Tulsa World: Government sees the light

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Government sees the light
Efficient windows clearly save money

Replacing single-pane windows with Energy Star-grade windows saves $266 per year in energy costs.Tulsa World file

By PHIL MULKINS World Staff Writer
Published: 6/3/2009 2:18 AM
Last Modified: 6/12/2009 2:05 PM

Installing Energy Star-certified windows lowers energy bills and saves money when replacing single-pane or even double-pane windows.

For a typical home in the U.S. Department of Energy's west South Central Cooling and Heating Climate Zone — encompassing Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana — replacing single-pane windows with Energy Star-grade windows saves $266 per year in energy costs, the DOE says, and replacing double-pane, clear glass replacement windows saves $90 annually.

Energy Star, a program created by the U.S. government in 1992, has become an international standard for energy efficient consumer products.

On sunny summer days, the seats near the windows won't be hot. The warm, inside surface of an inefficient window pumps heat into the air you paid to condition. With Energy Star-certified windows, the interior glass stays cooler so you can enjoy your window seat even when it's hot outdoors.

On humid days, the fog on the outside of old windows means their lack of insulation allows outside heat to pass through the cold outer window, depositing its moisture there. In winter, an inefficient window or window frame gets cold enough for indoor moisture to condense there and even freeze on the interior surface. Dripping condensation pools on window sills, causing dry rot to set in and eat the sills.

Advanced technology enables Energy Star windows to keep the interior of the glass and frame cooler, or warmer, reducing the potential for condensation and ensuring a clearer

view.

In summer, south- and west-facing rooms no longer feel like saunas if efficient windows have been installed. The typical double-pane, clear-glass window allows 75 percent of the sun's heat into the home. Most Energy Star-qualified windows transfer much less heat, typically without reducing visible light. You get the sunlight you need without its infrared.

Your wall photos, your couch and their matching curtains fade or discolor after repeated exposure to sunlight. The Low-E coatings of Energy Star windows keep out the sun's infrared rays that heat the interior and its fading ultraviolet rays that cause fading. These coatings act like sunscreen, blocking damaging rays without noticeably reducing light.

Beginning June 1, to qualify for the tax credit, windows, doors and skylights in our region's DOE zone must have U-factors and "solar heat gain coefficients" of less than or equal to 0.30. U-factor measures the rate of heat transfer and tells you how well the window insulates. The lower the U-factor, the better the window insulation. The U-factor of a single pane is 1.25, while the U-factor of a super efficient window is 0.25.

Stimulus includes tax credit for cutting energy use

Energy Star-certified windows lower your heating and cooling bills and save you money at tax time.

The stimulus bill signed Feb. 17 by President Barack Obama gives you a $1,500 tax credit for many energy efficient technologies, including windows, doors and skylights.

The bill, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, made significant changes to energy efficiency tax credits — see tulsaworld.com/EnergyEffTaxCrd — for products "placed in service" in 2009. That's defined by the IRS as "when the property is ready and available for use."

The tax credits previously effective for just 2009 have been extended through 2010 and raised from 10 percent to 30 percent. Credits previously for a specific dollar amount are now figured as "30 percent of the cost up to $1,500 for 2009 and 2010," up from $500.

Improvements such as geothermal heat pumps, solar water heaters and solar panels are not subject to the maximum, effective through 2016.

The $1,500 tax credit is a total for those two years, not for each improvement. Even if you installed qualifying windows and a new heating and cooling system, your total credit is still just $1,500 for those years. You can spend $5,000 and get a $1,500 tax credit, but even if you spend $10,000 you still get only a $1,500 credit.

Two or more unmarried people who jointly own and live in the same house are each eligible for the tax credit on the amount of money they individually spent improving the home. Example: Jack bought $5,000 windows and got a $1,500 credit. His roommate Jill bought a $5,000 central air conditioning unit and got a $1,500 tax credit.

The previous $200 cap on windows is out the window. Tax credits requirements for windows installed June 1 or later have been increased significantly. See the IRS press release "IR-2009-44" at tulsaworld.com/IRS200944 .

Not all Energy Star windows covered under previous legislation can qualify after June 1. The Energy Star criteria for windows, doors and skylights are now based on "whole-unit values."

To qualify for the tax credit, windows, doors and skylights placed in service after Feb. 17 must have a U-factor and "solar heat gain coefficient" (SHGC) of less than or equal to 0.30, as shown on the National Fenestration Rating Council label at tulsaworld.com/UfactorsWindows . NFRC is the only federally recognized organization determining the energy performance of windows, doors and skylights.

Those qualifying before Feb. 17 and installed before June 1 must have U-factors of less than or equal to 0.40 to 0.43 and SHGCs of less than or equal to 0.24 to 0.4.

Tulsa World consumer writer Phil Mulkins wants to know which topics interest you most. Call 699-8888 or e-mail your interest to phil.mulkins@TulsaWorld.com or mail it to Tulsa World Consumer, PO Box 1770, Tulsa OK 74102-1770. By PHIL MULKINS World Staff Writer

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Buffaloe, (6/3/2009 11:50:38 AM)

$1500 energy credits (taxpayer subsidy) ..yeah , this is a good idea since we are flush with surplus cash in this country. Money to go arond for everyone....something for everyone. Like that $8000 to buy a Volt to make it more efficient even though it will cost $40,000. How about i buy one of the fossil fuel burning cars fro $20-25k. Bad math all the way around on eneergy subsidies.

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