As we approach Thanksgiving I tend to think about what we have to be thankful for. Obviously the most important is our health, our friends and our families. But as a window manufacturer I'm also proud of our people, hard working and dedicated. I'm proud of our highly energy efficient vinyl windows and doors, which I believe do more to help this country's energy situation than wind and solar combined.

Our products save you from needing to buy and consume more energy, so the power companies don't have to generate more, and it saves everyone money. As I understand it, solar and wind still have no pay back. The cost of the systems is far more than any reasonable payback calculation can justify. It just makes sense to save the energy in the first place rather than try to figure out how to generate more of it. Just think of the impact if all the homes in the United States were improved to having the equivalent of R 10 performance in all the windows and doors. I haven't seen a calculation on that, only on everyone using basic Low E's which was significant, but I have to think it would dramatically cut the energy usage in our country, meaning less need for new sources of gas and oil.

If you can avoid needing to generate more power by using less, that has to be a better strategy. So maybe you should be the one to start all this, consider replacing your windows and doors today, using highly energy efficient vinyl windows and doors.

And please have a Happy Thanksgiving.

How do you determine where you are going to spend your discretionary income. How do you determine what home improvement to focus on for your family? Do you ask friends, relatives, co-workers or neighbors what they think? Do you watch the home improvement shows on TV? Do you research options and opportunities on the internet? My guess is you probably do all of these things. But did you know that replacing your home's windows with high performance vinyl replacement windows has ranked in the top 5 home improvements for as long as they've been making the lists, and usually in the top 3. See the article from Remodeling Magazine - link below.

http://www.remodeling.hw.net/remodeling-market-data/about-the-report.aspx?cid=RDU:111111:FULL

If you decide to go forward with replacing your windows you should know a few things. Most of the time a professional window specialist home improvement dealer can do the whole project in 4-6 weeks. That is from the time they come to your home to figure out exactly what is the right product to satisfy your needs as well as fit your budget, until the windows are all installed in your home. I think that is pretty amazing, when you think about custom ordering a product, say a standard sofa that you want a different fabric on you can wait six months or more. But making you a whole house full of windows to your specifications, custom sized to fit each of your openings in a couple of weeks is amazing.

Another amazing part is a professional dealer can usually complete the entire installation process in a day or two, depending on how many windows you have in your home. And don't be concerned about the weather, Your window is removed and the new window inserted into the opening in a matter of a few minutes, so you can replace your windows in the dead of winter with no problem. And don't be afraid to ask for specials as the winter approaches, this is the slowest time of the year for most dealers in the colder climates and they are ready to make some pretty attractive deals, as are the manufacturers.

Remember why replacing your windows is your best first choice for home improvements: Make your family more comfortable year round. Save you money on your energy bill while being a good "green" contributor. Save you money and time on window maintenance - paint - putty - sealing. Save time and money on cleaning of your windows from the inside. (no ladders needed) Add curb appeal to your home. Add resale value to your home. Improve your home's security. Eliminate drafts and cold spots around your windows.

Shorter and colder days, and chilly nights send the signal that winter will soon be here. For some of you, it arrived as early as Halloween this year; up through the north east some are still without power from that storm, pretty amazing. Hopefully it's got you thinking about "buttoning" up your home for the winter. If you've been putting off replacing those drafty, old, worn-out windows, now is the time to take action. I'm seeing lots of special deals and sales being advertised for high-quality, highly energy-efficient vinyl replacement windows from many manufacturers and dealers. There are great deals to be had, but time is of the essence here. The old saying of "Buyer Beware" is very true in most remodeling jobs, and replacement windows are no exception.

You want to investigate what kinds of windows and features you want. Not just the brand, as most replacement window brands are unknown to most consumers. Check out the rating web sites, the chat rooms, and do your homework. You want the highest quality, best-performing product you can afford. Don't be fooled by some of these lowball price offerings. You cannot get a highly energy-efficient, good-quality vinyl window for $159, or $179.99, or $189 which are some of the prices I've seen advertised recently. Yes, they may be willing to sell you a window for this price, but they'll do everything in their power to add things on to get the price up to where it needs to be, and in reality, these companies don't sell many, if any, windows for these prices. Depending on what glass option you choose for your home, the other options you may desire - such as internal muntins or grids, color choices such as wood grains, or a special exterior color, blinds, security, safety, etc. - you can add a great deal to the cost of a window that will specifically serve your needs.

