New Energy Conservation Code in Effect

Effective March 15th, 2012, the Energy Conservation Code will affect the glazing of impact-resistant windows and doors for both new construction and retrofit projects.  Projects approved after March 15th will need to comply with maximum U-factor and Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) values as shown in the table below:

Product	U-Factor	SHGC
Non-impact windows and doors	0.65 or less	0.30 or less
Impact-resistant windows and doors	0.75 or less	0.30 or less

The code states that both new contruction and renovation projects must comply with the values presented above.  However, for renovation projects, the code is up to interpreration by the local building official. The Florida Statute defines a renovation as construction that exceeds 30% of the assessed value of the property.  Per this statute, retrofit jobs that do not exceed 30% of the value of the property may not be required to meet the values above.  Nevertheless, it is important to consult with the building official having jurisdiction before making a decision one way or the other.

Impact Windows and Vinyl Frames

Our clients always ask us for impact-resistant windows that meet current Energy Star criteria so they can obtain the Federal Tax credit. The reality is that aluminum-frame windows do NOT meet this criteria. To accomplish the insulating ratings required by the Energy Star program, we need to use hurricane windows made with vinyl frames. Unfortunately for Miami-Dade residents, there is only a handful of Miami-Dade-Approved impact vinyl windows.

How can I find out the list of approved products?
To obtain information about which impact-resistant products are Miami-Dade County Approved, our readers can check the Miami-Dade's Building Code Compliance Office. For your convenience, we compiled the list of approved impact windows as of July 04, 2010. The list can be found below. It is important to understand that this list will change overtime as new products are being approved and older products reach expiration.

Manufacturer	Awning	Horizontal Roller	Single Hung	Double Hung	Casement	Fixed
AWP, LLC	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes
Benor Windows	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
Custom Window Systems, Inc.	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Galaxy Windw and Door, Inc.	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Jeld-Wen, (FL)	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Jeld-Wen, Inc(OR)	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
Kolde and Kolde Millwork Company	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Megrame U.S. Windows and Doors, LLC	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes
PGT Industries, Inc	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Pittburgh Corning Corporation	No	No	No	No	No	Yes
Rgency Plus, Inc	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Schuco USA, L.P.	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes
Silver Line Bulding Products Corporation	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Teeem USA, LLC	No	No	No	No	Yes	No
YKK AP American, Inc	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No

How to read the list above
The table shows different window types and which manufacturer has a Miami Dade product approval for the specific type. Also, you can find a window manufacturer up and down the list. If you run across the table, you can find out whether this manufacturer has the window type approved.

Impact Windows and Bulding Permits

Do I need to pull a permit if I am only changing ONE window in my house and installing an impact window? Do I need to pull a permit even though I am not changing the location or the size of the opening? We have several clients asking these questions when they are thinking about replacing one or more of their existing windows. The answer is yes, you must pull a permit if you are replacing any exterior window or door.

Impact Windows and Wind Engineering
The Florida Building Code requires you to obtain a building permit to replace an existing window for an impact window (this rule also applies if you install a non-impact window). To obtain the building permit, you will need a wind engineering report, specifying what the wind loads are for each opening in the house. The impact window or door that you are purchasing MUST have a design pressure that exceeds the wind loads calculated by the engineer. Otherwise, installing impact windows and doors is pointless.

Do Impact Windows Have Different Ratings?
The impact windows that we install in Miami must have the Miami-Dade County Notice of Acceptance, or NOA. To check impact windows ratings, you could review the NOA of the specific window or door. NOAs will have a table showing the corresponding maximum design pressures for an impact window depending on the size and glazing option used. So, it is not enough for an approved impact window to be installed in your house without checking against a wind engineering report.

If the explanation above is not clear or you have additional questions, please contact me at carlos@astorusa.com.

House Passes Home Star Bill

US House of Representative passed the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act (H.R. 5019) by a vote of 246 to 161. The legislation would provide rebates to homeowners who renovate their homes with more energy-efficient windows, doors and skylights. To become law, though, the US Senate must approve the Bill.

In short, the Bill includes two types of consumer incentives:

1) Silver Star provides up-front rebates for specific energy-saving investments, including windows and doors. Homeowners receive up to $1,500 per improvement—capped at a total of $3,000 or 50 percent of the total project cost. To qualify, homeowners need to replace at least eight exterior windows or skylights, or 75 percent of the exterior windows and skylights in their homes. Not all windows meet the minimum requirements as they need to have special insulating characteristics: U-value and 0.30 Solar Heat Gain Coefficient no greater than 0.30. Skylights and doors, on the other hand, must meet 2010 Energy Star criteria to qualify.

