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Becoming an EPA Certified Renovator isn't the answer. It's just the beginning! You may be missing the rest of what you need to do.

From what you’ve been told, you thought all you needed to do to comply with the new
EPA Regulations for Lead Containment was to become a Certified Renovator, didn’t you?

Guess what you haven’t been told:
     • You’re not qualified to sign a contract with your customer
     • You’re the only trade that needs to deal with lead dust inside and outside - on every job!
     • You have to train your helpers and test them, on the jobsite, for every job
     • Your subs or workers may become employees in the eyes of the IRS
     • Your insurance and Workman’s Comp now must cover Hazardous materials
     • How do you price a job in the home when your salesforce can’t officially test for lead?
     • EPA, OSHA and HUD rules are different but may apply to the same job
     • What qualifies for the up to $150,000 per home of government money for window replacement
..... and a lot more — like "Containing Lead Requirements for Service Calls"!

We can help you educate your installers on how to conduct their business. We have three Modules that will help you with the forms, processes, techniques, materials, selling aids, installation aids you need to
A. Manage Your Business
B. Manage Your Sales & Marketing
C. Manage Your Installation & Service

Contact AWDI to arrange Training: certifiedrenovator@awdi.com

ALL REPLACEMENT WINDOW INSTALLERS MUST BE EPA CERTIFIED RENOVATORS BY APRIL 2010...

To replace windows on pre 1978 houses, all renovation contractors must suit up with EPA Accredited Certified Renovator designation and a ton of paper work. Painters, plumbers, and other contractors may be familiar, but this is new ground for window replacement.
AWDI Offers the Industry's only window oriented Accredited Courses.

Click Here to Learn More.

Contact AWDI for more information: certifiedrenovator@awdi.com

NEW STUDY CONFIRMS:

POOR INSTALLATION
REDUCES ENERGY EFFICIENCY
OF WINDOWS UP TO 25%
OVER PROMISED PERFORMANCE!

Let's be clear: The tests are done on windows only, not on the window in an installed situation. While that may be semantics, it's important. The disparity is not in the information published, it's in the omission of the real-world use of windows, and as more and more attention is placed on the energy performance requirements of windows in the new "green" world, the poor performance of installation has a greater and greater effect - actually preventing the very performance being sought.

Based on work done in Europe and tied to the British Fenestration Rating Council A through G Window Standards, it has been confirmed that sealant only installations reduced an "A" window to a "D" window performance. Sealant and insulation in the cavity fare better, but still reduce the overall energy efficiency to well below the performance attained in laboratory testing.

In the lab setting, the joint between the window and the wall is sealed and only the window itself is subjected to the environmental testing. Simulation programs do not allow for considering the gap between the window and the opening either.

Even field tests of window performance ask for isolation of the window from the installation

Bottom Line: Government encouraged .30/.30 windows when installed in new construction lose more than 15% of the thermal performance promised, and in replacement, that efficiency loss is closer to 25%. People who buy .30/.30 windows hoping for the energy efficiency they promise - don't get anywhere near it.

And, AWDI has found that those figures are based on best case scenarios. Everyday installation tends to be worse. Anecdotal analysis has shown that replacement windows installed by Caulk and Walk™ techniques too often perform at a lower level than the prime window/storm window they replace. Sloppy installations coupled with destructive removal of the old window too often make matters worse - a lot worse.

The culprits? Failure to re-establish the wall/window weather barriers (there are 5), poor R-Values of sealants and trim, inconsistent application of cavity insulation, air leaks due to thermal bridges like shims and capping, and sealant failures, i.e., poor installation!

The Philosophy
"It won't work right if it's not installed right"™ is more than a phrase, it is the guiding philosophy of AWDI and its operations. Today's technologically superior performance enhancing innovation and testing of window products, leaves little doubt of the quality and value of the majority of residential window and door.

Of equal importance, the installation of the product in a new or
existing opening completes the window transaction. Proper
installation is at least equal in importance to any other facet in the ultimate satisfaction of the homeowner.

New Windows are only half the system Installation is the other half.
Many decades and millions of installations the world-over has proven the reliability and performance of today's Premium-Windows. With few exceptions, most windows perform without fail, and meet or exceed all published air, water, and heat transfer standards.

Window and door products have become more sophisticated, and have become, in effect, precision appliances - able to separate and control the interior environment independent from the outside environment; while being able to operate reliably for long periods of time. And, most Window companies make a quality product that will perform consistently.

Only the variables of installation can significantly influence the performance of the total window system. AWDI seeks to create consistent installations, utilizing consistent products, in inconsistent applications. Therefore, the AWDI Installation Certification Training is given with the intent of instructing the installer on the ways to create the "consistent opening" ready to accept the new window; and teaching the installer how to remove the opportunities for mistakes rather than avoiding them.

Over 90% of Window problems are the result of poor, or incomplete installation
National statistics prove year after year that, when properly installed, windows will perform up to specifications for longer than the warranted life of the window itself. Excessive condensation, air leaks, heat loss, warped or out-of-square windows are the result of faulty installation - not faulty manufacture. Unfortunately, these problems won't usually show up until months after the installation. And worse, they are not covered by the manufacturer's window warranty.

How can I tell if the installation is good?
Judging the performance and manufacture of a window product is easy. They're all rated by industry standards. With the creation of the AWDI Installation Guidelines for Windows, Version 1.3, and the recently added AWDI Guide to Coastal Installation and New Construction, there now exists standards by which you can judge whether the contractor installing your windows is following the industry-accepted guidelines.

Most contractors who install windows do a good job. Callbacks for problems are the dread of any home owner or contractor. Intense competition and the occasional "weekend window contractor" who installs using "caulk and walk" techniques have caused some installers to compromise their work.

Ask your contractor to see his AWDI credentials. He is a "Certified Installer" and will be glad to show you his certificate. Then ask your contractor to see the AWDI Guidelines for Installing Windows. Discuss these guidelines with him and how he intends to apply them in your home when he installs your new windows. AWDI certified Installers are justifiably proud of their Certification, and are glad to share their expertise with you.

You can trust an AWDI Certified Installer. His skill and technical knowledge will assure you of a trouble-free and satisfactory installation of your new Windows. You'll be glad to know that each window you have purchased has been designed, built, and installed to exacting standards.

Whether you're buying new premium windows for an addition or house you are building, or you're choosing custom, replacement windows because the old ones in your home didn't last. Isn't it worth dealing with an AWDI Certified Installer to see to it that the new ones do?