Last year, President Obama made a comment about insulation saying it was ‘sexy.’ It was met with chuckles. The president was talking about making homes more energy efficient. But to take this to the next step, there has been much discussion on how we can make our homes more energy efficient.

But replacing windows or putting reflective insulation in your attic may not be viewed as exciting things to do - even if they are extremely effective in reducing energy consumption. Some of us also ask the question, is there anything new with vinyl replacement windows? What can really change with a window?

The answer to these questions are yes, there has been several advances with replacement windows, and these new advances have lead to new options.

For years, vinyl replacement windows were available in white and almond. With the technology advances that have been made over the years, virtually any color you can imagine is available on the exterior of your windows.

These advancements have also given vinyl replacement windows greater acceptance in the marketplace. Also, there are now various grid options and grid styles - not just the flat grids that had been available for years. You can now even order true simulated divided grids from various manufacturers.

Also, there have been several glass advancements. Instead of just double glass options, there are many different types of glass and glazing systems. You can get glass that protects your home from break ins or triple glass systems that are unbelievably energy efficient.

There are even more advancements in technology in the works. For example, there is a new glass system that will be coming on line in the next couple of years, where we as homeowners can control through a switch how much light we want to allow into our homes.

So, upgrades to our homes, which in the past have been viewed as vanilla, now are available with way more than 31 flavors...and growing!