slows heat moving through, two or three panes of glass instead of one, and a frame that seals tight to the opening. The article above walks through each one.
U-factor measures how well the window holds heat in: lower is better, and for Michigan's Northern climate zone you want 0.27 or lower. SHGC measures how much solar heat comes through the glass. The two numbers together tell you how a window will actually perform in our weather.
It is worth serious consideration here. Each added pane creates another sealed insulating chamber, and Michigan's hard freezes are exactly the climate that extra chamber is built for. We walk through double versus triple pane at the estimate based on your home, not a script.
The ENERGY STAR mark for the Northern climate zone. That certification means the EPA has verified the window meets the U-factor and solar heat gain requirements for a climate like ours. It is the simplest shortcut to a window that will perform in Michigan.
Our own employees. We are a Pella Platinum Elite Certified Contractor, the windows are measured twice and ordered to your exact opening, and the installation carries our 15-year labor warranty on top of Pella's coverage on the window itself.
Reviews
Areas We Serve
One family company out of Southgate, working across Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, and Washtenaw counties since 1979. Find your city below for local details.
