Five replacement window vendors
have agreed to a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission to stop making
exaggerated and unsupported claims about the energy efficiency of replacement
windows. Long Fence and Home of Maryland, Serious Energy of California, THV
Holdings of Kentucky, and Gorell Enterprises and Winchester Industries, both of
Pennsylvania, were accused by the FTC of inability to back up their claims of
substantial energy bill savings for consumers who had their replacement windows
installed.
While denying any wrongdoing, all
five firms have agreed to future civil penalties for making energy efficiency
or cost saving claims not backed up with reliable scientific data. Because the
energy savings from replacement windows are dependent on unknown factors
respecting each individual home, such as location and size of the building,
insulation in walls and ceilings, and energy efficiency of existing windows and
doors, claims of up to 50% energy savings by installation of replacement
windows could not be substantiated by the settling companies.
The main point is that even if a
window vendor can demonstrate that its replacement product reduces energy loss
by 50% compared to a homeowner’s existing window, replacement of all the
windows in the house will not likely reduce the homeowner’s energy bills by
50%, due to the other factors involved.
