We were very fortunate to be asked to participate and lend our SeriousWindows to two special projects of ABC’s Extreme Makover: Home Edition. Led by partners G&M Contracting, Burch Builders Group, and thousands of volunteers, the new construction of the Fishing School community center and the Tripp Family home, both located in under-served neighborhoods of Washington, D.C., was completed in just 7 days.
What makes these two projects exceptionally special is that both were built to be as near net-zero energy as possible. Energy measures included SIPS panels provided by Winter Panel, solar electric systems from Aurora Energy, insulated Concrete Foundation forms from Leep Green, and super-insulating high R-value windows – which is why we were asked to contribute SeriousWindows.
The projects needed windows of R-6.0 and high air infiltration requirements for maximum air tightness. R-value measures the insulation value of a window (the inverse of U-value); the higher the R-value, the better. To put into perspective, a typical dual pane low-E window is an R-value of R-2.0, while ENERGY STAR® 2010 standards for windows require a minimum R-value of R-3.3.
The show airs on February 14, 8PM EST, on ABC. Check Extreme Makeover Home Edition online.