It seems that Hurricane Irene has focused a lot of attention on big storms and the damage they can do. This morning I heard that there is a major, could be a Cat 3 or more forming between here and Africa, and two tropical depressions in the Caribbean, one of which is likely to gain strength and hit somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico. I heard one of the respected weather forecasters for tropical storms, Joe Bastardi, a couple days ago saying the trend this year will be for big storms coming from Africa hitting the Atlantic coast with other storms forming in the Caribbean traveling up into the gulf. Sounds like he is correct again.

You've heard all the things you can and should do if you are in harms way. Food, water, batteries, something to cook with, and communication devices ready and charged. Then protect your home the best you can, most media is talking about and showing plywood to board up your windows and doors. But there are alternatives to plywood. The most popular up until a few years ago were to have storm shutters custom made for your home with various different materials and designs available. They are expensive and most of them must be stored somewhere, or at the least, put in place and fastened down when a storm threatens. Imagine lugging shutters or plywood up a ladder to fasten in place on the second or third floor of your home, and then having to go up and remove them when the storm passes, and doing that several times a year. Also consider that when a storm passes it virtually always knocks the power out. So there you are with your family sitting in your totally dark boarded up home while you wait for the storm to pass and the all clear to finally be allowed to go outside, sometimes days later.

This changed pretty dramatically a few years ago when hurricane windows were developed. These windows are designed to withstand hurricane force wind and water. To the novice they look just like any other windows but they incorporate special glazing materials and frames designed and fastened in to take great amounts of stress from severe weather. They are better than plywood or hurricane shutters in every way, but the biggest difference is they are always protecting your home. No putting up or taking down hurricane protection ever again. No more sitting in the dark. And for many people the benefit of not having to travel to your vacation or rental home to install the protection you need, it's always there.

So if you haven't heard about the new, real STORM WINDOWS - get on line, ask around. There are several manufacturers, but be sure to keep in mind that you want and need energy savings along with your storm protection, don't sacrifice one, your deserve to have both benefits.

Hurricane Windows and Protection

With the imminent threat of Hurricane Irene up and down the East Coast, as homeowners, we may want to look at how well protected our homes are for a hurricane threat. Hurricane protection is the ‘norm’ in the Gulf States and Florida. But because there hasn’t been a hurricane threat along the eastern seaboard for decades, hurricane codes are loose and largely go unenforced. This hurricane season is about to change all of this.

Unfortunately, we are not even to the ‘peak’ of the hurricane season so we may have more threats. Different questions abound about hurricane windows, shutters, and even plywood. For many states, tacking up plywood does not meet the code for hurricane protection, but when you are faced with having nothing, plywood is just that ‘better than nothing.’ Hurricane shutters offer protection against hurricanes, but the aesthetics, the cost, and sometimes the storage, just doesn’t make sense for many of us.

Hurricane Windows have really proven to be the best alternative for many different reasons. Some of the benefits are:

1) Lets natural light in 2) Easy exit if necessary 3) Hurricane Ready all of the time 4) No extra help needed to shutter or board up 5) Energy Efficiency 6) Safety and Security at all time

Why is natural light important? One of the first things to go out in a hurricane is the electricity. If you are all boarded or shuttered up, you can’t see. But if you have hurricane windows, that natural light is allowed to come in. Also, with hurricane windows and doors, you can easily exit your home if needed. On top of this, there is nothing special you need to do to activate your hurricane protection when you have hurricane windows. The protection is always on and always ready. This also means you don’t need to use storm shutters or plywood for protection. Many hurricane windows are Energy Star qualified as well. And finally, many hurricane windows offer increased safety and security. Check out this link, www.hurricane-window.com for more information.

This rather strange year continues. Yesterday there was an earthquake centered in rural VA that was felt from Maine to the Carolina's and west as far as Cleveland OH. A rare event for sure for the eastern half of this country. There is the first hurricane of the season brewing in the Caribbean and getting ready to attack the mainland somewhere on the east coast - maybe NYC - as a major storm. The stock markets have dropped hundreds of points and rebounded the same amount several times now in the last few weeks.

Some economists are saying we could go into another recession while some say we never left the last one. Well in the housing sector I agree with the never left position, the cycle for the last few months has definitely been on the negative side, after a pretty good positive run. It all brings to mind that for every thing there is a season, that all things change and get better, then worse, then better - the pendulum swings. I believe that we are on the cusp of the housing sector starting to continuously improve over the next few years. Many of the economists and investment people I value say that until housing rebounds, the economy will stay in this very weak cycle, up a little then back a little. But as housing gets up to the one million starts level again, which may not be until 2013 or 14, but will happen, then unemployment will start to drop back down to the seven percent of less level - residential housing is the key to our economic recovery.

