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We've talked about the importance of having a window or door unit that has energy efficient parts and pieces in its assembly. Another critical part of ensuring the effective performance of an opening unit is the INSTALLATION.

Choosing a window or door unit with a low U-value is key to maintaining the thermal and air tight boundary in a building. But we also need to carefully consider how we are preparing and sealing the space where those units are going in a wall or roof. When we talk about the window or door "install", we're talking about the space around the perimeter of the unit.

When a plan for energy efficiency accounts for the installation of a window or door unit, they're including the following:

• The dimensions of the rough opening - width, height and depth of the framed assembly.
• The insulation strategy used around the unit and the thermal resistance value of that insulated space.
• Connections and integrity of airtight and vapour management barriers to maintain continuity with the rest of the building envelope.