Benefits of ENERGY STAR Qualified
Windows, Doors, and Skylights

Save Money — and More. Choose ENERGY STAR Qualified Products.

Installing ENERGY STAR qualified windows, doors, and skylights shrinks energy bills — and carbon footprints — by about 7-24 percent compared to non-qualified products.

Your estimated savings will vary depending on current heating and cooling costs in your region.

For a typical home, choose ENERGY STAR and save:

$126–$465
and
980–4,545 pounds of CO2

which is equivalent to 51 to 234 gallons of gasoline

a year when replacing single-pane windows

$27–$111
and
82–1,233 pounds of CO2

which is equivalent to 4 to 62
gallons of gasoline

a year when replacing double-pane, clear glass windows
  Map illustrating savings by U.S. region

Enlarge image PDF (207 KB)

Get Savings in Your City PDF (145 KB)

Savings estimates are based on RESFEN 5.0 Exit ENERGY STAR calculations performed by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) Exit ENERGY STAR. View methodology.

Get Comfortable

Comfort. It’s the essential quality of home. ENERGY STAR qualified windows, doors, and skylights do more than just lower energy bills — they deliver comfort that other products just can’t match.

PROTECTION FROM WINTER CHILLS

On cold winter nights, do you avoid seats near the window? The cold, inside surface of an inefficient window pulls heat away from your body, so you can feel chilly in a sweater with the thermostat at 70 degrees. With ENERGY STAR qualified windows, the interior glass stays warmer, so you can enjoy your window seat even when the temperature outside dips well below freezing.

SHIELDING FROM SUMMER HEAT

Do some of your rooms feel like a sauna in the summer? A standard double-pane window allows approximately 75 percent of the sun’s heat into your home.1 With ENERGY STAR qualified windows you can stay cool all summer long. Most ENERGY STAR qualified windows reduce the “heat gain” into your home more than typical windows do, without reducing the visible light. You get the light you need without the uncomfortable heat.

1 Source: Residential Windows. Carmody, Selkowitz, Arasteh, and Heschong. 2007.

Protect Your Valuables

Drapes, wood floors, a favorite photograph: all these things can fade or discolor after repeated exposure to direct sunlight. Whether their value is monetary or sentimental, you want to protect your belongings from fading and discoloring.

ENERGY STAR qualified windows have coatings that keep out the summer heat and act like sunscreen for your house, protecting your valuables from harmful, fading ultraviolet light without noticeably reducing visible light. These special coatings reduce fading by up to 75 percent.1

1 Source: Residential Windows. Carmody, Selkowitz, Arasteh, and Heschong. 2007.

What is a Carbon Footprint?

Your personal carbon footprint measures the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions caused by your activities. It includes CO2 emissions from such things as driving your car or flying in a plane, the manufacture and distribution of the products you buy, and turning on the lights in your home. A carbon footprint is usually measured in pounds or tons of CO2 per year.

Home energy use accounts for about one-quarter of your carbon footprint, but this can vary depending on the kinds of energy sources available to power your home. ENERGY STAR calculates carbon savings for ENERGY STAR qualified windows, doors, and skylights based on the mix of fuels in a region and the estimated energy use for a typical home.

Home energy use: 27%, Purchase: 20%, Transportation: 19%, Services: 15%, Recreation: 14%, Food and drink: 5%

Sources:
EPA Power Profiler (fuel mix) www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-and-you/how-clean.html. Exit ENERGY STAR
Carbon Footprint, Ltd. Accessed at www.carbonfootprint.com/carbonfootprint.html. Exit ENERGY STAR