Tax Credit vs. Energy Star

[gondolier]

Some questions about Tax Credits, Energy Star, and NFRC Ratings:

1. At first I was confused because it seemed that Energy Star's and the NFRC's brochures told different stories about the requirements for the Tax Credit. Then, I realized that Energy Star and Tax Credit Requirements were *not* the same thing. In other words, there are Energy Star windows that will not qualify for the Tax Credit. Are there also Tax Credit-qualifying windows that will not qualify for Energy Star?

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=w ... nat_window
http://www.nfrc.org/documents/Tax_Credi ... -14-09.pdf

2. Energy Star has criteria that are based on the area that you live in - which makes a lot of sense. But, the tax credit just has the same criteria for the whole country: U-value <= 0.30 and SHGC <= 0.30. Particularly for the Energy Star northern region, the SHGC requirement doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. It looks like Energy Star might actually require that windows in the northern region have an SHGC *greater* than 0.35 or 0.40. Why didn't the government just say a window needs to be Energy Star certified for your region to get a tax credit?

3. I don't understand the Energy Star Northern requirements. What do the "Prescriptive" and "Equivalent Energy Performance" parts mean?
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=w ... nat_window

[Skydawggy.]

What it means is that some bureaucrat with no understanding of window technologies or what those funny numbers that are attached to things like U-factor, SHGC Air Infiltration etc. mean in the real world, decided to pass some feel good legislation to justify their job. Had they had any understanding or consulted someone who did, they would never have decided on those qualifications.

What sense does it make to restrict SHG in an area that is so cold that most people don't even own an air conditioner? Or to require a window sold in Arizona to have the same energy numbers as one sold in Minnisota?

Had any of the dumbocrats listen to anyone with some knowledge, they would have set the bar higher for SHG in the southern states. Perhaps no more than .18 set the U-factors higher everywhere and gotten rid of SHG in the north. They should have set it so high that only the truely well engineer windows could qualify. .30 as a U-factor is absolutely ridiculous for the middle part of the US. It should have been no more that .25. Oh, well a do-over is on it's way. Hopefully they will get it right this time.

[fenestrationman]

Its been a while, but I believe that the Wizards of Washington are going to adopt the Energy Star rated windows for tax credit puposes.
I know that energy star is tightening up there number to be a bit more stringent. Not sure when, but in 2010.
I will see what I can dig up and post what I find.
For now, the.30/.30 is what it is.

[toddinmn]

The Dept. of Energy has the new R5 program that requires around a .22 u-factor.Even if they set the standards higher somebody will make a low cost or cheap window to meet those standards.Menards already stocks R5 windows on the shelf sold under Certainteed's name.

[gondolier]

Anyone have an answer for question 3?

[toddinmn]

These sites might help answer your questions.
www.clasponline.org/clasp.online.resource.php?no=21
www.aec.org/assets/pdfs/DOESbmtl.pdf