What is a "fair" price. Depending on the size, conditions for installation and the options choos, you can buy a high-quality replacement window anywhere from about $350 to over a thousand for a decked-out hurricane protection window. The major problem is people don't look at their windows until they are having problems with them, they look through them. So most people know very little about windows or the options or features that are available to make their home more beautiful, their family more comfortable, and to save energy. Do your homework and you will get a great deal from a qualified window specialist and enjoy your new windows for years and years to come.

Daylight Savings Time Ends this Weekend!

Daylight Savings Time officially ends this Sunday at 2 a.m., so remember to set your clocks back one hour when you go to bed Saturday night! This can be a challenging transition for many of us. Reality seems to set in, winter is nearly here - and this is the season many of us have trouble with in updating their internal clocks. It’s typically dark outside when you go to work and dark outside when you go home. The daylight hours and time spent outside is limited. However, I read an interesting article this morning about this weekend's time change. Many doctors actually say that "falling back" is a good, healthy event. You can check out this article at http://news.yahoo.com/daylight-saving-time-ends-weekend-healthy-155623460.html.

And enjoy that extra hour of sleep!

It is hard to believe that daylight savings is almost over for another year. This time of year, when it's time to "fall back", always gets me thinking about what needs to be done to the outside of our home to get ready for the winter. Days get shorter and shorter, so there is less time to get done what needs to be done. Start now evaluating what projects are a "must do" this year. For many, it's just the simple moving things inside or into more protected areas, bringing in hoses and and protecting other "warm weather" items.

One of the tasks I really hated is cleaning out the gutters. Especially where I live, on a heavily forested lot. But I finally solved that problem a couple years ago by getting gutter protection installed; now they stay clean and free-flowing year round. Most window or siding companies in your area offer this very reasonable option. Once it's in place, the job is eliminated, so I highly recommend looking into gutter protection for your home. There are a lot of varieties, so do your homework to get the product that is right for you.

Being in the window and door business, I think another important task is checking the exterior of your home for any leaks or cracks that may have opened up since last fall. Check carefully around all vent pipes; seal up any openings in your building envelope as they say. If you find larger gaps, use expandable foam, for smaller areas a good grade of silicone caulk, either clear or color matched, is the right choice. Look especially closely at the perimeter of your windows and doors, and use a high-quality silicone to seal up any cracks that may have opened up. Just a 1/16" crack around a few windows or doors can equate to a hole the size of a cement block in your wall, which if left alone, will have a dramatic negative impact on your heating bills.

While you are out there, make sure your windows are fitting properly and well sealed. Make sure any putty missing is replaced and the paint is in good shape and covering any exposed wood. If the windows are starting to show excessive wear, it may be time to investigate replacing them with new state-of-the-art, highly energy-efficient, maintenance-free, vinyl replacement windows. Winter is on the way and there is no way to delay or stop it, so get out there as soon as you can to protect your home and your family.

October ended yesterday, and Energy Awareness Month officially came to a close, so I thought I’d write a blog to wrap up this very important time of year. Obviously, we all need to be cognizant of our energy usage year-round. But I think this fact really hits home this time of year.

Many of us here in the Northeast got our first taste of winter—in the form of a major snowstorm—this Halloween weekend. And that makes us realize more than ever that NOW is the time to evaluate the energy efficiency of our homes.

Major improvements like new energy-efficient windows, better insulation, and new appliances can significantly impact our home energy bills. And I encourage everyone to undertake these very necessary projects at their first opportunity. Shop smart by looking for the ENERGY STAR label on new purchases.

And for those who can’t undertake a large project right now, there are still many small ways to save a bit of energy in your homes. Turning off lights, replacing furnace filters, installing a water heater blanket—these small, inexpensive improvements can make a real difference to your home energy usage as well.

So, as a wrap up to Energy Awareness Month, please check out the Department of Energy’s “Home Energy Checklist” (http://www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/services/energy_aware_hec.html) to get some ideas on how you can save energy—and money!