Energy Efficient Windows? I resumed my Eco-Broker course today and WHOA are there a lot of things to learn about windows! Silly me . . . my concern has usually been with the way the windows looked from the outside of the house.

Now, I've built a house (To clarify, I've watched my house being built and paid the bills as they rolled in!) and I remember picking out the windows, choosing between aluminum and wood clad, etc., and I knew there was an Energy Rating. But, did you know that there are Climate Zones for Energy Star qualification criteria? The climate zone break down comes down to - mostly - do you spend more time heating or cooling or do you spend almost equal time on both heating and cooling.

The Department of Energy actually has a  Climate Zone Finder that allows you to search by zip code. The nice thing about this is that once you find your climate zone, you can determine the most appropriate U-factor (The measure of the rate of heat loss, or how well a product prevents heat from escaping) for your most energy efficient windows. (There are R-values too, which are the inverse of the U-factor, but we'll save that for another day!)

Eyes glazing over? Please, save the glaze for the windows! A Low-E (low emittance) coating can be applied to your windows to reduce the heat loss. Much more economical than replacing the windows, especially in mild climates. (But you'll want a licensed, insured window professional to help you with this determination.)

Why is all this important? It's the $$$ of course! Approximately 25% of the energy used for space heating and cooling offsets heat loss or gain from windows. And energy efficient windows, doors an skylights can help reduce energy bills up to an estimated 15%. With energy being a major focus of much of the conversation I hear today . . . it's definitely - well - a HOT topic!

Stay tuned. It's about much more than energy efficient windows. I'll keep you posted (no pun intended) on my quest to become Pensacola's first Eco-Broker!