Tri-State wants you to Go Green!
Heating and cooling your home uses more energy and more energy dollars than any other operation in your home. Did you know that an average Iowa family spends more than half of its annual household energy bill on heating and cooling? That's a large amount of money and much of it is spent on energy that is wasted through air leaks and poor insulation. Unfortunately, this wasted energy does not only take a toll on the family income; it also takes a toll on our environment. The electricity generated by fossil fuels for a single home puts more carbon dioxide into the air than two average cars. In total, heating and cooling systems in the United States produce 150 million tons of carbon dioxide, as well as 12% of the nation's sulfur dioxide and 4% of the nitrogen oxides that are emitted into the atmosphere every year, accelerating global climate change and contributing to acid rain.
The good news is that by weatherizing and insulating your home better, you can reduce your heating and cooling costs by as much as 30 percent and help the environment at the same time. Not only that, MidAmerican Energy has teamed up with First American Bank to provide Iowa customers the opportunity to make energy-efficient improvements on their homes. In addition to lower monthly energy bills, residents who meet First American's credit qualification requirements and purchase and install qualifying equipment can further offset the costs of energy efficient windows, siding and roof insulation with competitive below-prime financing or six months same-as-cash payments. So they will pay you green' for going green'!
Windows and Doors
Many people concentrate on insulating their homes to make them more energy efficient, but the truth is that if you don't tighten up the air leaks in your home first, money spent on insulation may be wasted. Air leaks are the greatest source of heating and cooling losses in a home. By replacing old windows and doors with new ones that are Energy Star certified, you can make a dramatic difference in the amount you spend to heat your home. Replacement windows, alone, can reduce your energy bill up to 15 percent. The money you would save in heating costs, along with the wide range of choices in beautiful new vinyl windows and doors now available to enhance the beauty and increase the value of your home, make replacing your windows and doors an excellent investment. Now, with the help that MidAmerican Energy and First American Bank are offering, there is no better time to save your money while also saving energy.
There are many reasons to replace your old doors and single glazed windows, whether they are made of wood or the older, less efficient man-made materials. Replacing your windows and doors with new high-performance Energy Star certified products will improve your home's energy performance by keeping the heat in during winter and out during summer, sealing your house better from drafts and air leaks and by reducing the potential for condensation. New windows and doors are highly resistant to air and water infiltration, and to damage from high winds. Your home interiors will also benefit from protection from damaging ultraviolet rays, without noticeably reducing visible light in your home. Aside from energy and weather protection benefits, you will also benefit from better home security with stronger and more resistant vinyl double-glazed windows, the convenience of never needing to paint and the ease of cleaning from inside your home, as well as from the added comfort and functionality of your new windows and doors. If these sound like good reasons to benefit from new replacement windows and doors, or you have problems with drafts, condensation, rotting, cracking or peeling, or just want to reduce your heating and cooling costs, you should consider replacing your old windows and doors. By using Energy Star qualified vinyl windows you can save up to $450 or more per year when replacing single-paned windows or up to $110 or more per year when replacing double-paned, clear glass replacement windows.
Vinyl or PCV (polyvinyl chloride) windows and doors are the most popular choice for new construction and replacement. They represent the largest market share in the Window and Door Remodeling business. Vinyl is a great insulator and has superior resistance to heat transfer. New Vinyl windows are available in a wide range of aesthetically pleasing and customizable styles and colors. Today, there are many technical advances that come standard or are available on new vinyl windows, such as dual weather stripping, which creates a tight seal, creating an efficient window system that effectively eliminates drafts. Because vinyl windows have a welded frame and make a perfectly sealed unit, they are robust and extremely energy efficient in cold climates. Energy Star windows combine the latest advanced technologies to give you the greatest energy efficiency possible. Multiple panes, with an air or gas-filled space in the middle provide a much more effective insulation than single pane glass. Gas-filled energy-efficient windows have odorless, colorless, non-toxic gases, such as argon or krypton, between the panes, which insulate better than regular air. Some of the Energy Star-qualified windows include three or more panes for superior energy efficiency, better sound insulation and enhanced impact resistance. The spacer that keeps a window's glass panes the correct distance apart are now made of materials that reduce heat flow and prevent condensation. A special coating, called Low-E Glass, reflects infrared light and keeps heat inside in winter, while keeping it outside in summer.
Energy Star windows and doors have been approved by the Energy Star program, which was developed by the United States Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency. This program has been created to help consumers reliably identify products that save energy. Under the Energy Star program, the country is divided into three climate zones to help you choose the right products for your area. To be eligible for Energy Star certification, products must be rated, certified and labeled for U-Factor and Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC), as specified by the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC). The U-factor is the measure of heat loss from a window or door. The lower the U-value, the better the insulation and the more money you will save, staying warm in winter. For regions that also require cooling seasons, such as the Quad Cities, you should choose window and door products that have Solar Heat Gain coefficients that are as low as possible, to protect you from the summer heat. You will also want to make sure that the air leakage rating for your new windows is 0.3 cubic feet per minute or less. Energy Star windows and doors will come with Energy Star labels or equivalent custom labels. You will want to make sure that the windows and doors that you are buying also have a NFRC label, which certifies that the product has been approved by the National Fenestration Rating Council, a non-profit industry organization that provides accurate, fair and reliable testing data to help consumers and professionals compare the energy efficiency of window and door products. Finally, it is very important that your new Energy Star windows and doors are installed correctly to avoid air leakage around the frames, so look for a reputable, NARI qualified installer to install your windows and doors.
