Casement vs. Double-Hung Windows, Room by Room

A casement window has one sash hinged at the side that cranks outward; a double-hung window has two sashes that slide up and down inside the frame ^{1 2}. The casement usually seals tighter and opens wider. The double-hung stays flush with the wall, opens from the top as well as the bottom, and costs less in the surveys. Fixr says casements generally cost a few hundred dollars more per window than double-hung windows and other common types ⁴.

So the choice comes down to the room: what is outside the window, how you reach it, whether it has to serve as an escape opening, and how you want air to move. The sections below take each factor in turn, then go room by room.

Air leakage

A closed casement is pressed shut. Andersen says the locking hardware pulls the sash into the frame, and that its sealing design tightens when wind blows against the window ¹. With one sash, there are fewer joints for air to get through ¹. Fixr calls casements the most energy-efficient operable window type ⁴.

A double-hung has more places to leak: two sashes, a meeting rail where they overlap, and sliding joints along both sides. Fixr says that more complex design allows a higher possibility of air leaking ⁵.

Ratings narrow the gap. NFRC's label can show an air leakage rating, which measures how much air enters a room through the product ⁷, and ENERGY STAR's window criteria table sets air leakage at 0.3 cfm per square foot or less in every climate zone ⁶. A well-made double-hung can meet the same mark as a casement. Ask for the air leakage figure on both quotes rather than assuming the style decides it. Energy-efficient windows explained covers the rest of the label.

Ventilation

A casement opens along its full height, so it brings in air from top to bottom ^{1 3}. Andersen says its casements can be up to 8 feet tall ³.

A double-hung opens only half its area at a time, but in two places. Andersen says opening both sashes lets warm air leave at the top while cooler air comes in at the bottom, which helps in a room with only one window ². Andersen also suggests a double-hung wherever you want the option of opening the window from the top, such as a first-floor or child's bedroom ³.

Cleaning

Both can be cleaned from inside. Andersen says a fully open casement leaves enough room to reach the outside of the glass ¹. Its double-hung windows tilt the sashes in for washing, a feature it says is standard across its double-hung lines ². Fixr also says a double-hung can be cleaned on both sides from inside ⁵.

Screens, air conditioners and clearance

Because a casement swings outward, its screen sits on the inside of the window, and a standard window air conditioner needs a sash that slides up, which a casement does not have. The open sash also sticks out from the wall: Andersen advises against a casement next to a walkway, porch or deck where it could become an obstacle, and suggests hung or sliding windows there because they open flush with the wall ³. The casement windows pros and cons article covers these trade-offs in detail, and window screen replacement covers screen types.

Egress: escape openings in bedrooms and basements

Opening style matters most here. The model residential code's egress rule, Section R310 of the International Residential Code, sets a net clear opening of at least 5.7 square feet, a clear height of at least 24 inches and a clear width of at least 20 inches, all obtained by the window's normal operation, as the City of Boise's March 2022 handout reproduces it (Boise handout of IRC R310) ⁸. The same handout allows 5 square feet for grade-floor and below-grade openings ⁸. A casement opens nearly its whole frame. A double-hung opens only about half, so it needs a much larger frame to reach the same clear opening.

The handout also gives replacement windows an exception from the sill-height and opening-size rules, on conditions: the replacement is the manufacturer's largest standard size that fits within the existing frame or rough opening; it is the same operating style as the old window, or a style that provides an equal or greater opening area; and it is not part of a change of occupancy (Boise handout of IRC R310) ⁸. A double-hung replacing a casement is a different operating style, and in the same opening it would usually open less, so ask the installer and the building department before making that swap in a bedroom. The IRC is a model code, and the edition and amendments your city or county adopted govern; egress window requirements explains the rules in full.

Cost

Fixr's full casement range runs from $200 to $2,400, and it lists egress casements at $700 to $3,700 ⁴. The two Fixr figures come from different pages and dates, so treat the comparison as rough; Fixr's own statement that casements generally cost a few hundred dollars more per window is the more direct answer ⁴. For more survey figures, see double-hung window cost and casement windows.

Upkeep can add to the cost over time. Fixr says a double-hung's more complex design makes it more likely to break and more expensive to repair than a single-hung ⁵; a casement's crank and hinges are its own moving parts to maintain, covered in the pros and cons article linked above.

Room by room

• Kitchen, over the sink or counter. Casement. Andersen says a crank is easier where you would have to stretch to open a window ³.
• Bedrooms. Check the egress opening first ⁸. A casement reaches the clear opening with a smaller frame; a double-hung that opens from the top suits a child's room ³.
• Basement bedrooms. Same egress check, plus the window well, which the Boise handout says must let the escape opening open fully ⁸; a casement needs room in the well to swing.
• Next to a deck, porch or walkway. Double-hung, which opens flush with the wall ³.
• Living room on a windy side. Casement, for the seal that tightens when wind presses on it ¹.
• Rooms with one window. Double-hung, for the top-and-bottom airflow ².
• Traditional houses. Double-hung fits farmhouses, Cape Cods and Victorians, in Andersen's description ³; Andersen also makes casements dressed to look like double-hung windows ¹.
• Upper floors. Either; both clean from inside ^{1 2}.

Many houses mix both. For other styles, see types of windows, and for the double-hung's simpler cousin, single-hung vs. double-hung.

Before you get quotes

List each window by room, with its size and the style you want there, and mark which bedroom windows must serve as escape openings. Ask each company to quote the same frame material and glass, with the NFRC U-factor and air leakage figures for each style. How to compare window quotes has a checklist. When you are ready, you can compare quotes from window installers.

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About these figures

• ¹ Reported: Andersen's description of how a casement seals, ventilates and cleans, and its note on casements styled like double-hung windows, checked October 27, 2026.
• ² Reported: Andersen's description of double-hung operation, top-and-bottom airflow and tilt-wash cleaning, checked October 27, 2026.
• ³ Reported: Andersen's placement advice for casement and double-hung windows and the 8-foot casement height, checked October 27, 2026.
• ⁴ Reported: Fixr casement ranges ($400 to $1,200 typical, $200 to $2,400 full, $700 to $3,700 egress casements) and its price and efficiency comparisons, updated January 30, 2026, checked October 27, 2026.
• ⁵ Reported: Fixr double-hung range of $528 to $961 per window and its notes on air leakage, cleaning and repairs, published July 1, 2024, checked October 27, 2026.
• ⁶ Official record: ENERGY STAR certification criteria table for residential windows, air leakage of 0.3 cfm per square foot or less, checked October 27, 2026.
• ⁷ Official record: NFRC label page defining the air leakage rating, checked October 27, 2026.
• ⁸ Official record: City of Boise handout of IRC Section R310 (March 2022): 5.7 square feet (5 square feet at grade-floor and below-grade openings), 24-inch height and 20-inch width minimums, normal-operation clause, the replacement window exception and its three conditions, and the window-well rule, checked October 27, 2026.