Michael Holigan: We all want to cut down on our utility bills, but we also want to be comfortable in our homes with the right amount of heat, power, water, and air conditioning. Could there be a way to balance these needs, and at the same time fulfill them in an environmentally-friendly way?
This home might be the possible answer. This is the North Texas Zero Energy Home located in Frisco, Texas.
This unique home was built by Jim Sargent of Anderson Sargent Custom Builder.
Jim Sargent: The North Texas Zero Energy Home is a home that actually produces as much power as it consumes. We don't have an electric bill in this house.
Michael Holigan: From the solar panels on the roof to the low-flow faucets inside, every aspect of this home was designed to be energy-efficient, including the windows from Pella.
Jim Sargent: The architectural style of the Pella windows and the architectural style of this house really blended well together. One of my big concerns in building this home was that people would think that it was kind of strange-looking. There's a history of energy-efficient homes having to be made out of straw bale or something like that and I wanted to demonstrate that it could be a beautiful home and could fit into an upscale North Dallas neighborhood. The Pella windows help me do that.
Michael Holigan: Pat Meyer is the general manager of Pella's Architect Series. Pat, tell me about some of the features on the Architect Series.
Pat Meyer: Sure. This is our premium wood line. It offers the distinctive details of this Roman Ogee profile with a solid wood interior. We've combined really the state-of-the-art technology with the old world aesthetics, and how we do that is this is insulated glass, and it's actually one full piece of glass. In the old days you'd see individual panes of glass, and by having one piece of glass it offers superior energy performance.
Michael Holigan: Okay, so we've got that pocket in-between the two sheets, but the divided light's actually on the inside, not between the glass -- the individual panes?
Pat Meyer: Absolutely. Right, so the detail is a mirror image on the wood on the inside, and then an aluminum maintenance-free exterior.
Michael Holigan: So, aluminum on the outside, so we're never going to have to paint this?
Pat Meyer: Absolutely, and we can really virtually paint any color to match the d?cor of the house.
Michael Holigan: Okay. Well, it's a casement window, and I know you've got some features that are a little different from most, can you show us how this works?
Pat Meyer: Absolutely. Well, our casement window has a lot of unique features. One is a fold-down crank, which keeps out of the way for the window fashions, and it literally just pops open, and you crank it out. One of the features with the Pella window, as you pull it shut, casements get very wide because of the wide expanse of glass that you want. What our hardware does is actually lift and pull that sash back shut, pulls it tight against that weather-strip, and that allows it to have six times air infiltration performance versus the standard casement window.
Michael Holigan: Okay. So it not only looks good, but it is very, very efficient?
Pat Meyer: Absolutely.
Michael Holigan: Now I know you've got something a little different hidden behind the wood up here. Show us what you've got.
Pat Meyer: This is what's called our Rolscreen. It's really what the company was founded on over 75 years ago, and it simply pulls down when you want to have your insect protection, and just snaps into place. And then if you want the beauty of the view, it simply just snaps up and gets out of your way. It allows 40% more visible light through as well, so you don't have that screen in front of you.
Michael Holigan: So just pull it down, flip your lock, crank it open, and you're good to go?
Pat Meyer: Absolutely. And what I'd like to also show you upstairs is a new screen called the Vivid View screen. It's another way we execute protection from the insects.
Michael Holigan: Well, let's go take a look.
Pat Meyer: Let's do it. Well, Michael, this is the new screen. It's called the Vivid View. We've partnered with a company called Gore Technologies, the maker of GORE-TEX, and they've developed this new screen with us. It allows 50% more light through which gives it the illusion of transparency and three times the air, so if you think about a window screen, you want more air, yet you don't want to see it. That's the beauty of Vivid View.
Michael Holigan: And you really have to reach out and touch it because like you said, it's almost invisible when you look out the window.
Pat Meyer: Yeah.
Michael Holigan: That's awesome. Well, let's go downstairs and talk a little bit about energy efficiency when it comes to windows and doors.
Pat Meyer: Okay.
Michael Holigan: Pat, why don't you show me on this cross-section how to build an energy-efficient window?
Pat Meyer: Well, absolutely. I'm going to start with the cross-section here and the solid wood that we have.
Michael Holigan: Okay. Wood's a great insulator for a frame.
Pat Meyer: Absolutely. The dual weather-stripping, one here on the edge of the frame and a rain strip out on the leading edge of the sash.
Michael Holigan: Okay, and that's a side view, but from this angle, it's a real window and if you shut it down then you're actually going to have two pieces of weather-stripping instead of the typical one against the frame?
Pat Meyer: Absolutely.
Michael Holigan: Okay.
Pat Meyer: The next is the glass. This is an insulated glass.
Michael Holigan: Okay, two pieces of glass and what do you insulate it with? What do you put in-between?
Pat Meyer: We have two things. One is Argon which is gas between the panes of glass, as well as a low emissivity coating that helps prevent the sun's damaging rays on your carpets and draperies, as well as it reflects that heat gain from the exterior.
Michael Holigan: Okay, and that coating goes on the inside of the exterior piece of glass, and why is that?
Pat Meyer: Correct. That reflects the sun's heat gain that it gets hit with from the exterior.
Michael Holigan: Okay. If you do all of these things when you build a window, what do you end up with?
Pat Meyer: This window right here will meet and exceed the Energy Star guidelines.
Michael Holigan: So we're going to save money every month then?
Pat Meyer: Absolutely.
Michael Holigan: Pella not only provided windows for the Zero Energy Home, but it also provided energy-efficient doors. Pat, tell me a little bit about the doors you used on this house?
Pat Meyer: Sure. This door is designed to match the d?cor of the house. It has a Mission style here, and that combined with the outstanding performance of the door makes it a great addition to this home. A couple of the outstanding performance results, one is the multi-point hardware, so when you lift up the handle, it locks here at the head and as well at the sill. This is outstanding results when you're thinking about a door.
Michael Holigan: And metal all the way around the perimeter there.
Pat Meyer: Absolutely.
Michael Holigan: It would be hard to kick in --
Pat Meyer: It would be. It's an outstanding performing door. One of the other things that this door will do is from a sound standpoint. It's fully weather-stripped, so it's going to keep out the water and the air, and the noise.
Michael Holigan: Okay, so lawn mowers, traffic, things like that?
Pat Meyer: It really ends that noise. Absolutely.
Michael Holigan: Ultimately, energy-efficient solutions can save people both money and power. Well, whether you're a homeowner or you're a business, energy efficiency's always a big question mark because you've got that bill coming every month. What kind of savings can you expect with the right windows and doors?
Pat Meyer: Well, with Pella windows and doors, you can save up to thirty percent.
Michael Holigan: That's a lot of money every month.
Pat Meyer: It sure is. It adds up.
For more information on energy efficient solutions, visit us on the internet at MichaelHoligan.com
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