The eco-friendly view from Marvin Windows & Doors.

I was twelve when I ordered my first Marvin Window & Door brochure. I know, starting a bit early right? At the time I was obsessed with designing floor plans and loved to pour over my mother’s Better Homes & Gardens magazines. It’s been a while, but I believe they still have the pull-out tabs where you can request product information. So, for a long time, I would spec out my designs to include the Marvin Windows & Doors that I liked best. Almost 20 years later, Marvin products are still desirable, ever growing, and amazingly eco-friendly. Maybe all that childhood research will someday bring about a beautiful home of my own with Marvin Windows & Doors…till then, here are some green reasons to use Marvin:

Thinking Green: The Marvin green thought, “Always striving for improvement, Marvin Windows and Doors has introduced initiatives that rethink our value chain, improve resource productivity while lowering environmental costs, and implement green practices that make producing beautiful windows an environmentally-friendlier process.”

Good design and careful decisions make a difference in our environment. Marvin has one of the lowest percentages of wood-waste in the industry.

Energy Efficient: Marvin fulfills Energy Star requirements and standards. Click here to read more about Marvin Products and the Environment.

Reduce: The Marvin team is always looking for ways to reduce waste from their production process.

Reuse: Marvin Windows & Doors are built to last and be reused. If still in good condition and working correctly, feel free to reuse it.

Recycle: After your Marvin products arrive, recycle the packaging. Though not meant to be taken apart, if this should happen, the main pieces are made from materials that can be recycled (wood, glass, & aluminum). The windows are made from recycled material (15%-33% crushed scrap glass, aluminum is over 98% recycled, and wood is recycled by finger jointing and edge-gluing smaller pieces).

Forest Management: With properly managed forests, Marvin has found that not only do they have a continual supply of wood, but an excess in wood production. They are committed to supporting the conservation of natural resources.

LEED Certification: By using Marvin products, home owners can receive credits for LEED Certification.

Click here to see a list of green building organizations that Marvin Windows & Doors participate in and support.

For those of you looking to remodel your windows and doors, check out Marvin’s Remodel & Replace page. It has useful information as well as links to additional articles and answers to frequently asked questions.

Marvin Windows & Doors are eco-friendly, sustainable and beautiful. What kinds of experience do our GetWithGreen readers have with Marvin? Willing to share?

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This week Pella announced it is now a member of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency?s (EPA) SmartWay Transport Partnership program.

The SmartWay Transport Partnership is an innovative collaboration between EPA and the freight industry to increase energy efficiency while striving to reduce greenhouse gases and air pollution.

Because of three-year commitments to upgrade their trucks with auxiliary power units, energy-efficient tires, enhanced trailer aerodynamics, and other improvements, the EPA estimates SmartWay partners are saving 600 million gallons of diesel fuel ? a cost benefit of almost $2 billion ?and eliminating nearly seven million metric tons of carbon-dioxide emissions that can contribute to global warming.

EPA launched SmartWay in 2004 to address the environmental and economic challenges surrounding growth in the freight industry. Through the program, EPA is now working with more than 600 businesses to improve both their bottom line and the environment by offering technical assistance, tools for evaluating opportunities to lower fuel use and emissions, and help in locating financing for the purchase of fuel-saving equipment and technology.

Pella received the accreditation for its responsible management of transportation partners and private fleet and committing to improve the environmental performance of freight operations.

Pella?s goals as a new SmartWay Partner include:

• Seeking and contracting truck loads with SmartWay Partners.
• Communicating to those in the transportation industry Pella?s status as a SmartWay Partner.
• Developing a ?no idling? policy for carriers parking at Pella sites.
• Incorporating an internal SmartWay Partner educational program for Pella?s more than 50 logistics employees around the country.

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It is time to make THE window decision for your remodel.  If you are looking for energy efficient windows then you will run into many new vocabulary terms:  U-Factor, SHGC, Visible Transmission…   And all you want are windows that will save energy, and look amazing when your remodel is done! 

So what do all these new vocabulary words mean? Turns out this new language does not find its root in Latin.  These terms actually belong to the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC).  Fenestration, when it comes to your home, are windows, doors, and skylights.  The NFRC is a non-profit that develops and publishes standards for fenestration performance.  Windows, doors and skylights are then labeled with a sticker like the one example in the upper right.

