Newest Trend: Light that Energizes

$2.63 a Day Heats/Cools Home

PARKERSBURG, W. VA. – Look above the kitchen cabinets in the Powell’s Michigan home and you’ll find something different. Eight perfectly-placed square windows that encourage natural sunlight into the room.

Visit the Asdal’s restored inn and you’ll find nooks and crannies with windows tucked away plus a three-sided window sitting area. At the Andres home in Florida, a two-story wall of windows connects the homeowners to the outdoors. And, at the Holigan residence in Texas, transom windows are mixed into book-lined walls in the home’s library.

What do all these homes have in common? They’re part of the newest trend in home building and remodeling that maximizes light to energize the home and its occupants.

“Windows create the spirit of the room,” says residential home designer Marla Bruemmer. “Light makes people feel good. Nature makes people feel good. Together, when combined through careful and abundant window placement, an entire home can feel ‘right’ for a homeowner.

“Neither designers nor homeowners should be afraid to have too many windows in a home. With the incredible energy efficient capabilities of today’s vinyl windows, walls of windows should be the standard in a home and not the exception!”

Bruemmer, who recently specified 57 Simonton ProFinish Brickmould^® 600 vinyl windows in the Powell’s 2,600-square foot residence, isn’t concerned about making a home out of glass. “The energy efficiency of these windows is commendable,” says Bruemmer. “Each window is ENERGY STAR^® qualified, so even when the temperatures stay below freezing for weeks on end, energy bills for the home still cost an average of just $2.63 per day.”

“Sunlight streaming through these windows in my home office, the family room, bathrooms and even the kitchen, energizes us,” says builder and homeowner Greg Powell. “We leave the windows unadorned so we have continual views up and down the river. The home is designed with many high windows for views of the sky that allow us to connect with the natural setting.”

According to the award-winning designer, placement of windows in a home is Bruemmer’s most important consideration when creating personal sanctuaries for her clients. For more than 20 years she has used windows as picture frames to produce great views and energize occupants.

“My efforts are focused on developing designs that are friendly to builders and consumers,” says Bruemmer, a member of AIBD and NAHB. “Having windows placed above kitchen cabinets or throughout a home office energizes the home and its occupants more than any other single factor.”

Simonton Windows produces ENERGY STAR qualified replacement and new construction windows and doors, including a line of impact-resistant products. For the second year in a row, Simonton ranked “Highest in Builder and Remodeler Satisfaction among Residential Window and Patio Door Manufacturers” in the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Builder and Remodeler Residential Window and Patio Door Satisfaction Study^SM. Simonton was also ranked #1 in quality in the 2009, 2007, 2002 and 1998 Brand Use Studies sponsored by Builder magazine and has won three Best-In-Class Awards from Market Research Associates.

Founded in 1946, Simonton’s hallmark has been to deliver its made-to-order products in five days or less. Part of the home and hardware business of Fortune Brands, Inc. (NYSE: FO), Simonton delivers award-winning products nationwide to key markets throughout the 48 continental United States.

For information, call (800) SIMONTON (1-800-746-6686) or visit www.simonton.com.

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Simonton Windows received the highest numerical score in the proprietary J.D. Power and Associates 2008-2009 Builder and Remodeler Residential Window and Patio Door Satisfaction Studies^SM. 2009 study based on responses from 3,109 builders and remodelers measuring 16 manufacturers. Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of builders and remodelers surveyed in April-May 2009. Your experiences may vary. Visit jdpower.com

ENERGY STAR is a government program that helps consumers protect the environment through superior energy efficiency and is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.