Vinyl Windows Withstand Storms

Surge in vinyl window sales predicted

Arlington, VA (PRWEB) April 18, 2007 -- A surge in orders for vinyl windows was predicted today in the wake of East Coast storms which battered states from the Carolinas to Massachusetts with winds of more than 60 mph.

“Whenever windows are damaged by heavy storms, we expect to see a jump in orders for impact-resistant vinyl windows,” said Allen Blakey, spokesman for the Vinyl Institute. Nearly two out of three of all new windows now have reinforced vinyl frames to meet increasingly stringent building codes, he said.

During hurricane season, manufacturers often can't keep up with demand, noted David Olmstead of Florida-based PGT Inc. During the 2004-2005 hurricane season, manufacturers of vinyl-framed impact-resistant windows were at the limit of their capacity.

Despite the seven hurricanes that battered the state that year, there were no impact failures among the more than one million vinyl windows the company installed, Olmstead said. Studies have shown that if the windows and doors hold up, chances improve for the entire structure, he noted.

Both Pella and Andersen recently announced that they were increasing their production of vinyl windows in response to growing demand.

Olmstead noted that demand is also being driven by the green building movement, because of the superior energy efficiency of vinyl windows. According to the Vinyl Institute, the use of vinyl over less energy-efficient window frames already saves enough energy to meet the annual electricity needs of 20,000 single family homes.

The US hurricane season begins June 1. The forecasting team at Colorado State University is predicting as many as nine hurricanes this year, five of which are expected to be "intense" (category 3, 4 or 5.)

For more information, go to www.vinylnewsservice.com or the American Architectural Manufacturers Association at www.aamanet.org.    

Press Contact: John Brown
Company Name:
Email: Email Us Here: http://www.prweb.com/emailmember.php?prid=520152
Phone: 1-877-234-9749
Website: www.vinylnewsservice.com

Press Release Source: EMediaWire