Texas Window Initiative
Press Releases:
Texas Window Initiative Announces WTU Sponsorship of New Energy Efficiency Program
AUSTIN, TEXAS (Sept. 27, 2000) - The Texas Window Initiative has announced that American Electric Power's West Texas Utilities (WTU) will sponsor the program in its service territory to help West Texas residents stay more comfortable through the extreme West Texas summers.
By participating in the Texas Window Initiative (TWI), WTU aims to meet a new legislative mandate stating that 10 percent of a Texas utility company's load growth must be met through energy efficiency by 2004. TWI will teach residential builders and consumers about the many advantages of high performance, energy efficient windows.
High performance windows are windows that meet specific Energy Star® criteria. Energy Star® is a volunteer partnership between the U.S. Department of Energy and various industries to promote the sale of energy efficient products. In Texas, Energy Star® -qualified windows contain low-E coatings designed to block ultraviolet light from entering and heating a home, making homes more comfortable while lowering energy bills, reducing fading of furniture and protecting the environment by lessening energy demand.
"Residential windows can affect about 25 percent of a home's heating energy and up to 60 percent of a home's cooling costs. High performance windows can greatly impact one's comfort as well as one's pocketbook," according to Rhonda Fahrlender of WTU. Currently, less than five percent of windows sold in the WTU service area are "energy efficient" windows, according to a baseline study by TWI. A similar program launched in the Pacific Northwest resulted in a 40 percent market share increase for high performance, Energy Star®-qualified windows between 1997 and 1999.
TWI seeks to increase demand for energy-saving windows by providing on-site training to window and building supply retailers (50 training events in West Texas). TWI will also promote Energy Star® criteria among window manufacturers and builders, educate consumers and suppliers about the advantages of Energy Star®-qualified windows, and increase the availability of high performance windows in the WTU service area.
Many retailers in the WTU service area have already received training on high performance windows. Consumers can contact their local retailers or consult their remodeling contractor to find the best windows for their home.
About TWI and Energy Star®
TWI promotes the Energy Star® window initiative in Texas. Energy Star® is a volunteer partnership program between the U.S. Department of Energy and the window industry to promote the sale of energy efficient windows, doors and skylights. Energy Star® programs are developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, and use the Energy Star® name and logo to raise public awareness about the link between energy use and air pollution.
West Texas Utilities, an American Electric Power operating company, serves 188,000 customers in a 53,000 square-mile service are in West Texas, bordered by Oklahoma to the North and Mexico to the South.
American Electric Power is a multinational energy company based in Columbus, Ohio. AEP is one of the United State's largest generators of electricity with more than 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity. AEP is also one of the nation's leading wholesale energy marketers and traders. AEP delivers electricity to more than 4.8 million customers in 11 states - Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. The company serves more than 4 million customers outside the U.S. through holdings in Australia, Brazil, China, Mexico and the United Kingdom. Wholly owned subsidiaries are involved in power engineering and construction services, energy management and telecommunications.