Houses leak most of their heat through the windows. Seals and weather-stripping on cheap and badly installed windows allow heat-robbing drafts, and regular glass is not a very good insulator. But the initial cost of quality energy-efficient windows can give one pause. Is it really worth the extra money to get windows that can reduce your house's energy consumption by as much as twenty-five percent? 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. Here are some pointers to help you determine which energy-efficient doors and windows would be worth purchasing. The majority of windows that have an energy-efficient insulating function will be double- or even triple-glazed. Between the glass panes will often be an inert, insulating gas like argon or krypton. There's also a film or reflective metal coating that manufacturers can put on the glass which helps to achieve lower U-Factor ratings. Some treatments of this sort can even help to filter out damaging UV radiation. It's a good idea if you are installing a west-facing window to attempt to obtain glass that has a really low Solar Heat Gain Coefficient. This is useful because rooms with west-facing windows often have overheating problems in the afternoons. Your dealer should be able to help you with this. All good windows have a very tight seal that should be easily apparent when you try to open and close them when checking them out in the showroom. It's a good idea to give this a very good tryout. If you take the time to do a comparison across the cheap to very expensive windows on offer to you, you'll very quickly learn how to work out which have poor seals. Any poorly sealed window will be very energy inefficient, the very opposite of what you're looking for. It may be cheaper now but it'll surely cost you in the longrun. Look at your heating and cooling bills, and take off ten percent. Price out your windows, and take ten percent off the price of the energy-efficient ones. Now, can you afford not replace your drafty old non-insulating windows?
Article Source: http://www.articlecontentprovider.com/articlesubmit
Houses leak most of their heat through the windows. Seals and weather-stripping on cheap and badly installed windows allow heat-robbing drafts, and regular glass is not a very good insulator. But the initial cost of quality energy-efficient windows can give one pause. Is it really worth the extra money to get windows that can reduce your house's energy consumption by as much as twenty-five percent?
If you're looking for some energy conservation tip 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. Click here for other unique energy conservation articles.
Please Rate this Article
5 out of 5 4 out of 5 3 out of 5 2 out of 5 1 out of 5