2) Gold Star provides larger rebates to homeowners who conduct a comprehensive energy audit and implement measures to reduce energy use. Consumers receive $3,000 for a demonstrated energy savings of 20 percent, plus an additional $1,000 for each additional 5 percent energy savings—capped at $8,000 or 50 percent of the project cost.

Vinyl impact windows and doors meet these requirements. If you need additional information about this topic, feel free to write me an email at carlos@astorusa.com or leave me a comment below.

Laminated Glass Used for Impact Windows and Doors

I always have people asking me what type of material is used in the laminated glass for impact-resistant windows and doors.  A typical laminated glass is comprised of one outboard anneal glass, an interlayer and an inboard glass. Two types of interlayers are commonly used:  Polyvinyl Butyral (PVB) and SentryGlas Plus (SGP).  

PVB interlayer is fabricated by Dupont under the registered brand Butacite.  This interlayer helps by retaining glass shards in case of breakage.  Dupont offers this interlayer in clear, translucent white and other solid tints.  In Florida, the translucent white is a popular choice when privacy is desired, such as in cabana bathrooms (bathrooms leading to a backyard or pool area).  This option is a nice alternative to obscure glass.

The SGP interlayer, also manufactured by DuPont, is more rigid and less likely to tear than PVB.  This interlayer permits less glass deflection, a good characteristics for hurricane zones.  As a result, impact windows manufacturers use SGP in their larger windows, or those windows designed for the highest wind zones.

If you need additional information not covered on this blog, feel free to write to me at carlos@astorusa.com or leave a comment in the form provided below.

Impact Windows and Condensation

You noticed "sweating windows" after you had your new impact-resistant windows and doors installed. First explanation that came to your mind was an improper installation by your window contractor. Well, it is most likely not the case at all. Generally speaking, condensation on the inside of the glass is a not a sign of defective windows. Instead, it is a symptom of a moisture imbalance (mainly excess humidity trapped) in your home.

Causes of Condensation

Lack of proper ventilation is the main cause of excess humidity trapped in a house.  The excess humidity is created by daily activities, such as cooking, showering, bathing, clothes washing and drying, as well as the use of humidifiers and unvented gas heaters.

It is important to point out that when you replace standard-glass windows for impact-resistant windows, your house will be significantly better sealed against air exchange (inside-outside circulation). This new condition accentuates the symptoms.  So, when you have brand-new windows installed combined with a house heating and cooling system not properly designed, or outdated, you will start to accumulate excess humidity inside your house during the winter months. When temperature difference between the outside (cooler) and the inside (warmer), you will notice how water drops will begin to accumulate on the glass surface of your windows. The amount of water will be proportionate to the amount of humidity trapped in your house.  Now, people ask themselves why this phenomenon appears in the windows.  The reason is that the glass on your windows and doors tends to have lower temperatures than other surfaces in your house.

Consequences of Condensation

If condensation is chronic in your house, then you have excessive humidity.  This excess moisture can have, and will most likely have, serious consequences, including mold and mildew development.  After these conditions are maintained unchanged for some time, you will notice that your personal property, especially clothing, will be damaged.  More importantly, the excess humidity can result in serious health threats.

Possible Causes with Solutions

Inadequate ventilation of windows: Try as much as possible to allow air circulation in and out of the house.  Keep window coverings sufficiently open during the day to allow proper circulation.

Cooking and dishwashing: Install vent stove range hoods and dishwashers ducted to the outside of the house.

Showers and Baths: Make sure that exhaust fans are installed in bathrooms.  These fans must be ducted to the outside of the house.

Ironing, washing and drying laundry: Install duct pipes which take the air to the outside of the house. 

If you have any questions or want to share additional information regarding this topic, drop us a comment below.

Impact Windows and Homeowner's Insurance

How much is homeowner's insurance in Florida? If you are a homeowner living in Florida and shopping for homeowner's insurance (windstorm insurance), this information might be helpful.

The office of the Governor has a website called Shop and Compare Rates. On this site, you can find average approved insurance rates for a typical Florida home. If you follow the instructions, you will get to a page on which you can select your County. On this page, you will get a list of several insurance companies and their respective approved Homeowner's Insurance premiums. You will notice two columns. One shows the price without wind mitigation, while the other lists the price with maximum wind mitigation.

