Anyone heard of Energy King/Energy Maxx windows?

9 years ago

I'm pricing out replacement windows (five double hungs and a picture window) on my 1950 house. There's a local company that sells Energy Maxx windows for $279 installed, which I know sounds low, but the windows themselves seem to be really good. This company is the exclusive installer of Energy Maxx made by Energy King, which they said are custom made in Buffalo with double strength glass, low E, and argon gas. The U Factor is .27 on double pane and .17 on triple pane (which I was looking at for the picture). They also have the Super Spacer and a transferable lifetime warranty. The other nice feature I liked is that the sash sits deeper in the sill when closed to protect against being opened from outside.

Anyone ever heard of these windows and know if they're decent? I've gotten other quotes of $379/window for MI, $500/window for Sunrise Essentials and over $600/window for Simonton 5500 (which is out of my budget for a $130,000 house and aren't as slim-lined as the Energy Maxx). I'd like to get something better than my current ugly, drafty wood windows that have so many layers of chipping paint they have to be forced open, but I don't want to spend double this Energy Maxx quote for something like Sunrise's low end product that to me doesn't look or sound any better and may even be a worse window. Thanks for your help!

Comments (8)

mmarse1
9 years ago
The MI window is garbage. The sunrise essentials is their economy line, ask to see the vanguard.
PRO
Windows on Washington Ltd
9 years ago
+1

Stay away from the first couple of options.

Vanguard with the reinforcement is the only way to go.
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JonKarol
Original Author
9 years ago
Apparently there aren't any Vanguard dealers in our area, so that isn't an option. Got a quote from the Sunrise dealer for regular Sunrise for $550/window (the Essentials promo offered no-interest financing, this offer does not). I'd consider the regular Sunrise, but I'm curious about the Energy Maxx having all of the features I thought I was supposed to look for and being half the price. I also like that they're made in-state as opposed to who knows where. Is there a general quality level of these types of independently made windows with these features? Or are the big names just so much more expensive because of their name?
mmarse1
9 years ago
Which company makes this window.? Where are they located?
JonKarol
Original Author
9 years ago
The guy said the company is Energy King in Buffalo, and they are the exclusive dealer for them in NY. I can't find anything on them outside of this company, which also does bath remodeling and basement finishing. I don't know if "Energy Maxx" is just a label being used for the deal between whoever the actual manufacturer is and the dealer? It seems like there are a lot of these secret deals behind the scenes. The Simonton dealer gave me a brochure for "Grand Estates" and told me it's the 5500 with a different name, the Sunrise dealer won't respond when I ask about the Vanguard line, and the major names that keep being brought up in this forum (Okna, Soft-Lite, Sunrise) all have exclusive deals in this area with home energy companies that offer free audits to get into your house and then just to try to sell you their window. The whole thing seems fishy and a big hassle just for windows.

Sorry for the frustration, but I feel like I've spent way too much time looking for replacement windows. As much as the Sunrise seems like a good window, I'm not a big fan of the way the dealer operates. He quoted me a Spring Garden Show special last year that was a take-it-or-leave-it price that day (I left it). Then they called and offered me the Essentials line for the same price with no interest (which is a misnomer since it's $500/window vs. $425 if paid in full at install time). Then when I declined that offer, they offered me the regular line for $50 more per window than last year, saying I missed out on the show special and the price of windows has gone up. I don't like their blame/trick the buyer attitude. Plus, I know that I'm not going to get any added value when I go to sell this house down the road based on what brand of windows I put in. I want something we can enjoy while we're here without breaking the bank. The Energy Maxx picture window appealed to me because they offer triple pane for $379 installed. I figured for a picture window that doesn't open, the brand matters less, and the better insulated the better?
HomeSealed_WI
9 years ago
The fact that you cannot find anything about the window or company speaks volumes IMO. $379 installed for a triple pane window is a red flag as well. At that price, either the product, install, or both have to be lacking.
Karateguy
9 years ago
No way to get a quality triple pane window installed professionally (and I do not use that term loosely) for that price.
mwilt74
7 years ago
Hello Jon,

I realize I'm two years late into this discussion, but could you tell me if you went with the Energy King company, and if you were satisfied? I'm looking at their windows for a garage project I'm building, and like you, I'm finding that the window industry seems to be a bit sketchy... If you could let me know what you went with and if you were satisfied, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks for your time,

Matt