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Tax credit and low e glass

13 years ago

I'm wondering if someone can explain a way around the low e requirement for a replacement french door (Simpson fir) in a passive solar designed home? My doors face south, the overhang was designed so the sun (as much as it shines in the pacific nw) shines into the house in the winter only, when it is low in the sky. There is no direct sunlight in the summer; I don't require air conditioning as the house stays wonderfully cool in the summer. I don't WANT the winter solar rays blocked, but am being told that unless it is low e-glass it won't qualify for a tax credit. By the way, it is costing me an upgrade to get non-low e glass.

Any suggestions for taking the tax credit, or am I just s.o.l?

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Comments (4)

skydawggy
13 years ago
It's very likely that at this point you won't have time to order the doors and have them installed before Dec. 31, 2010.

The tax credit criteria was very poorly designed. There should have been no SHG max in the Northern States and they should have allowed a U-factor as high as .35. In the South the SHG and U-factor should have been lower. The idea behind the tax credits was to lower the cost differential between very high performing windows and average performing, to encourage consumers to purchase the better performing windows. It became as simple as window manufacturers using a different piece of glass, that was designed for warmer climates, on all their windows.

To answer your question, if you want the tax credit, you will have to buy a door that complies. I have never heard of a manufacturer charging less for LoE glass. I would check that out with another dealer of that brand of door. Sounds to me like they are trying to jack up the price unfairly. If you decide to go with them and also want the tax credit, I would ask for the highest solar gain available. Keep in mind that although you will likely reduce the solar gain in the winter, you are also reducing convection and conduction.
desertwest
13 years ago
I agree 100% with skydawggy. It was written by someone who lives at a low elevation in the south somewhere. I had the same sort of dillema and ended up getting higher SHGC windows on my south facing windows which then didn't qualify. But a few did. I won't hit $1500 but at least a few qualify. And hopefully next time around they'll think about those of us who live at higher elevations and in more northern states.
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Mike, Climaguard 55/27 is Guardian's low SHGC offering. The numbers relate to the VT and SHGC - 55% visible transmittance and 27% Solar Heat Gain Coefficient. It is a softcoat LowE2 product - which generically means that it has two layers of silver - with performance standards something of a mix between triple silver and double silver products. For example, comparing to Cardinal's LoE2-240 low solar heat gain coating and also to Cardinal's LoE2-270 and Viracon's E1-55 which are dual silver moderate solar heat gain products: Climaguard 55/27 - VT = 55, SHGC = 27, U (cog) = .29 Cardinal 240 - VT = 40, SHGC = 25, U (cog) = .30 Cardinal 270 - VT = 70, SHGC = 37, U (cog) = .30 Viracon E1-55 - VT = 49, SHGC = 36, U (cog) = .31 Technically, LowE and LowE2 are not the same thing, but the term LowE is often used generically to refer to any low emissivity product. A bit more precise would be to consider LowE as either a pyrolytic (hard) coat or single silver soft coat product - or typically high solar heat gain coatings - whereas LowE2 (versus LoE2, or correctly LoE squared, which is specific to Cardinal's coating terminology) refers to dual silver soft coats which can be either low or moderate solar heat gain (as noted earlier), and LowE3 refers to triple silver layer low solar gain coatings. I would suspect his reluctance to discuss technical details may be more his lack of product knowledge than any attempt to "hide" anything from you - IMO.
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Olychick
Original Author
13 years ago
Thank you both..I've ordered the doors the way I want them, and they should be installed by the end of the year but was wondering if there might be a way to "appeal" or challenge their qualifying.

Maybe I'll just claim them and see if I'm audited. :-)
desertwest
13 years ago
I just got new windows installed this week and wow can I tell a difference between the ones with SunCoatMax that do qualify, and those without. I can hardly feel any warmth through the SCM windows. I'm glad I only got it on 3 of the 12 windows. In the summer I suppose I'll be glad I got those. I figured I could use blinds in the summer for the others.

But my heater today seems to be working overtime since my house is not getting as much solar heat gain. They've got to consider the benefits of solar heating.

Sure this tax credit is great for people who live in Phoenix, but not for those of us who live in Zone 5 and colder.

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