Been reading up on passive house standards lately, and turns out triple-pane windows are basically a must-have to hit those energy efficiency numbers. But here's something interesting I stumbled on: apparently lots of folks end up importing their windows from Europe because they're way ahead in this tech. Seems kinda wild to ship windows across an ocean, you know? Wondering if anyone here has experience with this or knows about good local alternatives that match European quality.
I've been looking into this myself since we're planning a reno next year. From what I've found, yeah, European windows are ahead, especially in terms of airtightness and thermal bridging. But honestly, importing them seems like a logistical headache (and pricey...). I've heard good things about a couple local manufacturers—depends where you're located though. Might be worth checking out Alpen or Inline Fiberglass if you're in North America; both have solid triple-pane options that get pretty close to Euro standards without the overseas hassle.