So if we have finally reached the bottom in housing, or just very near it, it's time to be looking at improving your home, or buying a new home. Rates are very low, the inventory is at an all time high, and there are great deals to be had. Look at improving the energy performance of your home, either the one you are in or the one you hope to buy. That single investment will pay you back for many years to come in energy savings and added comfort. It also adds value to your home and makes it more attractive if or when you decide to put it on the market. And obviously, the best energy improvement for your home in my opinion is new, highly efficient vinyl replacement windows and reflective insulation. If not now - when?

Maybe this seems like a silly question to most homeowners. I mean, of course you want to open your windows, right?! If you couldn’t, wouldn’t that sort of defeat the purpose of having windows?

Well, it might seem silly, but it’s actually a valid point for homeowners to consider when replacing windows in their homes. Being “hard to operate” is one big reason people replace their existing windows – but many attribute the fact that the windows stick or won’t open correctly simply to their ‘age.’

Age is one factor, sure, but you also need to consider what materials the windows are made of, what type of hardware is used, etc. Ask questions about the new windows you are considering for your home. Do single- or double-hungs feature constant force balancing? How many cycles is that hardware tested to? If you’re considering a casement or awning window, is the crank mechanism easy to turn? And, once your questions have been answered, TEST the operation! Try out those new windows to make sure they’re easy to operate—so that anyone can open and close them easily.

Whether you’re 20 years old or 80, whether you’re in perfect shape or physically challenged, you deserve to be able to enjoy a breath of fresh air without exerting yourself trying to get those windows open!

I heard part of an interview with Warren Buffet this morning on Bloomberg television. He said that housing, residential new construction, is the key to getting the economy back on track. I've believed that for a long time but it's the first time I've heard someone of Mr. Buffet's stature say it. He said it is improving, but of all the seventy plus businesses that Berkshire owns, the only ones still struggling are the ones tied to housing and housing starts in some way. He said the rest of the economy is firing on all cylinders and has fully recovered, it's only housing related business that are struggling. His opinion was that once housing starts get above one million per year, that the economy will get back to full recovery and unemployment will quickly drop to about 7 %. He said he sees that happening in the next two years because we are producing more new households than new homes. He said it has been improving consistently since 2009 but still has a way to go.

Being in the building products industry I see this message in two ways, good and bad. It means, if he is correct, that there is an end in sight to this never ending recession. But the negative part is it could be another two years of very slow growth for our industry. I guess the real positive message I got from this is that it is absolutely the right time to buy an existing home now. Prices of homes across the country are at historical lows and mortgage rates are also at all time lows. Credit has eased up to where most people with jobs can get a good mortgage at a good rate. I believe this will be the start of the rebound. People finally able to buy a different home - existing new or used, to be able to move to where the jobs are without the fear of not being able to sell their old home. Once existing homes start turning well, then new construction will naturally start to rebound too.

The time to look into a new home for you and your family is now when everyone is still cautious and worried. Once the realization sinks in that homes are starting to sell well you will be too late. Then credit could get tighter again and prices will naturally start raising. I think it's pretty clear we've made it to the bottom of the housing cycle and the trend from here will be improvement in the industry. So for all of you that have been waiting before making a decision, you better start putting your ducks in order and start looking for that new home, if you wait much longer you will have missed the opportunity of a lifetime.

Summer is starting to fade away, but the heat is still very strong around most of the country. I look forward to the cooling; it’s been a very hot summer both in temperature and in the rhetoric out of our nation’s capital. Name calling, animosity, verbal attacks, that’s what it seems to have come down to with our elected officials. Maybe the cooler weather will bring some cooler heads too, I certainly hope so, we need solutions not name-calling.

The cooling weather is the time to start thinking about your home and family and the winter to come. Nothing will make more of a difference to your family’s comfort than new, highly energy efficient vinyl windows. You’ll be able to skip all those ladders and messy caulk and sealants this fall. You’ll be able to skip all those ladders with buckets and window cleaning supplies pretty much forever as most high end vinyl windows tilt into your home for easy cleaning. And, you’ll get lots of “thank you’s” from your family for the wonderful comfort and warmth in your home.

One thing you may not have known is that the average window replacement job is installed in ONE DAY. Obviously it can be longer if you have a lot of windows, or some special situation that would require additional work or trimming, but over 75% of all replacement window installations are accomplished in one day with little to no disruption to your home. The new windows will add a new spruced-up look to your home as well as save you money on your energy bills for years to come.