Turns out that understanding the terms and acronyms on this label can help you quickly navigate the glassy waters as you are considering one window over another – assuming you are looking for efficient windows that transmit a great deal of light into your home!   Here is your guide for the label, consider yourself now dangerous:

• U-Factor:  Measures how well a window, door, or skylight prevents heat from escaping.  Ratings usually range from 0.20 to 1.20.  The lower the number, the more efficient your fenestration product.  U-Factor will change as window sizes change.
• Solar Heat Gain (SHGC): Measures how well your new window blocks heat from sunlight – keeping your home cooler.  The lower the SHGC, the lower the heat gain through a window.  SHGC ranges from 0 to 1.  SHGC will change as window sizes change.
• Visible Transmittance (VT):  Measures the amount of visible light transmitted through your new remodel window.  This will determine the amount of daylighting you will receive, ultimately reducing your need for lights.  VT is measured between 0 and 1.  The higher the value the more light.
• Air Leakage:  Measures the amount of air that could pass through your window (yes, even when it’s closed).  The lower the AL, the less air will pass through cracks in the window assembly.
• Condensation Resistance:  Measure the products ability to resist moisture on the interior surface of the window.  The higher the rating number, the more resistant your new window will be to condensation forming.  CR is expressed as a number between 0 and 100.

So as you are browsing your Pella dealer, Andersen showroom, The Home Depot, or Lowe’s you now have one more way to compare your window, door or skylight purchase - efficiency.

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Energy (DOE) have named Pella Corporation as a 2008 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year award winner for the Product Manufacturer?Windows category for Pella?s contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by manufacturing and educating consumers about energy-efficient products.  At GetWithGreen.com we definitely see their effort in putting out educational materials, and they enable us to find them and bring them to you!

This is the second consecutive year Pella has received this recognition. Pella?s accomplishments will be recognized at an April 1 awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.  Pella, an ENERGY STAR partner since 1999, will be honored for its leadership in manufacturing products that earn the ENERGY STAR, the government-backed symbol of energy efficiency. This distinction honors Pella?s commitment to providing highly energy-efficient products, as well as the company?s comprehensive integration of ENERGY STAR information in media relations, consumer education programs, advertising, Pella Web sites and training materials.

Last year alone the government estimated that Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved a reported $16 billion on their energy bills alone and reduced greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 27 million vehicles.

The 2008 Partner of the Year Awards are given to manufacturers and retailers that successfully promote and deliver ENERGY STAR-qualified products, saving consumers money and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Award winners are selected from more than 9,000 organizations that participate in the ENERGY STAR program.

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Straight from the International Builders Show in Orlando this week, JELD-WEN emerges to tell a green story about their windows…

Reinventing an Industry Gives JELD-WEN a Growing and Green Advantage

February 13, 2008 ? ORLANDO, Fla. (IBS booth W-1701) ? JELD-WEN?s efforts to revolutionize the wood window and door industry by inventing technology that creates longer lasting, more reliable products is a major hit with today?s growing market looking for green and sustainable solutions.

Called AuraLast The Worry-Free Wood®, JELD-WEN?s secret to longer-lasting wood windows and doors is due to an exclusive manufacturing process that forces protection against moisture saturation, wood decay and insect infestation all the way through to the core of the wood. This allows the company to offer an industry-leading 20-year warranty for its pine wood windows and doors manufactured with AuraLast® wood.

Now, three years after AuraLast?s introduction, the company is expanding its offering with a new exterior entry door frame made with AuraLast® wood. According to JELD-WEN experts, it?s a big opportunity to provide additional protection for this vulnerable exterior area and garage entries that also suffer from moisture and insect problems.

?People don?t want to have to worry about their windows and doors, nor do they want to wonder if the investment they make in the beauty of wood will last over the long run,? said Rod Clark, product marketing manager for JELD-WEN wood windows. ?We?ve solved that problem and pioneered a better standard, which we?re continuing to expand with our new exterior door frames offered in all natural wood for staining or painting to match any door color.?

Environmental Attributes

Although maximum reliability was the main motivation behind JELD-WEN?s invention, AuraLast® wood also delivers a number of benefits that are attracting a growing market interested in sustainable building and design.  Key attributes such as reduced toxins, longer-lasting products and raw materials sourced within close proximity of its manufacturing plants have made JELD-WEN windows and doors with AuraLast® wood a strong option for architects, builders, remodelers and homeowners looking for environmentally friendly options. 
?Wood is a natural, renewable material, so it?s already preferred by many people who want to incorporate green attributes. AuraLast® wood takes it a step farther and provides additional benefits that fit with key elements of sustainable design,? said Clark.

