Home Equity Loan,Energy Efficien Home And Healthy Living

Energy Efficient Windows and Doors

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.

It's certainly true that the US Government wants to encourage you to fit energy-efficient windows by giving you a 10% tax break for doing so up to a maximum of $500 per year. This specific tax credit is called the Existing Home Tax Credit for Fenestration and covers windows installed between 31st December 2005 and 1st January 2008. So there's still time for you to benefit.

There's an organization that has come up with a rating system to work out the energy efficiency of windows. It is the National Fenestration Rating Council or NFRC. Its' rating systems are the U-Factor which determines how good your windows are at retaining the heat in your home (the lower this rating, the better) and the Solar Heat Gain Coefficient which measures how the windows help to keep the house cool (again, the lower the rating the better). If you want to qualify for the Federal Government tax credit you need to install products that have been rated by this organization. You'll need to submit a copy of your receipt as proof of purchase along with the product's NFRC sticker.

Here are some guidelines as to which energy-efficient windows and doors you should consider purchasing.

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.

Next, window manufacturers can achieve lower U-Ratings by glazing the glass to various degrees with a special film or a reflective metallic coating. Some glazing even reduces transmission of damaging ultra-violet rays. In addition to insulating your house, this kind of glazing can protect your furniture and drapes from deteriorating due to UV exposure. If installing a West window, try to get glass with the lowest Solar Heat Gain Coefficient possible rooms with West exposure are notorious for overheating in the afternoon, and this type of window will help.

Another very important consideration is the window seal. It's imperative that any window you are contemplating buying has a tight seal. You can check this by noting the resistence felt when opening and closing the window in the showroom. The higher the resistence, the better the seal.

When you factor in the Government tax break and assume a minimum saving of ten per cent on your current heating bills, can you really afford not to replace your old, non-energy-efficient windows?

By: Graham Tasker