New roof before adding Solar

[RegGuheert]

It's too bad that our government does not appreciate how much energy is being wasted by pushing the wrong windows on about half of the country.

It's too bad that's not at all the case, since the criteria for what type of window will get you an incentive

Here is my source:

Homeowners can now receive a federal tax credit for 30% of the cost of new energy-efficient windows. The credit was authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) signed by President Obama in February.

There’s just one problem with the new tax credit: the specifications for eligible windows were crafted by politicians, not window experts. The ARRA stipulates that eligible windows must have a maximum U-factor of 0.30 and a maximum solar heat-gain coefficient (SHGC) of 0.30 — requirements that have been dubbed “the 30-30 provision.”

Only low-solar-gain windows are eligible

There’s nothing wrong with the U-factor specification — except, perhaps, that it isn’t particularly stringent. The problematic provision is the SHGC spec.

By setting a maximum SHGC of 0.30, the ARRA actually excludes the best windows for cold climates. Cold-climate homes need windows with a SHGC in the range of 0.39 to 0.65; so if they comply with the tax-credit provisions, they’ll end up with windows that contribute to higher-than-necessary energy bills.

I think my quote captures the reality quite closely:

Our federal government has a one-size-fits-all policy when it comes to subsidizing windows and it is all focused on climates where cooling dominates.

So, has the federal statute changed since this was published in 2009? Can I now get the 30% federal tax credit for windows with a SHGC spec of over 0.30?

 

[Smidge204]

So, has the federal statute changed since this was published in 2009? Can I now get the 30% federal tax credit for windows with a SHGC spec of over 0.30?

Well your source sucks, for several reasons.

Yes, the statue has changed since 2009.

Your source even links to a page that very clearly says "2012-2013"

That same energy.gov page says the credit is 10% with a $200 cap for windows, not 30% as claimed in your source.

The requirement for the credit is that the window be Energy Star labeled, which is the page I linked to earlier which very clearly states that if you live in the blue "Northern" climate region, Energy Star qualification requires SHGC >= 0.35 in the worst case (or U-factor <= 0.30, in which case you can get any SHGC you like!)

You link to a page that's 3+ years out of date and didn't even bother to click through on the references it provided... it's like you're not even trying. :? How much time did you spend trying to find a source that supported your position, instead of just going directly to energy.gov and looking it up?
=Smidge=

 

[RegGuheert]

How much time did you spend trying to find a source that supported your position, instead of just going directly to energy.gov and looking it up?

Give me a break. That was the source of the information which I read in the past. So it looks as if the government has cleaned up their wasteful policies beginning in 2012. No more paying people to waste energy!

I wouldn't be at all surprised if it was because of these faulty policies that dgpcolorado's house had the low-solar-gain windows installed in the first place. It was quite difficult to buy high-solar-gain windows during that time.

 

[DeaneG]

Wow, tough crowd. We're somewhat off-topic too.

 

[Smidge204]

I do owe everyone an apology here. I spent the holiday weekend writing a rebuttal to some accusations against the company I work for regarding a particular project that didn't go as well as expected, so my pedantic nerve was quite raw. Finally got that report out yesterday and managed to sleep it off... so I'd like to apologize for my tone.

But yeah... don't get mad, get informed!
=Smidge=