The Talk
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March 19, 2008
THE TALK...Compared to last year, how will replacement and remodeling market sales fare in 2008?
John Swanson, editor/ associate publisher of Window & Door Spring officially begins tomorrow and with it comes the spring selling season. Just about everyone agrees the new construction market is unlikely to make much of a comeback this year, but what about replacement and remodeling activity? ... more » -
March 12, 2008
THE TALK...Certification of side-hinged exterior doors should...
John Swanson, editor/ associate publisher of Window & Door S141 failed at the recent code hearings, but there seems to be agreement these days that side-hinged doors should be held to the same sort of performance standards as windows and sliding glass doors. In continuing discussions, ... more » -
March 5, 2008
THE TALK...Do you see products falsely labeled to deceive code officials as a common problem in areas you do business?
Last week, we reported on a lawsuit brought by a South Carolina dealer alleging false labeling of windows. The dealer charges that windows not meeting code requirements are being labeled to say they do. My reaction to this story was, "Sure, there are people out there that will take advantage of lax code enforcement, who will somehow try to plead ignorance if caught, but it's hard to ... more » -
February 20, 2008
THE TALK...Beyond offering energy efficient products, what's your company doing to appeal to the green building movement?
All signs at the International Builders’ Show last week suggested that green building is going mainstream. Among window and door manufacturers, the growing momentum of green was evident in displays that highlighted not only energy efficient products, but environmentally friendly business practices.Prior to this year’s show, few window and door manufacturers appeared to make a real ... more » -
February 13, 2008
THE TALK...The economic stimulus package will likely...
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Yes, folks, I’m talking about the proposed economic stimulus package. The Wall St. Journal, a.k.a. my personal daily vice, says: “The largest business break in the package is called ‘accelerated depreciation,’ which permits companies to take much larger tax deductions on this year’s capital investments, instead ... more » -
February 6, 2008
THE TALK...Should DOE look at separate Energy Star labels for new construction and replacement products?
AAMA is urging the Department of Energy to consider a two-tier system when it issues revisions to Energy Star windows criteria. The idea would be to have one label and one set of numbers that would address DOE’s concern that the Energy Star program push the energy performance envelope and beat code. The other label and set of numbers—presumably the current criteria—would be ... more » -
January 30, 2008
THE TALK...What do you think of the .32 U-factor requirement being considered for the Northernmost zone in the 2009 Energy Star criteria?
Following up on a Department of Energy update on plans to make criteria to qualify for an Energy Star window label more stringent, last week we asked what you thought of one of the most stringent numbers under consideration—a U-factor of .30 for the Northernmost climate zone. Read Page 2 of the Talk and you’ll see the response was pretty overwhelming.DOE actually said it’s ... more » -
January 23, 2008
THE TALK...What do you think of most stringent U-factor number being considered for 2009 criteria?
Another update from DOE provides a little more insight into potential changes to the Energy Star window, door and skylight criteria. The government is still waiting to see what ICC might do as far as tightening energy codes first, but some possible numbers are being shared. So I thought I’d use this week’s poll to get your feedback—and, since I just came from the Northeast ... more » -
January 16, 2008
THE TALK...In the book smarts vs. street smarts survey, I fall into the following category
Although I fear this reveals how remarkably unexciting my life is, I was recently reading a study commissioned by the Small Business Administration regarding the connection between educational levels and the likelihood that a person would go into business for him or herself. For the most part, the correlation stands—the more book smarts you have, the more likely you’d want to be ... more » -
January 9, 2008
THE TALK...This year, my air travel will be...
Seeing’s how windows and doors aren’t all made in one WindowLandTopia, many of us in the industry are road warriors. Well, air warriors. Having spent more than an hour of my day yesterday trying to figure out travel plans for a quickly approaching, cross-country trip, I started digging up news items, columns and blogs to see if the opinions in this country fall on the side of air ... more »