Today, the operation of homes and offices are responsible for 52 percent of all energy used and all greenhouse gas emissions produced worldwide (compared to only 9 percent for cars and light trucks) based on Energy Information Administration worldwide energy tables.
More than a third of building operations (38 percent) are also used for heating and cooling, and within these structures, windows are the biggest single source of heating and cooling energy loss. As much as 40 percent of home and office energy, and its costs, literally goes out the window. Clearly, windows are huge energy-wasters and represent the single largest opportunity for structural energy-efficiency improvement.
Both homeowners and manufacturers alike have long been aware of basic window inefficiencies. Standing near a single pane window on a frigid winter day is all it takes to know that outside cold is radiating inside, and vice versa for excess heat on a hot summer day.
Better window technology and improved performance first began with the addition of a second pane of glass. Few know that dual-pane technology was first patented back in 1865.
Since then, even though numerous technologies have been added — such as triple panes, new framing techniques, inert gases sealed inside and high-tech surface films, windows are still the biggest energy losers and resulting money wasters in our homes and offices.
How do we know this? By comparing R-values, a measure of thermal resistance used to compare insulating values. Simply put, the higher the R-value of a given material, the better its insulating properties — and in window-terms, a higher R-value defines which window will better retain heat on cold days or cooling in hot weather.
Today, there is a great deal of focus on R-value performance and industry efforts to improve overall energy efficiencies. While great strides have been made in bettering wall and ceiling insulating properties — with walls now ranging from R-13 to R-19 and ceilings R-38 to R-60 — most windows today still are in the incredibly dismal R-1 to R-3 range.
But serious help is on the way. A little over a year ago, a series of new windows were introduced nationally with super R-values ranging between R-5 to an unbelievable R-11.
The company is Serious Windows (www.seriouswindows.com), and its top-of-the-line R-11 model offers performance that is up to four times higher than other major brands and 400 percent better than Energy Star requirements. The result? Dramatically reduced energy use, lower utility bills and an impressively fast payback.
This new technology — achieved by rethinking and combining nine key components (from framing to inner-suspended films) — and the resulting extreme energy efficiency and cost savings has been so significant that Serious Windows has just opened two new manufacturing facilities to meet steadily increasing consumer demand for its products.
“Super-efficient R-5 to R-11 windows can reduce energy costs up to 40 percent, resulting in a 5 percent savings in national energy use.” Serious Windows CEO Kevin Surace said. “This is equivalent to 100 million people driving a Toyota Prius instead of their older car.”
For tips from James and Morris Carey, visit their Web site at www.onthehouse.com or call the 24/7 listener hot line, 800-737-2474. The Careys are also on KRKO (1380-AM) from 6 to 10 a.m. every Saturday.
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