Life in the Window Industry if Energy Star is Nixed

The Energy Star program is facing potential dismantling, with reports indicating it may be eliminated or privatized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). While the program’s existing certifications remain valid, there are discussions about the future of the program itself, including its funding and organizational structure.

So, what would life in the door and window industry be like if this were to happen? Will customers become confused about whether they need new windows? Will they buy fewer windows? Will some door and window companies see declining sales as a result? Will some potentially have to shut their doors? Well, of course not.

Energy Star has been a wildly successful program, but has it reached the point of diminishing returns? It has established standard methods of rating doors and windows for thermal performance and has set standards that window fabricators must meet to display the Energy Star label on their windows. Energy Star, aided by the power of the internet, has also done a great job of educating consumers about what factors and technologies go into the making of a thermally-efficient product.

When I started in this industry, half of all windows were made with aluminum extrusions. The other half of the industry made windows with either wood or vinyl. Now, we have vinyl at 70% with the rest of the market split between wood and aluminum. Why? Because vinyl offers a great price point combined with fantastic energy performance. Low-E glass was just getting started in those days and most of it was hard-coat. Now, highly thermally efficient double and even triple stack low-E coatings and Argon gas filling are table stakes for any window claiming to be energy efficient. Krypton is even used together with triple-pane construction to provide the very best U-value, combined with optimum condensation resistance. Energy Star and the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) are largely responsible for these changes to the marketing landscape by seeing to it that all doors and windows are tested and rated to the same set of performance standards and that the rating system was fine-tuned depending upon the weather characteristics of specific regions of the country. All of this, combined with efforts to educate the consumer, has got us to where we are today.

So, with existing standards remaining in place with the rating systems and labelling now fully established, how much energy savings could future versions of Energy Star really provide for consumers? Would these really be meaningful dollar savings to consumers in the years ahead or does the Law of Diminishing Returns apply for the Energy Star program? We have the standard test methods in place, so if Energy Star is nixed, then fabricators can still test on their own and have their marketing departments take it from there to help the sales force win customers over. A better window is still a better window even without an Energy Star label!

If it indeed is the case that future energy savings would not offer a meaningful payback to consumers versus the additional costs of meeting future and stricter versions of Energy Star, then perhaps it is time for the industry to focus on other technological improvements that could be developed for windows that could indeed once again change the marketing landscape for doors and windows in many other ways than just thermal performance.

So, what’s the next chapter look like for doors and windows? I for one think that it is time to start making the glass do double duty for consumers. Yes, glass provides a beautiful view. Yes, it is now capable of being optimized to impede the transfer of heat through the glass and frame. But what if the glass and frame could be called upon to do other things for the consumer? Here are just three examples of other areas that could be focused upon to enable windows to do more thereby offering more value to consumers:

1. Solar Power: Windows can generate electricity. Organic photovoltaic (OPV) technology converts photons from the ultraviolet and infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum into electricity, allowing visible wavelengths through to illuminate the building interior and to preserve our viewing pleasure. This technology is just in the infancy stage for windows, but commercialization is just on the horizon. See Windows That Excite The Energizer Bunny. The commercialization of this technology will really move the needle in terms of window energy efficiency because now windows are further reducing energy usage by creating it.

2. Sound Power: So, what about sound power? Glass transmits sound quite well. Some window manufacturers go to great lengths to minimize sound transmission in windows, especially near train stations and airports, but the fact of the matter is that windows can be great sound transmitters. This property of glass can be used to transform windows into speakers. Pro Display offers an innovative technology that can turn any surface into a loudspeaker – adding the final touch to any window or Point of Sale (POS) display. Their Soundpod, more commonly known as a surface speaker or surface vibration speaker, is a small and discreet audio transducer ideal for applications in need of a practically invisible sound source. This can be used to make storefront windows work for your business after hours as potential customers stroll by and listen to a pre-recorded program while viewing products on display.

3. Transformational Power: Films are being developed that, once applied to a glass surface, can be made to be either translucent (see through) or they can be LED projectors at the flip of a switch. New products in this category, such as Smart Film, are just getting started. Yes, your window can potentially serve two purposes. It can be a window as usual when the film is in translucent mode, or the film can perhaps be made to transmit a work of art when switched to “atomization mode.” So, in the evening, when the sun goes down, you could perhaps use your windows to turn a room into an art gallery! Similar properties can be built into the glass itself. This glass is known as “smart glass.” Smart glass, also known as switchable glass, dynamic glass, and smart-tinting glass, is a type of glass that can change its optical properties, becoming opaque or tinted, in response to electrical or thermal signals. Smart glass can be used to prevent sunlight and heat from entering a building during hot days, further improving energy efficiency. It can also be used to conveniently toggle between privacy and visibility to a room. Hardware companies are working on solutions to provide seamless and hidden electrical connectivity to windows that feature smart glass as well as to transfer energy away from the solar producing windows previously mentioned. Powerlink, by Quanex, is one such example.

So, if the Energy Star program as we know it today loses government support and funding is cut, we still will not lose the progress that has been made because of its existence. The door and window industries have been transformed for the better because of Energy Star and consumers have benefited immensely. We will still have the test methods, labeling and existing standards that have been developed, not to mention a more educated and informed consumer. Moving forward, the fenestration industry can perhaps focus on many other technologies that can broaden the scope of product development to make doors and windows offer so much more than they do today.