The U.S. Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Program (BTP) is helping more homeowners to get better-insulating windows for their homes. They are coordinating a volume purchase of R-5 (highly-insulating) windows in order to expand the market for them and prevent them from being cost-prohibitive to many homeowners.
This is great news–in 2010, many more people will be able to afford highly-efficient windows, saving them huge amouns in the long run on energy costs. But the good news does not stop there.
Perhaps even more important for homeowners are the tax credits that will come with the purchase of these windows. According the US Department of Energy’s website, first time home buyers can receive up to $8,000 tax credits for their home purchase if it was between January 1, 2009 and December 1, 2009. Unlike the tax credit from 2008, the new credit does not have to be repaid. Home buyers can then purchase highly-insulating (ENERGY STAR® rated) windows for energy and cost savings and receive up to a $1,500 tax credit for those purchases!
These R-5 windows also reduce noise from outside (even over current double-pane windows), and can make acoustics and climactic comfort better throughout the house.
Keep on the lookout for more information about R-5 windows. And if you can, take advantage of these credits this year.
For those of us at the Green Home Improvement community, it’s wonderful to see the policy-makers really getting serious about energy savings.