July 26, 2016 Comfort Through the Window

Volume 5 | Issue 3

As prices rise along with concerns for energy conservation, the challenge is to create a cost-effective and energy-efficient window unit.

The end of World War II saw the advent of the housing development boom — or, as some might say, the suburbs. In the decades that followed, new home construction continued to climb steadily, almost without end. It seemed as if the open land went on forever and the construction possibilities were endless. That’s at least what we thought.

Today, with natural resources strained and metropolitan areas concerned about urban sprawl, a new emphasis is being put on renovating existing properties. Part of this “renovation boom” has been the retrofitting of modern, energy-efficient windows and doors in properties that literally haven’t been touched for five decades. It might seem like a tall order, but International Window Corporation has been around nearly that long and has been developing state-of-the-art windows and doors to meet these modern needs.

Home prices and energy costs have been rising at a faster-than-normal pace, particularly in California. Homeowners and buyers are looking for ways to invest in home improvement while saving money over the long term. International Window’s vinyl windows and doors offer an excellent solution to help ease the bite of heating and cooling bills, while improving the look and value of a property.

“Our vinyl units are not only custom engineered and designed,” explains George Hall, the company’s executive vice president, “but they’re fitted with Cardinal LoE2 high-performance glass. This helps the home repel heat in the summer and conserve heat in the winter. This makes for shorter air conditioning and heating cycles, which can reduce a home’s energy bill by up to 56 percent.” (This figure comes from Cardinal IG itself.)

For most homeowners, the greatest potential for energy cost savings is in air conditioning. Sealed LoE2 insulated-glass units actually filter out the sun’s infrared energy (the factor that drives up those summer AC costs) thus meeting the National Fenestration Council’s strictest ratings.

Variety…the Spice of Life

International Window offers an endless line of products that only begins with vinyl windows, the company’s specialty. Always a diversified manufacturer, International Window also offers products in wood, aluminum and composite wood/aluminum construction. Windows range from fixed to casement, bay and bow, sliding and hinged to single-hung and double-hung. International Window will produce virtually any window style on the market and entertains custom-style windows as well. Its fully staffed engineering department ensures cutting-edge designs using the latest technology. Yet code compliance regulations are never compromised. That’s just the beginning, as Hall states.

“International Window takes pride in the fact that we offer the best product value for our customer’s dollar. They’re always our No. 1 priority,” he stresses. “Remember, we are not just a window manufacturer. Our patio doors, available in vinyl and aluminum, and our mirrored wardrobe doors offer tremendous values as well.”

International Window has been a leading window and door manufacturer for more than 40 years. Established in 1957 in the heart of Los Angeles, International Window began as an aluminum window manufacturer specializing in jalousie-style windows. Strategically adapting to a then growing and changing market, International Window became a diversified manufacturer of windows and doors, all while branching out into shower and tub units.

Western Exposure

With quality and customer service the focus of a rapidly rising company, International Window has continued the trend of maintaining a strategic growth initiative. Today, International Window has expanded to included five manufacturing locations. Its Hayward, Calif., facility contains 100,000 square feet of space, while the South Gate facility is double that size. There are also plants in Arizona and Colorado. The company serves California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah.

The five geographically located facilities generate $65 million in annual sales and create a customer-service support network for product distribution. Lead times and backlogs are drastically reduced through this micromarket philosophy, in contrast to today’s centrally located mass shipping distribution centers. “International Window has fine-tuned its manufacturing and distribution services over the years so that they now run like a well-oiled clock,” says Hall. “We pride ourselves not just on making a superior product, but on punctual delivery that meets all the conditions of the sale.” The beneficiaries of that on-time delivery system are builder supply distributors, glass shops, home improvement centers and lumberyards. They make up the bulk of International Window’s customers.

Since developable land is at a premium now and urban sprawl is being reigned in, more construction is happening in existing urban areas. This means that home dwellers must now put up houses in areas near airports, highways and railroad tracks. The issue of noise pollution in these areas has created a new challenge that International Window has been all too happy to take on. The company’s new 9300 series of windows and doors are approved for residential use and substantially reduce sounds passing through the glass. These vinyl sound-attenuated units have a sound transmission coefficient (STC) rating of 47. Regular windows carry only a rating of 29. This gives the homeowner 60 percent greater sound protection. Even better news for homeowners is that improvements of this magnitude may be free.

“During the last couple of years,” Hall says, “the state of California has added a surcharge to plane tickets that goes into a fund that covers the costs associated with the retrofitting of houses near airports. The homes at these locations are retrofitted with these quality vinyl units at no cost to the homeowners.”

With interest rates being cut and cut again over the last few years, International Window has benefited from the fact that a new home has been a reality for more Americans than ever before. As interest rates fell and more Americans have bought homes, International Window has been there to ride the tidal wave of success right along with them. This new housing boom didn’t just give more Americans new homes; it also left them with enough cash to apply to improvements. Undoubtedly, a great deal of those improvements have been in replacement windows and retrofitting.

Now, with the recession a fading memory it looks like the tidal wave will only continue to grow. International Window is only too happy to crest the wave.

Subscribe to Industry Today