ENERGY STAR Windows, Doors and Skylights

introduction

ENERGY STAR qualified windows, doors and skylights will save you money by reducing your energy costs up to 12 percent. Not only that, they'll help keep your home comfortable all year-round, reduce outside noise, and, depending on the amount of humidity in your home, will have a lot less condensation in cold weather.

How Does It Work?

1.		Canada has been divided into four climate zones.
2.		The climate zones for which a window, door or skylight is ENERGY STAR qualified will be shown on a label or on its sales literature.
3.		Simply choose a product model that is qualified for the climate zone that you live in.

If all of the original windows and doors in an average older home were replaced by ENERGY STAR qualified windows and doors, the household energy consumption would be reduced by about 7 percent, which would save three quarters of a tonne of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions annually. If ENERGY STAR qualified windows, doors and skylights where installed in an average new home instead of conventional products, energy consumption would be reduced by about 12 percent.

Many products will qualify for more than one zone in Canada. The more zones a product qualifies for, the more energy efficient it is. So, if you buy a product that is qualified for one or more zones that are colder than where you live, you can save even more on your energy costs.

"Sill to Sash," a consumer video guide to buying energy efficient windows and doors, is available on the Web site of the Canadian Window and Door Manufacturers Association.

What is The International ENERGY STAR Symbol

The international ENERGY STAR symbol is a simple way for consumers to identify products that are among the most energy-efficient on the market. Only manufacturers and retailers whose products meet the ENERGY STAR criteria can label their products with this symbol. Choosing an ENERGY STAR-labelled product over a conventional model could save you hundreds of dollars in energy costs.

But there is more to ENERGY STAR than saving money. The use of energy-efficient products can also help save the environment. In many parts of Canada, fossil fuels are often burned to produce electricity. The burning of fossil fuels is a major source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions - a leading cause of climate change - and other pollutants that contribute to urban smog and acid rain. When you use less energy by selecting energy-efficient products, less electricity needs to be produced. Thus you are reducing GHG emissions and promoting cleaner air as well.

Home heating equipment such as furnaces or water heaters that burns fossil fuels directly will also produce less GHG emissions and other pollutants when they are more energy efficient, making for a cleaner, greener community.

For an energy-efficient household appliance, home heating or office equipment, consumer electronics or other products, look for the following ENERGY STAR symbols:

For more information on ENERGY STAR-labelled products, go to Qualified Products.

Natural Resources Canada's Office of Energy Efficiency promotes the international ENERGY STAR symbol across Canada. Manufacturers and retailers of energy-efficient products; utilities and energy retailers; all levels of government; and industry groups recognize the benefits of ENERGY STAR to consumers and have joined in promoting the symbol.

For more information on promoting and using the ENERGY STAR symbol in Canada, go to Promote and Use the Symbol.

This article is from Natural Resources of Canada Web-Site