I hope you find this information helpful.

Illustrative Video about Impact Windows and Doors

For those looking for an easy explanation (with clear illustrations) of how hurricane-driven forces and wind-borne debris can significantly damage a house, the Federal Alliance for Same Homes (FLASH) organization has put together a series of great videos covering this topic. The video embedded below highlights how vulnerable window and door components are in the event of a hurricane.  With great video simulations, it shows how the building envelope can be breached if window and door openings are not properly protected against the enhanced wind pressures and wind-borne debris.

The video recommends to always use products which have been tested and approved by the following standards, evaluation reports or approval systems:

• SBCCI
• SSTD 12
• ASTM E 1886
• ASTM E 1996
• Miami-Dade Protocols
• TAS 201, TAS 202, TAS 203

You can find additional information about hurricane protection and impact windows at www.flash.org. FLASH has more educational videos, in addition to a variety of written reports.

If you find this information valuable, let me know.

How to protect yourself from hurricane product fraud

With opening day of the 2009 Florida hurricane season only a month away, it’s a good time to caution consumers about false advertising and promotional scams for window films. A previous post advised that so-called “hurricane protection film” was no better than a band aid at stopping wind-borne debris from penetrating household window glass. Their intended application is actually automotive glass to help screen UV rays.

Consider this? You could go to your local auto parts store and buy a sheet of stick-on UV film. It’s as thin as a bread wrapper with paper backing to protect the adhesive. Before you buy this stuff and go to the trouble of pasting on a bedroom window, ask yourself a simple question. Would this film stop 2x4 flying at 60+ mph from breaking through the glass during a hurricane? Well, this is the same stuff that the “hurricane film professionals” would install at your home.

There is only one “approved” glass for windows and patio doors that can stop flying hurricane-driven debris. Impact-resistant laminated glass. Think of it as a glass sandwich, consisting of two panes of glass laminated together with a polymer interlayer. It is the only true hurricane-resistant glass that is laboratory tested, stamped with an approval number in accordance with current Miami-Fade or Florida building codes.

Don’t take our word for it. Contact the International Hurricane Protection Association (IHBA) at http://www.ihpa.com/ In December 2008; they announced the formation of the Consumer Safety Task Force for Hurricane Protection Products. This newly formed group works in tandem with the Florida Attorney General’s office to help protect consumers “who have been, or are being subjected to deceptive or misleading trade practices by unscrupulous hurricane profiteers”, quotes the IHBA press release.

So, what should you do if someone tells you that they can give you “approved hurricane protection” for a fraction of the cost of impact glass or hurricane shutters? Just ask these three simple questions: (1) Does the product have an approval number issued by the Miami-Dade County Building Code or the Florida Building Commission? (2) Is the contractor licensed to install the product with a permit? (3) Will your insurance company accept the product for hurricane protection?

We hope you are a better informed consumer after reading this post. You can get help from law enforcement if you like. Or, just slam the door on these guys and get in touch with a licensed window contractor.

If you have any questions or want to share additional information regarding this topic, drop us a comment below.

Energy Consumption in a Typical Home

Even though this blog focuses on impact-resistant windows and doors and hurricane protection, I could not help pointing out the data that I am about to present below.  Since energy efficiency has become such a hot topic during the last few years (and properly so), I was wondering how, that is, in what proportion a typical house or family uses energy.  Searching on the Web, I came across this data gathered by the US Department of Energy in 2007. 

1. Space Heating  (28%)
2. Small Electronic Devices & Motors (16%)
3. Space Cooling (11%)
4. Water Heating (11%)
5. Lighting (11%)
6. Refrigerators & Freezers (8%)
7. TV, Cable & Computers (6%)
8. Laundry & Dishes (5%)
9. Cooking (3%)
10. Furnance Fans (1%)

Unless you had given it some thought before, it is probable that you will be surprise that heating the house takes more than double the amount of energy that it takes to cool it off.  So, I hope that this bit of information might bring some perspective or insights next time you are using your HVAC unit.

Linking this information back to our main topic of impact windows and doors is not hard.  Impact windows have significantly improved insulating qualities than standard-glass (single glazed) windows and doors.

If we have some out there reading this blog, feel free to drop us a comment or share information with us about these topics.  If you need to get additional information about the data above, you can browse to the US Department of Energy.