Renewal by Andersen Vs. Mezzo by Alside: Is the Price Difference Worth it?
- The Wacky Window Woman
- Feb 9
- 4 min read
Renewal by Andersen sells Replacement Windows and Doors
I did something a bit Wacky! I've had 10 different window companies out to my home to give me a price for my window project of twelve windows. The overall total price ranged from just a bit more than $10,000 to over $34,000. Most of the prices were collected through the year in 2025.
Be sure to see the Wacky Window Woman Price Comparison Chart to see how the larger well-known window replacement companies stack up when we compare price, warranty, financing and energy ratings.
Ultimately we purchased from Virtual View Windows due to being able to complete the whole sales process from Quote to Contract 100% Virtual. They service most of the United States.
Price Comparison: How Much Do Alside Mezzo and Renewal by Andersen Cost?
Renewal by Andersen cost per window 2026.
The cost for my window project of 12 windows was $34.326 or $2860 per window. The total project cost for the Alside Mezzo Window in Triple Pane was $11, 528 or $960 per window.
That's almost three times the cost of the Renewal by Andersen Window.
The Alside Mezzo offers the best performance-to-price ratio on the market, delivering a sleek, low-profile frame and Energy Star 7.0 efficiency at a fraction of the cost of premium composite brands.
Material Matters: Vinyl (Mezzo) vs. Fibrex (Renewal by Andersen)
The Mezzo Window by Alside is made of High-quality virgin vinyl. Virgin vinyl is made from 100% pure PVC resin, meaning it hasn’t been weakened by previous manufacturing cycles or contaminated with recycled scrap. This results in a window frame with superior structural integrity, ensuring it won’t warp, crack, or become brittle when exposed to extreme temperature swings. Additionally, because it lacks the impurities found in recycled plastics, virgin vinyl offers long-term color retention and a smoother, non-porous finish that resists fading and "chalking" over time.
Superior Energy Efficiency
Low Maintenance & Durability
Maximum Value (ROI)
Resistance to the Elements
Infinite Customization
Andersen's Fibrex Material is a composite made from reclaimed wood fiber blended with a polymer. This provides strength and durability of wood but with the low-maintenance features of vinyl, while greatly limited thermal transmittance that can be found in other window materials such as metal.
Insulating Properties
Low Maintenance
resistance to Decay/Corrosion
Structural Rigidity
Durability
Color Choices
Dark Color Performance
Warranty and Lifespan: Which Window Lasts Longer?
Lifespan Comparison: The Quick Verdict
Window Type | Average Lifespan | Warranty Highlight |
Alside Mezzo (Virgin Vinyl) | 20 – 30 Years | Limited Lifetime (Frame) |
Renewal by Andersen (Fibrex) | 35 – 40+ Years | 20-Year (Glass & Fibrex) |
The Verdict: Should You Choose Alside or Andersen?
Forever Home Vs. the Starter Home
The Math: If you plan to live in your home for 20+ years, the cost-per-year of the RbA windows starts to even out.
Why it works: RbA’s Fibrex material has a much lower expansion/contraction rate than vinyl. This means the seals are less likely to fail over 30 years.
Verdict: If this is the home you’re staying in until you retire, spend the money once and never think about windows again. If you're moving in 5–7 years, the Alside Mezzo is the smarter ROI choice.
Large Windows or Dark Exterior Colors
The Problem with Vinyl: Vinyl is flexible. In high heat, dark-colored vinyl frames (like Black or Bronze) absorb more UV rays, which can lead to warping or "bowing" over time, especially in very large window openings.
The Fibrex Solution: Fibrex is twice as stiff as vinyl and handles heat much better.
Verdict: If you want trendy Black Exterior frames or have massive, floor-to-ceiling windows, the extra $22k buys you structural peace of mind that vinyl simply can’t match.
Resale & Real Estate "Clout"
The MLS Factor: In high-end real estate listings, agents explicitly write "Renewal by Andersen Windows" because it’s a brand name buyers trust, similar to Sub-Zero or Viking in a kitchen.
Verdict: If your home is valued at $800k or more, putting in mid-range vinyl windows might actually hurt your resale value. In a luxury neighborhood, you match the window to the house.
Energy Star 7.0 Ratings
What you get with the Mezzo Window by Alside that you don't get with Andersen is a triple pane window that also meets the Energy Star 7.0 Most Efficient Ratings.
Andersen doesn't offer triple pane and their windows meet basic Energy Star, but not Energy Star 7.0 Most Efficient.
Renewal by Andersen Vs. Mezzo by Alside: Is the Price Difference Worth it
For most of us, it will boil down to price and how long we plan to live in our home. If you spend three-times the cost of Vinyl on Andersen and then move in a few years, you'll likely not earn back your Rate of Investment. However, if you know you'll be in your home for a long time and consider it to be your forever home then maybe Renewal by Andersen can make sense.
For my husband and I as we approach our mid 60's, it just didn't make any sense to spend the additional dollar bills for Andersen, when we felt we could get a really good window by Alside and because it also met the Energy Star 7.0 ratings, we felt it was a good value and it must made sense for us.
Ultimately, we chose Virtual View to purchase our windows. They offer a 100% Virtual Experience and you don't have to let a Window Sales buy into your home.