Why not beat the fall rush, call a highly rated window specialist near you today for a free in home estimate. Financing is finally available again at very reasonable rates and for credit scores as low as 600.

U.S. Senator Robert Casey of Pennsylvania recently visited Gorell Windows & Doors’ manufacturing facility in Indiana, PA. Through my involvement as President of the Indiana County Manufacturing Consortium—and because Gorell is the largest manufacturing employer in the county—Senator Casey requested a roundtable discussion with representatives from Gorell and several other manufacturers in our area. Senator Casey, who was recently appointed as Chair of the Joint Economic Committee, wanted to discuss our companies’ needs as an industry to help him as he forms a national policy on manufacturing. We were honored to host Senator Casey, and to have an open forum in which to share our views and needs regarding manufacturing, both as it impacts Indiana County and the entire industry. I think the feedback Senator Casey received will be very helpful to him in creating national policies for the manufacturing sector. Gorell and the other members of our consortium shared views on the challenges we face in workforce development, funding for training programs, the challenges of excessive regulations especially in the area of environmental issues, how coal and gas resources can positively impact the manufacturing sector and more. One of the key points mentioned was the need for all levels of skilled and qualified workers, and funding for programs that promote vocational education as a viable alternative to college for high school graduates.

Senator Casey spoke of the need for a cohesive national manufacturing strategy. He said the country has some elements of one, but not anything that is fully realized. Our hope is that this roundtable event will help all manufacturers and be a positive springboard for getting our country pointed in the right direction.

So how are you feeling right now? Do you feel secure in your job, in your home and it's current value. If you listen to the popular media outlets you have to be at least concerned if not downright terrified.

I can't quite figure out how the media and the talking heads can say the economy is on the edge of disaster with GM and Ford and hundreds of other companies having record quarters and years in sales and profit. Oh my - unemployment is over 9% - if you look at the other side of that, employment is over 90%. When you consider that the number that is considered to be the unemployable is 5%, then really only about 4% of the employable people in this country don't have jobs. So over 90% have jobs, and about 4% don't, doesn't sound so bad does it?

Those companies, and their employees are prospering so where is the disconnect. I think it all comes down to housing. I'm told that there has never been an end to a recession without housing leading the way out. So why is housing lagging behind the recovery? Could it be the same culprits that started this mess - Fannie and Freddie and our Washington politicians? I just heard this morning that their lending is no longer sub-prime, it's not even just prime, it's now GOLDEN - with average credit ratings for their mortgages now over 7.8% since the start of the recession. Now no one wants sub-prime back again, it was a disaster directed by greedy and stupid politicians with the idea that everyone should be able to own a home even if they can't afford it.

But there are tens of thousands of people with credit scores in the seven hundreds that would love to and can afford to have a different home, but can't because they can't get a mortgage. That's insane, credit scores in the 700's used to be considered "good credit", those in the 600's were "questionable" and those below 600 were the ones with "poor" credit. Fannie and Freddie, and the politicians that direct them, changed all that when they got caught for being the cause of the financial meltdown.

Well in my opinion they've gone to far and I'm totally fed up with all of them. We need housing to start to rebound and the only way that is going to happen is if they go back to realistic credit requirements. If you agree, it's time to tell your Washington representatives, they'll all be in their home territory for the next month - go see them - email them - phone them - and please ask them to put the pressure on Fannie and Freddie to go back to reasonable, not easy, just reasonable credit requirements.

I came across a useful article on-line this morning – “The Heat is On – But Energy Efficiency Can Curb Summer Energy Bills.” The article offered energy-efficiency tips in three different areas -- Keeping Your Cool, Keeping the Heat Outside and Clever in the Kitchen.

Two of the tips, in particular, caught my attention, because they focused on advice that I – and other contributors -- often give on this blog. Those two very important tips were:

“Consider investing in energy-efficient windows to save money and increase indoor comfort.” It’s true -- the combination of highly insulating frame materials and a wide variety of Low-E glass options make replacement windows one of the best ways to increase the thermal efficieny of homes—and DECREASE energy bills!

“Plug energy leaks with weather stripping and caulking, and be sure your house is properly insulated, to save up to 20% on energy bills.” That’s a pretty significant savings – 20% -- more than enough reason to re-evaluate your home’s insulation. And summer is the perfect time to consider installing reflective insulation in attics to help cut energy costs and keep these spaces more comfortable.

To read the complete article, and learn more energy-saving tips, visit http://www.ase.org/news/heat-%E2%80%93-energy-efficiency-can-curb-summer-energy-bills.