There is a reason that the department of Energy and Energy Star are planning on raising the bar on the energy efficiency on windows and doors! With all the Clean Air improvements/upgrades that are being done as we speak and with billions of dollars of new ones coming in the coming months and years, they realize SOMEONE has to pay for this. Guess who that someone is, you the homeowner/taxpayer of course. We recently went to the Dept of Energy website that keeps track of electric rates of every state and total for the country. Our findings were that the electric rates of all states have gone up a whopping 5% per year for the last 5 years. It just so happens, the very next day, in our local paper was an article about our local electric company going up another 7%. Your best way to combat this? Put your money where you are going to get your best investment for today and the next 10 to 15 years. We believe that would be insulating your house as well as possible, including buying a better window with a lower U-value (higher R factor) Today. That way, you invest a little more today, BUT, your payback will increase year after year with the higher rates to come. AND by the way, due to LNG (liquified natural gas) becoming more in demand, natural gas is expected to increase at an even more accelorated level than electric rates. Guard yourself now, make a better investment today!