Part One: The Basics The idea of an energy-efficient home appeals to many homeowners for a very simple reason: you get to save more money. (And who doesn’t like saving money?) There are a lot of different ways by which you can achieve energy efficiency at home: you can insulate your attic, adjust your thermostat, switch to CFL or LED bulbs, and change the filters on your HVAC, to name a few. But if you’re bent on achieving energy efficiency quickly and in a big way, there are few investments more rewarding than replacement windows. How can new windows make your home more energy-efficient? Here’s how it works at the most basic level: When it’s hot, windows can assist in passive cooling by providing openings through which air can flow freely through your home. When it’s cold, they can be closed to seal up your home’s thermal envelope, making the task of maintaining a comfortable indoor temperature easier on your HVAC. Windows’ ability to help regulate the temperature throughout your living spaces without additional energy input is what makes them so valuable from an energy efficiency perspective. And that’s not all. Another way windows help you save energy is by daylighting. They let in an optimum amount of sunlight that maximizes visual comfort and reduces your dependence on artificial lighting.
Part One: The Basics But because too much sunlight can also heat up your home unnecessarily, most modern windows have glazings that block excess heat energy (infrared radiation) and UV radiation without hindering the transmission of visible light. What is it that makes windows energy-efficient? The two components with the biggest impact on window energy efficiency are glazings and frames. For many modern window products, spacers and gas fills are honorable mentions.
These four components are designed to address heat transfer by radiation (glazing), conduction (glazing, frame, spacer), and convection (gas fill), which allows them to regulate the amount of heat lost or gained through a window. So without getting too deep into the technicals, you now have a good general understanding of how windows can help you save energy and, by extension, money. But how much money do you stand to save by installing energy-efficient windows?
Part two: sample savings According to ENERGY STAR, switching from single-pane windows to more energy-efficient units can help the typical (2,000-square-foot, single-story) American home save between $126 and $465 per year. If you have old storm or double-pane windows, the upgrade will save you between $27 and $111 per year.
ENERGY STAR further estimates that annual savings on household energy bills of 7 to 15 percent—par for the course for ENERGY STARqualified window units—mean that your new windows will end up paying for themselves in as short as one to six years. Not a bad value proposition at all, considering the fact that most modern windows have a life expectancy of 20 years or more. Exactly how much money you stand to save with the help of energyefficient windows will, of course, depend on a host of factors—such as local climate and electricity rates as well as the kind of windows you’ve installed.
Part two: sample savings To give you a general idea of how much your household can save by trading in your old single- or double-pane windows, here are some ENERGY STAR savings estimates for different U.S. cities:
It’s fairly easy to see that while savings vary depending on your location, the fact that you do get to save a fair amount of energy and money when you replace your windows remains universal. And keep in mind that these figures only account for the energy side of the equation—it doesn’t even count the cost you can recoup through the increase in your home’s resale value or the cost that can be covered by rebates and incentives.
Part three: Incentives and rebates We’ve established that installing new windows will pay off in the long run in the form of energy and money savings. The problem is, a window replacement project isn’t exactly cheap. And generally speaking, the more energy-saving features a window has, the more expensive it will be. According to the 2014 Cost vs. Value Report by Remodeling Magazine, a midrange window replacement project will set you back an average of $9,978 for vinyl windows and $10,926 for wood windows. An upscale replacement project, on the other hand, will cost you $13,385 for vinyl windows and $16,798 for wood windows.
These prices are nowhere near cheap and may deter homeowners who need to work with a limited budget. Here’s where incentive and rebate programs come in. These programs are promoted and implemented by federal and state governments as well as by utility companies seeking to help households become more energyefficient. One good example was the Residential Energy Property Credit outlined in Section 1121 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). To encourage homeowners to invest in energy-efficient home improvements like better windows, insulation, and HVAC systems, ARRA increased the energy tax credit to 30 percent of the cost of all qualifying projects. This tax credit was set to expire at the end of 2010 but, after being extended twice, ended in December 2013.
Part three: Incentives and rebates THE MASSACHUSETTS SCENE Massachusetts, which was recently declared the most energyefficient state for the fourth year running by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, has also made significant contributions to the cause through the Green Communities Act. Massachusetts homeowners and businesses can also benefit from Mass Save, an initiative sponsored by energy efficiency companies and gas and electric utilities in the state. Sponsors work with the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources to promote energy efficiency through a range of incentives, trainings, and services.
Some of the perks of participating in Mass Save include: savings of up to $2,000 on insulation improvements; rebates of up to $1,600 on efficient heating systems; free home energy audits; 0% interest financing for the Mass Save HEAT Loan program; and rebates of up to $2,000 for approved upgrades like ENERGY STAR-rated windows. Make sure you do your research on ongoing energy efficiency programs in your state to find out whether your upcoming replacement project will qualify for rebates and incentives.
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