20 Best Window Companies in San Francisco, CA (2024 Reviews)

How Installing Energy-Efficient Windows in San Francisco Saves You Money

By switching to energy-efficient windows, you and your family can benefit in several ways, such as:

• Protect your investment: Keeping your windows up to date is an important part of maintaining your property and its real estate value, particularly if your home is on the older side.
• Protect your valuables: Many Energy Star certified windows have low-emissivity coatings, which filter out damaging UV rays, preventing fading of your furniture, carpet and other valuables.
• Save on electricity bills: The Department of Energy estimates that heat gained or lost through windows accounts for about 25-30% of energy use in your home. Switching to energy-efficient windows can help reduce that amount, which helps you save some money on your bills.
• Reduce your carbon footprint: Because energy-efficient windows improve the insulation in your home, you can reduce your indirect greenhouse gas emissions by about 12%, according to Energy Star.

Estimated Cost of Window Replacement in San Francisco

Windows come in different shapes and sizes, so costs and services will differ greatly. Here are the typical costs and the primary services that you can find from window installers.

How Much Do New Windows Cost?

On average, homeowners in San Francisco can expect that most replacement window installations will cost between $250 and $1,200, with the average cost at about $600. But prices vary considerably based on the size of your home, complexity of the installation, your location and the quality of the company you choose. Many window installers also offer door replacements, which have a higher price tag.

Whether or not you choose energy-efficient windows is another factor that will determine the cost. These will usually cost more than other windows, but on the other hand, you can save about $177 a year on your energy bills in San Francisco.

We recommend getting free quotes from multiple window installers to find the one that works best for you.

What Services do Window Installers Offer?

The first step when planning an installation is to clarify whether you should get a full-frame or pocket installation.

Full-frame installations entail replacing the total window, including the sill, trim and frame. Full-frame installations are necessary when you want a new style or your window has considerable damage. Because these installations are more involved, they will raise the overall cost. Pocket installations (or retrofits) entail replacing a window within its existing frame, which makes pocket installations less labor-intensive and costly. However, if the frame has any rot or deterioration, you should opt for a full-frame installation instead.

If you’re still trying to decide which kind of installation you need, you can consult with your provider and get their recommendation. The choice mostly is influenced by how old the frames are and if there’s any damage present.

How We Choose the Best Window Installers in San Francisco

EcoWatch differs from other reviewers since we assess these companies through a sustainability lens. Along with energy efficiency, we evaluated window companies all across the state and ranked them based on the following methodology:

Service Area

Because this is a guide for San Francisco, we gave more points to companies that serve the city. There are certainly reputable providers that didn’t make the list because they wouldn’t be able to serve homeowners in San Francisco.

Work Quality

When picking new windows, the quality and breadth of services often plays just as important of a role in insulation and performance as the brand of window you get. We do give window installers more points if they offer high-quality products, but we also factor in workmanship as reflected in customer feedback.

Customer Reviews

We analyzed trends in recent online reviews to determine the companies with the most consistent customer satisfaction, weighted by sample size. Customer satisfaction may be the most important factor, as it indicates the quality of services across most other categories, including warranty, cost, quality of installation, professionalism, quality of parts and more.

Cost

Cheaper windows certainly don’t mean better windows, but we know many of our readers try to keep costs low when possible. When analyzing providers’ prices, we gave higher points to companies with reasonable prices and accessible financing rather than “cheaper” services.

Warranty

As discussed previously, windows are a significant investment, so you’ll want to make sure that investment is well protected. Window installation companies that offer lengthy warranties for products, parts and labor rank higher with EcoWatch.

Years of Experience

Lastly, we like to see companies that have been in the industry for a while. Window installation companies that have more experience are going to earn higher rankings by our standards. We like to see at least ten years of experience.