Sustainable benefits of JELD-WEN wood windows, doors and door frames with AuraLast® wood include:

• Fewer toxins: JELD-WEN uses a closed-loop, water-based system to manufacture AuraLast® wood, which reduces harmful, volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) by 96 percent compared to the industry standard method of ?dip treating? wood using petroleum-based solutions. Additionally, because of the intense vacuum pressure that JELD-WEN uses, less preservative is needed to achieve the same level of effectiveness. 
• Longer lasting: Having to replace windows, doors and frames less often means less waste and more efficient use of natural resources. Unlike the standard dip treatment method, JELD-WEN?s system forces active ingredients all the way through to the core of the wood. That means, even if the surface of the wood is compromised by nail or screw holes and other finishing processes, the wood will still be protected, allowing JELD-WEN to offer the industry?s best warranty for AuraLast® wood windows, doors and door frames.
• Energy efficiency:  Energy savings is a major component of green design. All JELD-WEN windows with AuraLast® wood come standard with Low-E glass and are suitable for extreme climate conditions.
• Locally sourced:  All JELD-WEN AuraLast® wood products are made in the United States, and the company has manufacturing plants throughout the nation. That means product travels shorter distances, reducing fuel consumption and its impact on the environment.
• Less waste:  Because JELD-WEN manufactures the most extensive lines of doors and windows, wood waste and chips are recycled and used by the company?s other plants to make a variety of other wood composite products.

For these reasons, JELD-WEN windows and doors with AuraLast® wood have been selected for a variety of innovative sustainable building projects. High-profile projects that are showcasing the use of AuraLast® wood include Brasada Ranch, a resort community in Oregon that is the first newly constructed destination resort to receive a LEED Gold certification for its Discovery Center building from the U.S. Green Business Council?s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). Additionally, AuraLast® wood windows are planned for the new American Institute of Architects (AIA) building in Portland, Ore., which is making headlines as a LEED platinum-rated project.

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At GetWithGreen.com we want to start helping to demystify the terminology around windows.   If you are looking at new windows for your remodel then it is important for you to understand how to read the spec sheets when it comes to efficiency.  Window installer John Rocco gives you this overview…

With so many homeowners in the market for more energy efficient windows and doors for their home, I thought I would use this week?s article to cover the more common terms used to describe a window?s ability to insulate your home from the elements. There is an organization called The National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC). Their purpose is to test each window manufacturer?s product to independently verify the ratings for each test administered. So, let?s discuss each test and what it means.

First, there is the U-Factor. This number represents the rate that heat escapes through the window. Therefore, the lower the U-Factor, the better the window. Most vinyl replacement windows with standard, dual pane glass, have a U-Factor around .5. When you add LowE glass in place of the standard clear glass, the U-Factor comes down below .4. By replacing the air between the panes of glass with Argon or Krypton gas, the U-Factor can be reduced to around .3. The Government?s energy star program requires a window to have a U-Factor below a certain number in order to be energy star rated. You need to find out what that rating is in your particular area of the country. You can start by going to the energy star website. In areas of the country where rebates are given for installing energy star rated products in your home, you will only receive the rebate by proving that your windows have a U-Factor less than the maximum allowed. That proof comes from the manufacturer?s NFRC label affixed to each window.

Another test is called Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC). The SHGC measures a window?s rate of heat penetration from outside. The lower the number, the better resistance there is to heat getting into the house from outside. There are also air and water infiltration tests. The air test actually tests how much air is able to pass through the window from outside to inside. Therefore, you want a low number. Typically, a .30 is the maximum allowable rate of air infiltration. Water infiltration tests the amount of water and pressure the window is able to resist. Therefore, the higher rating is better for this test. Frankly, i wish they would just rate all tests on a 1 to 10 scale, with 10 being best. Then, you wouldn?t get confused trying to remember which tests should have high numbers and which ones should have low numbers. You can get more information on window testing by going to the NFRC Website.

John Rocco has been installing replacement windows since 1978. 

To learn more, visit How To Install Windows

Related Articles on GetWithGreen:

- Pella discusses why they think they are eco-friendly
- Pella drastically reduces waste to landfills
- Are Energy Star Windows right for your remodel?
- JD Powers rates top windows

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This web posting discusses what the types of energy saving labels you should look for when selecting your next windows. In addition it discusses a lot of other saving tips such as exterior wall insulation and heating. WINDOWS: Read about ratings

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