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John Swanson, editor/associate publisher of Window & Door |
Window & Door Dealers Alliance members are heading to Department of
Energy offices in Washington, D.C., today to learn about the Home Energy Score program.
In the pilot phase in a number of places around the country, the
program uses specially-trained assessors who walk through homes and
input information into a program that outputs a score card with a 1 to
10 energy efficiency rating and a list of recommended upgrades,
estimated costs and paybacks.
The idea is that, with this knowledge, homeowners will be more willing
to make investments in energy retrofits. It is also hoped that the Home
Energy Score and the estimated energy cost savings generated could spur
mortgage lenders, utilities and others to help finance such retrofits.
Theoretically, more people doing these kind of upgrades should be a
positive for the industry, but there hasn't been a lot of industry
involvement in the development of the initiative. In fact, there simply
isn't a lot of awareness. WDDA is hoping to learn more about what the
score system might say about window and door replacements, and it will
be interesting to hear what they report back. In the meantime, were you
aware of DOE's Home Energy Score program? That's our poll question of
the week. And as usual, we'd like to hear from you. Do you like the
idea? Does it worry you? If your company is in a market where DOE is
currently conducting one of its pilot efforts, we'd especially love to
hear feedback from you Email me or post a comment.
Continuing Conversations...
