Energy Efficiency Desires
Drive Homeowner Window Sales
Sales Numbers and Survey Results Show Consumers Want ENERGY STAR® Qualified Windows and Doors
PARKERSBURG, W. VA. – During its seven years as an ENERGY STAR partner, Simonton Windows® has seen a 25 percent increase in requests for products meeting ENERGY STAR guidelines. Currently almost 80 percent of Simonton’s total products are ordered as ENERGY STAR qualified.
“When we first became an ENERGY STAR partner in 2000, approximately 52 percent of all the products we sold met ENERGY STAR guidelines,” says Christopher Burk, product manager for Simonton Windows. “Now, less than a decade later, demand is so strong for these products that we sold almost 80 percent of ENERGY STAR qualified windows and doors in 2006.
“Consumer awareness for energy efficient products has skyrocketed and shows no sign of slowing down. Homeowners we’ve surveyed find great value in having ENERGY STAR qualified windows and doors as a way to help them reduce energy bills throughout the year.”
In October of 2006, Simonton worked with a national home improvement radio show to determine how important energy efficiency is to consumers when selecting windows for their home. A survey of almost 2,000 consumers showed that 77 percent of respondents indicated having ENERGY STAR rated windows in their home was either “extremely important or important” to them.
In the same survey, consumers were asked the question, “If you could replace your windows tomorrow, what would be the main reason motivating you?” Responses included:
70 percent – Want windows with more energy efficiency
17 percent - Want windows that are easier to maintain
13 percent - Want windows that are more secure
The high interest by consumers in energy efficiency found in the October survey match up with a similar study Simonton conducted with a national home improvement television show earlier in the same year. More than 13,600 respondents participated in a survey conducted by Ventura Associates, Inc. in June of 2006. When questioned on what was the single most important quality of their windows, 66 percent of respondents answered “energy efficiency.” And, when asked how important it was to them that their windows were ENERGY STAR qualified, 88 percent of respondents answered either “extremely important” or “important.”
Consistency of consumer interest in energy efficiency in fenestration products is evident when viewing the answer to the question, “If you could replace your windows tomorrow, what would be the main reason motivating you?” in the Ventura Associates survey. In an uncanny similarity to the national radio show survey, the answers came in as:
69.5 percent – Want windows with more energy efficiency
12.6 percent – Want windows that are easier to maintain
9.5 percent – Want impact resistant windows to protect my home
8.4 percent – Want a newer, updated look to my windows
“Having two separate surveys that bring back such similar results proves to us
that energy efficiency is absolutely the chief concern of homeowners interested in replacing windows,” says Burk. “That knowledge tells us we’re on the right path when we focus our efforts on educating the public about the energy efficient construction of vinyl frames and glass packages.
“These surveys also show that ENERGY STAR has done an amazing job of informing and educating the public on the value of purchasing energy efficient products. From computers to dishwashers to windows, purchasing ENERGY STAR qualified products is a sensible way for homeowners to lower energy costs.”
Simonton Windows produces ENERGY STAR® qualified replacement and new construction windows and doors, including a line of impact-resistant products. The company was ranked #1 in quality in the 2007 Brand Use Study sponsored by Builder magazine and has won two consecutive Best In Class Awards for being ranked “Overall Top Rated Vinyl Window Brand” in unaided industry studies.
Founded in 1946, Simonton’s hallmark has been to deliver its made-to-order products in seven days or less. Part of consumer products company Fortune Brands, Inc. (NYSE: FO), Simonton has manufacturing facilities in Pennsboro, Harrisville and Ellenboro, W.Va.; Paris, Ill.; McAlester, Okla.; Lyons, Ga.; and Vacaville, Calif. Simonton is a founding sponsor of The Weather Museum and a corporate partner of Homes for Our Troops. For information, call (800) SIMONTON or visit www.simonton.com.
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