Kolbe "Green Initiatives"Window and Door Products for ENERGY STAR, LEED-H, Green Globes and more

    Wausau, Wis. (June 2007) - Kolbe's new booklet, "Green Initiatives," defines and details the company's commitment to the environment and support of green building through innovation and design, materials and resources, and energy performance.Whether building new or renovating, architects, builders and homeowners seek out Kolbe's windows and doors for their enduring style, lasting performance and reliable durability. Contributing to customers' green goals, Kolbe windows and patio doors offer expansive views, ample daylight, natural ventilation and energy efficient performance.

    Kolbe windows and patio doors offer energy efficiency.

    Customers also are reassured by the company's healthy, safe and sustainable business practices. The majority of the lumber used in Kolbe's wood products is sourced from suppliers certified by the Sustainable Forest Initiative or the Forest Stewardship Council. The breadth of wood species are treated and stained with finishes low in volatile organic compounds.

    From the office to the production floor, Kolbe recycles many of its raw and secondary material. Recycled content also is within its products such as up to 75% recycled materials in the extruded aluminum billet used for Ultra Series' clad exteriors, and up to 70% recycled aluminum in the roll-formed cladding used on the Classic and Magnum Series products.

    The Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy created the ENERGY STAR Program to help consumers quickly and easily identify energy-saving products. The Program relies on energy values provided through the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) and recommends energy performance by climate zone. Demonstrating its commitment to NFRC certification, Kolbe makes its energy data available on its website, in its literature, and on its window labels.

    The U.S. Green Building Council's LEED-H Rating System for homes has even more stringent guidelines for meeting ENERGY STAR in two of the four nationally designated climate zones. Similar criteria are required by Green Building Initiative's Green Globes™ and NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines. Kolbe offers window and door units that exceed the suggested energy values for LEED-H by up to 20%.

    For detailed comparisons, "Green Initiatives" features a climate zone chart displaying the energy performance qualities for Kolbe's Ultra and Classic Series wood units with aluminum clad exteriors, Magnum Series as either all-wood units or with roll-formed aluminum clad exteriors, Heritage Series all-wood units, and the vinyl units within its Inspiration®, Foundation® and Resolution® Series.

    Helping achieve optimal energy efficiency and UV protection, most Kolbe products are glazed with double-pane, insulating HK LoE2-270 glass with argon gas and stainless steel spacer bar system. As stated in the brochure, nearly 2 million new homes are built in the United States each year. If all these homes used Kolbe's windows with LoE2 glass, and achieved a 15% energy savings compared to clear glass, the 30-year accumulated savings would be more than $100 billion dollars. The energy saved could:
    *- Heat 700,000 homes for a year
    *- Provide electricity for 230,000 households for a year
    *- Equal 200 million gallons of gasoline or 4.2 million barrels of crude oil

    The effect of LoE2 glass on peak energy demand is even greater. Kolbe and its supplier Cardinal Glass Industries estimates that with a conservative peak reduction of 1.0 kilowatt for each of the 2 million new homes, the total reduction in energy usage would be enough to eliminate eight coal-fired power plants or two nuclear plants.

    What began in 1946 as a two-brother team has grown into an internationally respected manufacturing company. Kolbe & Kolbe Millwork Co, Inc. remains a privately held, community-oriented business located in Wausau, Wis. Covering nearly one million-square-feet, its state-of-the-art facilities feature high-tech machinery and a design center to present the creative possibilities offered by Kolbe windows and doors.

    www.kolbe-kolbe.com