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Installing new windows in your home is such a big ticket item!@ You know you'll be spending anywhere from $200 to $800 per window, and you've got to suck in your breath and county how many windows you have in your home. If you buy those new windows, how long will it take you to recover the cost?
Why do quotes for window svary so greatly? Because there are so many kinds of windows! With double hung windows, the bottom window slides in twoard you and the top window moves up and down for easy cleaning. Swing-in slider windows are basically the same thing, only sidways. Casement winedows are opened when you turn a crank. With awning window,s the window swings open from the bottom and moves outward. P icture and transom windows do not open at all. Bay windows comprise several panels that extend outward from the house.
But the real difference in windows is in the glass. Windows aren't just glass anymore. Some windows deter ultraviolet rays. Some types deflect sound. Other types insulate and conserve heat.
Acting on people's concerns for energy conservation, and to encourage people to take advantage of energy-saving window products, the government has established a 30% tax credit for the years 2009 and 2010. To qualify, you must purchase a window that meets the government's criteria for reduced heat loss and reduced heat gain. You can get a 30% credit for the cost of each window, excluding installation fee, up to a total of $1500.00.
You can buy a cheap window that does not meet government criteria for around $200.00. But if you look for windows that qualify, you can pay $300.00 excluding installation. That gives you a tax credit of $90 per window, and it means you can buy the better product for just about the same price as the inferior one. With a $90 credit per window up to $1500.00, you could purchase up to 16 windows at the lower price. If you buy $00 windows, which are even more energy efficient, you get a $120 tax credit, and with an allowance of $1500.00, you could buy 11 windows.
But your savings doesn't end there. The best windows are tested by the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) and evaluated for their ability to keep heat from escaping from the home into the outdoors, which keeps your home warmer in the winter. They are also evaluted fror their ability to block heat caused by sunlight form coming into your home, which keeps your home cooler in the sunmmer. Since windows are available in a variety of ratings, you decide how much you can afford to spend compared with 30%, 35%, or 40% energy efficiency. At the price you paid to heat your home last winter, how much savings do you think that is?
Ultimately, you have to spend money if you want to save money on your heating or cooling bills. but xonsidering that windows of this quality typically carry at least a twnty-hyear guarantee, you'll accrue that many years of energy saving from your window purchase, in addition to your energy tax credit. Experts believe there is a high value-to-price ratio for energy-efficient windows, and your energy savings will underwrite the cost in no time. For real estate in Boulder, CO, try Automated Homefinder. |