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Energy Efficient Windows Help Your Pocket And The Environment |
By:
Graham Tasker |
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Energy Efficient Windows Help Your Pocket And The Environment
by Graham Tasker
When it comes to wasting energy, it's a fact that most of the heat that disappears out of your home does so through the windows. Most cheap windows have poor seals that lead to drafts and heat loss. This leads to you turning up the heating to compensate which in turn leads to higher energy bills and, topically, you're not helping the environment either. Of course, fitting new energy-efficient windows is a great idea, but it's going to be pretty expensive, right? Well, not necessarily. There are government tax breaks to consider and the ultimate saving in your heating bills.
The US Federal Government certainly wants to encourage you to install energy-saving windows by offering you as a home owner a tax credit to cover 10 per cent of the windows' price up to a limit of $500 per year. So you can see that this is effectively a discount on the purchase price making energy-saving windows and doors much more affordable - and don't forget to factor in the reduced energy bills you'll enjoy too. This particular tax credit is called the Existing Home Tax Credit for Fenestration and covers windows installed from 31st December 2005 to 1st January 2008.
The National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) rates windows' energy-saving capabilities. They use two measures to rate windows: the U-factor shows how well the window keeps heat in your house (the lower this number, the better); and the Solar Heat Gain Coefficient shows how well the window keeps your house cool (again, the lower the better). You will need to save the NFRC stickers that come with your windows, along with your purchase receipt, in order to qualify for the tax credit. Any other pertinent documentation can only help.
What should you look for in a window, besides an Energy Star rating? The market supplies many choices, but here are some guidelines.
First, most insulating windows are made with two, or sometimes three, panes of glass. The manufacturer often fills the space between the panes with an insulating inert gas such as argon or krypton.
A lot of window manufacturers will also put a reflective coating on the glass to help it achieve lower U-Factor ratings. Another benefit of this treatment is that it will often help to filter out potentially harmful UV radiation. Not only is this UV radiation potentially damaging to you, it can also lead to fading the color of your furniture, so there's clearly a benefit if the product you're thinking of purchasing has a UV filter on it.
Finally, good windows have a tight seal that you should be able to feel when you open and close them in the showroom. Try it out. Repeatedly. Compare the cheap windows to the more expensive ones. With practice, you should be able to tell a well-sealed window from a badly sealed one. Only the seal on your refrigerator door should be better.
So, although replacing those old, drafty windows may look to be an expensive proposition in the short-term, remember to factor in the government tax break of ten per cent and ten to twenty five per cent savings on energy costs, and they might not look quite so expensive after all.
If you're looking for some energy conservation idea advice then Graham Tasker, the Webmaster of Green Home Website at http://www.greenhome.no1-source.com has plenty that you'll find interesting and informative. Get your own completely unique content version of this article.
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Article Source: http://www.statssheet.com/articles/article54793.html |
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