NFRC in the News - Selected Article
Title
Door and Window
Maker
February 2005
And
the Survey Says…
Homeowners
Rank Energy and Durability as Most Important
By
Jim Benney
S ix years ago, the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC)
conducted a nationwide survey of homeowners. The information we
gathered was quite useful. We used it to make our temporary label
more user-friendly, and it formed the basis for our very successful
retailer program (through which we place point-of-purchase materials
in home stores where and when homeowners want it).
We
learned so much that we decided to do it again this year, and
because we're an organization established to serve the public
interest, we're committed to sharing what we learned as widely
as possible.
Energy
Performance Still Number One
Our
recent Survey confirms that of all the factors homeowners consider
when thinking about new windows, energy performance is by far
the most important. Almost every one of the respondents, 97 percent,
said energy performance was an “important” or “very important”
factor in their window-buying decision. This correlates with the
findings of our 1998 survey.
After
energy performance, homeowners ranked durability as the second
most important factor (92 percent), followed by price (88 percent),
appearance (87 percent) and warranty (80 percent). Brand name
came in dead last at 27 percent, suggesting that – at least in
the abstract – homeowners don't care who makes the window as long
as it meets their other criteria.
The
survey also other found that when homeowners enter the market
for new windows, it's usually because they want to increase the
energy efficiency of their homes. More than half (54 percent)
said that increased energy efficiency would prompt them to buy
new windows. Thirty percent said “normal wear and tear,” 28 percent
said remodeling their exiting home and 12 percent said adding
an addition to their existing home. Some of the “other” reasons
given included building a new home, installing windows that are
easier to clean and wanting a new look for the house.
NFRC
Awareness Triples Among Recent Buyers
For
us, the most exciting finding was that we've succeeded in tripling
awareness of NFRC among homeowners who recently purchased new
windows. In our 1998 survey, just five percent of respondents
who had purchased at least four new windows or skylights during
the previous three years said that they had heard of NFRC. Among
a similar set of respondents in 2004, 15 percent said that they
had heard of NFRC. Millions of Americans are now using our rating
to make informed choices about the fenestration products they
buy. Some of the other significant finding from the survey include:
o
When it comes to information about window energy performance,
homeowners look to utilities more than any other source. Three
quarters of the respondents said they think utilities are important
information sources. Contractors came next (57 percent), followed
by manufacturer literature (61 percent) and friends (58 percent)
o When
homeowners think of energy-efficient windows, the benefits that
are most important to them include reduced energy costs and energy
use, keeping the cold out or the heat in and letting in lots of
light. Further down the list were reduced condensation, less fading
and less glare.
o
With all other factors being equal (price, quality, etc.),
nearly 90 percent of homeowners said they would purchase a window
that is certified by an independent energy performance rating
agency over a window that is not certified.
We
mailed our survey out in two waves to 4,200 households nationwide.
The results reported here based on 593 responses form homeowners
all over the country.
Jim
Benney serves as executive director of the National Fenestration
Rating Council based in Silver Spring , Md.
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