LESLIE: Deb is calling in from Texas and she needs some help building a new home. How can we help you?
DEB: Hi, there. Actually, what I’m doing is I’m looking for replacement windows for my current home.
TOM: Oh, OK.
DEB: I’ve got a home that’s about 12 years old and the original homeowner or person that built it put in single-pane windows.
TOM: Uh-oh.
DEB: And you can tell that my electrical bill has been a little high, so I’m going to start working on replacement windows and I don’t know anything about replacement windows and what’s a good-quality window.
TOM: Well, I’ll tell you, right now is a really good time to be buying replacement windows because of the federal energy tax credit that’s available that can return up to $1,500 to you in the form of a tax credit; not a tax deduction but an actual deduction – an actual credit on the amount of money you owe in taxes if you put in windows that meet energy efficiency standards.
DEB: OK.
TOM: So, your choices on this are very numerous but you want to make sure – the first thing that you want to do is make sure that whatever window you buy meets the standards as set forth by the federal government to get that tax credit. Simonton Windows is an excellent brand and we have worked with them now for about six months and actually produced a free chapter to our book, My Home, My Money Pit, that’s available at MoneyPit.com right now on the home page. You can download it and it will tell you everything you need to know about choosing replacement windows for your home, including what standards to look for to make sure they qualify for the federal tax credit.
So, head on over to MoneyPit.com; download the free chapter, “Your Guide to Replacement Windows”; and then take a look at the Simonton products at Simonton.com and I think you can’t go wrong there.
DEB: OK, that’s a good product? There was somebody that recommended CertainTeed. Is that a comparable product or similar?
TOM: CertainTeed is another manufacturer and, remember, no matter who you work with, make sure they qualify for the federal energy tax credit.
DEB: OK.
TOM: And you’ve got to be educated about this, Deb, because there’s a lot of confusing advertising going on out there right now. We continually hear advertisements in our New York area where companies are advertising, for example, that Energy Star windows qualify for the tax credit and that is not true because Energy Star’s standards and the standards set forth by the federal government for the tax credits are two completely sets of standards. So you have to be very careful to make sure you are getting windows that will get you this tax deduction and be, you know, as energy efficient as possible all at the same time.
DEB: OK, OK. Well, I’ll download that and give it a try and learn a little bit more. I appreciate it.
TOM: You’re welcome, Deb. Thanks so much for calling us at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.
