Founded in 1946, Simonton Windows, a Fortune Brands company, has built their reputation on high-quality and impact resistant windows and doors. But the company has also developed an increasing focus on energy efficiency, offering a line of Energy Star qualified products. President and COO, Mark Savan, encourages his clients to choose these ecofriendly options and on December 15, 2009, was one of several business leaders invited to meet with President Obama to discuss the future of sustainable residential building. White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and Senior Advisor to the President Valerie B. Jarrett were also present, and the group addressed possible ways to promote more energy efficient homes in the U.S. Savan shared more on the incentives and options discussed, as well as the affect of the economy on green industry.
How long has Simonton Windows been dedicated to energy efficiency? What makes your products environmentally friendly and superior to traditional windows and doors?
Simonton was started 63 years ago. In 1974 the company came out with its first insulating glass units for our windows. Since that time we have continued to develop energy efficient windows and features. Today we offer Energy Tax Credit (ETC) glass packages that are guaranteed to qualify for the federal energy tax credit, and have the capability of making any of our windows to meet Energy Star qualifications.
At Simonton, our window frames are made of high-quality vinyl that provides exceptional energy efficiency features. Vinyl frames have a long life cycle so they don’t need to be replaced as often. Overall, vinyl is an efficient, safe, and recyclable product. The durability of the product leads to a long life span. And, vinyl is an economical product. Up to 57 percent of vinyl is derived from common salt—an abundant and inexpensive resource. When you select vinyl windows, you get low maintenance windows that will last longer and make your life easier. Also, fused vinyl frames actually help make a window more energy efficient, which leads to the immediate reduction of heating and cooling bills.
How did you react upon learning of your invitation to meet with President Obama? Going into the meeting, what issues did you think were most important to address?
I was honored to be included in this business leadership meeting. This was an exceptional opportunity to have a productive interaction with the President on the need for more energy efficient products and homes in America.
In my role as a representative of the fenestration industry, I went into the meeting prepared to share information on how windows and doors can help make homes and structures more energy efficient. From there, I thought it was important to share with the President the idea that simplistic programs are easiest for homeowners to understand and embrace.
In order to tackle these issues, what types of initiatives were discussed?
We spoke about the challenge of making homes more energy efficient and potential incentives that would rally homeowners to adopt energy-saving technologies and products. I was sincerely impressed by the President’s eagerness to gain a greater understanding of the issues related to energy from the people gathered in the room. From all indications, he will use information gained at the meeting to support strong initiatives to make homes and buildings more energy efficient in the future.
How would you describe Obama’s stance on promoting energy efficient homes? How did he respond to the discussions at the meeting?
President Obama is clearly interested in finding solutions that will put more people to work in our country while making homes more energy efficient. He was very eager to discuss these aspects with each of us. He is interested in putting more people to work in our country and in doing so with positions related to home improvement and energy efficiency.
My greatest impression is that the President was focused on “taking care of business.” While he was very personable and charismatic, he is also a busy and very focused person. There was no idle chatter. He had issues he wanted to cover and he did so in a friendly, efficient manner. His ability to hone in on the people and the topic he’s covering from minute-to-minute was impressive, as was his overall personality.
How do you think that the economy has affected the energy efficient industries? Do you think that it has deterred people from choosing these products or has the market seen a growth in the past year?
While our country is dealing with a challenging economy, we’re faced at the same time with an elevation of concern for the environment. This concern spans energy efficiency issues, green products, and green construction/renovation. At Simonton, we have been an Energy Star partner since 1999 and have been producing energy efficient products long before that. The interest level in these products has skyrocketed in the past several years. The addition of the federal energy tax credit in 2009 and 2010 has served as an incentive for homeowners to upgrade their windows now to take advantage of the tax credit and the immediate energy savings gained with these top-quality products. We’ve seen that the federal energy tax credit incentives have stimulated homeowner replacement window sales and the positive response from homeowners to the stimulus package incentives definitely led to increased purchases of replacement windows in 2009.
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