Siding and Roofing
Sealing and insulating the �envelope of your home is likely to be the most effective way to improve comfort and energy efficiency. Once you have sealed the air leaks caused by your windows and doors, you will want to make sure that you are not having problems with wind entering or air escaping from your walls and your ceiling or roof. You will also want to protect yourself from outside temperatures with good insulation. Insulation keeps your home warm in the winter, slowing heat loss and helping to prevent condensation. In the summer, insulation reduces heat gain and helps to keep your home cool.
To make sure that your home is well insulated, first check to see if you have insulation in your walls, ceilings or attic. Only 20% of homes built before 1980 are well insulated. Most homes built during the mid 1950's or before do not even have insulated walls. You can check on your wall insulation by looking into the exterior wall cavity under paneling, behind electrical outlets (turn off the electricity before removing any electrical installations), or by looking down openings in the top plates of the exterior walls from you attic. Attic or upstairs ceiling insulation should be visible from your attic. Once you have seen how, if at all, your house is insulated, make note of where you need to add or replace the insulation that is there. When considering which type of insulation to use, pay attention to the R-value (or thermal resistance) of the insulation, which measures its ability to protect your house form heat loss or gain. The higher the R-value, the more effective the insulation is.
Insulating your walls can be a very beneficial project when there is less than one inch of insulation in the wall cavities. Insulating the walls of an existing home is a difficult job and generally should be done by a professional. There is a high cost involved in blowing insulation into exterior walls. If you are considering replacing your home's siding, you may find it more economically efficient and affordable to choose a siding product that will insulate and seal your walls at the same time as beautifying and protecting your home. Rigid foam insulation, which has the highest insulation value for relative thickness, can be used when installing standard vinyl siding. For even more energy efficiency, as well as many other benefits, you can choose a hybrid vinyl siding product. Hybrid siding combines the best of two products, with insulated foam backing attached to a high quality vinyl siding product. Along with excellent insulating efficiency, the foam's rigidity offers big advantages, including better impact resistance and excellent sound-proofing. Because the rigid foam keeps the vinyl boards from bending, the vinyl siding product to be offered in wider board faces than traditional siding. Because of this, foam-insulated siding can have a wide, staggered-seam installation, resulting in siding that looks more like wood. Insulated vinyl siding is less brittle in winter weather and won't buckle in the heat of summer. Royal Duraplank hybrid siding benefits from the insulation foam backing being attached with a lock system, rather than by being glued to the vinyl siding. This leaves room for expansion, contraction and the escape of moisture. Duraplank's Energy Star rated insulation is combined with other high-tech systems, such as the Windlok 265 System, which protects your home from winds up to 265 mph and provide a tighter-fitting siding to seal your home better. It also incorporates special Ventilating Air Pockets, which provide another thermal barrier and Effective Water Channels, to keep water from pooling behind the walls and causing rot, mildew and thermal breakdown.
The same economical advantage that is available when re-siding your house can be had when re-roofing your home, and will save you the extra cost of extra insulation in your attic or ceiling. The rigid foam Energy Star insulations that are used when re-roofing your home have a high insulating value for relatively little thickness and are extremely effective in sealing your house's envelope. Make sure to have Energy Star certified insulation used when re-roofing your house. You can obtain further benefits from choosing one of the reflective roofs available, such as Marquis WeatherMax white Energy Star certified roof shingles. GAF was the first roofing manufacturer to produce an energy-efficient, richly colored asphalt shingle. The revolutionary Prestique Cool Color Series combines the visual impact of Prestique shingles with the first energy-efficient cool asphalt shingle technology. Prestique Cool shingles are Energy Star certified and offered in a palette of rich, organic colors, so that you don't have to sacrifice style for energy efficiency.� These remarkable shingles slow heat build-up for a more energy-efficient home by reflecting the sun's rays with highly reflective granules and by more effectively releasing absorbed heat. By combining energy-efficient shingles with Energy Star rigid foam you can benefit from great protection and energy savings. Make sure that the insulation and roof are installed properly, by a GAF Preferred Contractor, to insure the most benefits in energy savings and weather protection.
The revolutionary new Prestique Cool Color Series combines the visual impact of Prestique shingles into the first energy-efficient "cool" asphalt shingle offered in a palette of rich, organic colors.
These remarkable shingles slow heat build-up for a more energy-efficient home. The Cool Color Series is composed of highly reflective granules that bounce back the sun's rays and more effectively release absorbed heat.
Prestique Cool Color Series shingles carry a 40-year limited warranty with an option for limited transferability* and a limited wind warranty of up to 90 mph* and, like all Prestique shingles, are UL Class A fire-rated.
Energy Conservation Related Resources
http://hes.lbl.gov/hes/makingithappen/nrr.html
http://www.dsireusa.org/summarytables/FinEE.cfm?&CurrentPageID=7&EE=1&RE=0
http://alliantenergy.com/docs/groups/public/documents/pub/p014861.hcsp
http://alliantenergy.com/docs/groups/public/documents/pub/p014864.hcsp
http://hes.lbl.gov/hes/makingithappen/nrr.html
http://hes.lbl.gov/hes/makingithappen/nrr.html
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=windows_doors.pr_windows
http://www.replacementcontractoronline.com/industry-news.asp?sectionID=316&articleID=193514
http://hes.lbl.gov/hes/makingithappen/nrr.html