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Why there’s no price range yet
We only show price ranges when they’re backed by real LokalMatch quote data or reliable, cited sources. Until then, here’s what usually changes the price — and the quickest way to a real number is to compare quotes.
What affects the price
- Retrofit inserts against full-frame replacement back to the rough opening
- The number of openings and their sizes — a picture window is not two casements
- Operating style: fixed, casement, awning, slider or hung, each with different hardware
- The ENERGY STAR climate zone the units are certified for
- Glass package: double or triple, low-emissivity coatings, gas fill and warm-edge spacers
- Storey and access, which decide whether the crew needs staging or a lift
- Exterior capping colour and profile, and whether any brick or siding has to be cut back
- Interior finishing: casing, sills, drywall returns and painting
- Rot in the sill or framing found when a full-frame unit comes out
- Bay, bow and shaped windows, which are assemblies rather than single units
- Lead time, since units are built to order and spring is the busy season
Retrofit insert or full-frame
A retrofit insert leaves the existing frame in the wall and fits a new sealed unit inside it. It is faster, cheaper, less disruptive — and it makes the glass area smaller, because the new frame sits inside the old one. It also leaves whatever is behind the old frame exactly as it is.
A full-frame replacement takes the window out to the rough opening. The installer sees the sill, the framing and the insulation around it, and can fix rot and air leakage that no insert would reach. It costs more and it involves the interior trim and the exterior cladding.
Neither is the right answer everywhere. In a twenty-year-old house with sound frames, inserts are sensible. In an eighty-year-old house where the sills are soft, inserts hide the problem.
The ENERGY STAR zone is the spec that matters
ENERGY STAR in Canada rates windows, doors and skylights by climate zone, and the levels get more demanding with each successive zone: a model that qualifies for Zone B also qualifies for Zone A, and so on up. The zone a product qualifies for has to appear on the label along with the ENERGY STAR symbol. Two quotes may both say "ENERGY STAR" and be for different zones. Ask which one, and ask which zone your address is in.
What is on the quote besides glass
Counting openings is not the whole job. Each window carries the work around it: removing the old unit, insulating and sealing the perimeter, capping the exterior in aluminium, and putting the interior casing and sill back. Large units need more people to lift; second and third storeys need staging or a lift. A bay or a bow window is an assembly, not a window, and is priced as one.
Watch for these lines and make sure both quotes have them:
- capping of the exterior trim, and in what colour
- interior finishing — casing, sill, and whether painting is included
- disposal of the old units
- the warranty on the glass seal, on the hardware, and on the installation, which are three different terms
Do not buy windows to fix condensation
Water running down the inside of a window in January usually means humid indoor air meeting a cold surface, not a failed window. New windows make the surface warmer and can reduce it, but if the house is at 50 per cent relative humidity in a Canadian winter, the condensation will find the next coldest surface instead. Deal with humidity and ventilation first, then decide about windows on their own merits.
Fog between the panes is different. That is a failed seal in the sealed unit, and in many cases the glass unit alone can be replaced without replacing the whole window — a much smaller job worth asking about before you accept a whole-house quote.
Timing
Windows are made to order. Six to ten weeks between deposit and install is common and can stretch in spring. Installation itself is fast: a crew can usually do a whole house in one to three days, one opening at a time, so the house is never open for long.
Frequently asked questions
Is a retrofit insert as good as a full-frame replacement?
It is a different job. An insert is faster and cheaper and loses you a little glass area; a full-frame replacement exposes the rough opening so rot and air leakage can be fixed. If the existing frames are sound, inserts are reasonable. If they are not, inserts hide the problem.
What does the ENERGY STAR zone on the label mean?
Canada's ENERGY STAR specification for windows and doors sets levels by climate zone, and each zone is more demanding than the one before it — a product qualifying for Zone B also qualifies for Zone A. The zone has to be shown on the label, so you can check a quote against it.
My windows fog up. Do I need new ones?
Depends where the fog is. Condensation on the room side is usually indoor humidity meeting a cold surface, and new windows only partly help. Fog sealed between the panes is a failed glass unit, which can often be replaced on its own without a new window.
How long does the work take?
The install is quick — one to three days for a typical house, with one opening open at a time. The wait is the manufacturing: six to ten weeks from deposit is common, and longer in spring.
Sources
Where the facts on this page come from.
Windows, doors and skylights — ENERGY STAR Canada technical specification — Natural Resources Canada (accessed September 21, 2026)
Who wrote and reviewed this
Written by
LokalMatch EditorialReviewed by
LokalMatch Editorial
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