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Tax
Rebate Extended for Energy Efficient Products
Part
of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, which was
recently signed by President Bush, includes a provision that is
important to the energy efficient residential building products
industry.
The
provision extends the tax credit for fenestration products from
January 1, 2009 thru December 31st, 2009. The new tax credit is
similar to the original, providing a $200 credit for all qualifying
products (including windows and doors) installed during any one
taxable year, and $500 lifetime credit. Credits must be applied
for before the end of 2009. ENERGY STAR qualified window products
are eligible for the rebate.
The
original credits expired December 31st, 2007. Credits are not
applicable from January 1st, 2008 thru December 31st, 2008.
The
complete text of the bill signed by President Bush is available
here
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State
Tax Rebates and Incentives
Across
the US, state governments or local utilities frequently offer
cash incentives for energy efficient meaures in homes and businesses.
Click on this link to learn more about potential incentives:
Database
of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (www.DSIREusa.org)
NFRC
and ENERGY STAR
What
is the connection between ENERGY STAR and the National Fenestration
Rating Council (NFRC)?
The
energy performance of all ENERGY STAR qualified windows, doors,
and skylights must be independently tested and certified. This
is done in accordance to testing procedures established by the
NFRC.
The
NFRC is a third- party, non-profit organization that provides
certified rating and labeling programs that enable consumers to
compare the energy and performance features of windows, doors,
and skylights so they can make the best purchasing decisions.
NFRC,
however, do not distinguish between “good” and “bad” windows,
set minimum performance standards, or mandate performance levels.
This is where ENERGY STAR comes in. ENERGY STAR helps consumers
to easily identify NFRC-certified products with superior energy
performance.
More
Information about ENERGY STAR
The
Energy Star Program is for residential applications, three stories
or fewer. ENERGY STAR for Windows, Doors, and Skylights is a program
only for residential applications, meaning non-commercial buildings
or residential structures under three stories.
Commercial
windows, doors, and skylights require a separate program because
of the different structural, durability, and wind load performance
requirements. Look for information on NFRC's Component Modeling
Approach (CMA) for Commercial applications coming soon.
This
is a sample of the NFRC label that shows why a given window earns
the ENERGY STAR in all Climate Zones.
Performance
Ratings
The
NFRC label, which can be found on all ENERGY STAR qualified windows,
provides performance ratings in various categories:
•
U-Factor
measures how well a product prevents heat from escaping a home
or building. U-Factor values generally range from 0.25 to 1.25.
The lower the U-Factor, the better a product is at keeping heat
in.
•
Solar Heat
Gain Coefficient (SHGC)
measures how well a product blocks heat from the sun. The lower
the SHGC, the better a product is at blocking unwanted heat gain.
SHGC is measured on a scale of 0 to 1; values typically range
from 0.25 to 0.80
•
Visible Transmittance
(VT)
measures how much light comes through a product. The higherthe
VT, the higher the potential for daylighting. VT is expressed
as a number between 0 and 1.
•
Air Leakage
(AL)
measures how much outside air come into a home or building through
a product. AL rates typically fall in a range between between
0.1 and 0.3. The lower the AL, the better a product is at keeping
air out. AL is an optional rating, and manufacturers can choose
not to include it on their labels.
•
Condensation
Resistance
measures how well a product resists the formation of condensation.
CR is expressed as a number between 1 and 100. The higher the
number, the better a product is able to resist condensation.
•
ENERGY STAR
qualification is based on U-Factor and SHGC ratings only.
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