KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM HIGH-PERFORMANCE BUILDERS
Thanks to the federal 45L tax credit, there is a huge market potential for high-performance windows – 4.5 million windows a year if the top 5 U.S. builders sign up –that’s 12,000 windows per day, according to Dean Gamble of EPA’s ENERGY STAR Homes program.
“For manufacturers, the key takeaway is that home builders really do want high-performance windows. More advanced building codes, federal energy-efficiency programs like DOE Zero Energy Ready Home and ENERGY STAR, and tax incentives like the 45L tax credit are all driving builders to see high-performance windows as a cost-effective way to meet total building envelope efficiency targets. But builders need cost-effective options like low U-factor glazing in standard builder-grade frames, not just in high-end product lines,” said Katie Cort, an economist with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and PAWS member.
The meeting was organized by PAWS and was led by PAWS member Walt Zallis of Energetics along with Gene Myers, chairman of Thrive Home Builders, a leading home builder in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Zero Energy Ready Home Program, along with Dean Gamble of the ENERGY STAR Certified Homes Program. The meeting took place at the Energy and Environmental Building Alliance (EEBA) High Performance Home Summit in Salt Lake City, Utah, Oct 1-3, 2024.
Find the event summary slides here.
ENERGY-EFFICIENT WINDOW MANUFACTURERS PRESENT
In addition to over sixty home builders, six high-performance window solutions manufacturers were also in attendance — Alpen, Hunter Douglas, Jeld-Wen, Pella, Pivot Windows, and Wythe Windows. They presented their latest energy-efficient product lines, including triple-insulated and thin-triple windows that meet the new ENERGY STAR 7 requirements for northern climates.
BUILDER PRIORITIES: COST, PERFORMANCE, AND AVAILABILITY
Builders were asked what motivates them to buy high-performance windows and what prevents them from buying them. Here is what they shared with us.
- Affordability is key.
- Windows are already the biggest construction supply cost after lumber. Builders want high performance but cannot handle a big jump in window package cost.
- Performance is important for meeting code and program-driven overall efficiency targets:
- Builders, especially big builders, are becoming increasingly aware of how window performance can impact a home’s total UA or building envelope performance (UA = U-factor × Surface Area). They understand how better windows are a cost-effective tradeoff against other high-R insulation options to help them meet the high performance targets of the latest building codes, programs like ENERGY STAR and DOE Zero Energy Ready Home, and concurrent tax incentives and rebate programs.
- Builders need accurate, detailed performance data to ensure they are meeting their whole-home performance targets at the design stage. They need better access to window performance data, whether from company websites, purchasing software, or window vendors.
- Additional Quality Metrics & Purchase Drivers:
- Reliable Delivery Schedule – builders can’t store windows on job sites; dependable just-in-time delivery is critical for production schedules.
- Condensation Resistance, especially in cold, humid climate zones — to mitigate one of the most likely sources for customer call-backs.
- Air Leakage and Moisture Control, especially in humid climates.
- Sound Insulation — often the #1 selling feature for triple-pane windows in mixed climate zones.
SUMMARY: A BUILDER WISH LIST
Builders were also asked if they had three wishes for manufacturers, what would they be. Builders shared the following:
- Make high-performance window offerings available in every product line, not just the most expensive lines.
- Offer some high-performance windows in common frame sizes and styles at a set price.
- Simplify the supply chain and ordering process.
- Be more transparent about costs and performance data.
- Give builders access to window vendor ordering software so they can see what options are available to make educated choices about what windows will meet their performance needs and their budget.
- Make window performance data easier to find on manufacturer websites. Use glass company names for glass packages. Provide U-value and SHGC numbers for the whole window assembly, not just the center of glass.
