Keeping the window open

Recycling Today, March, 2005

The Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC), Wauconda, Ill., is continuing a campaign called "Keep Aluminum Windows," which promotes aluminum extrusion window and door products as viable and preferable for builders.

The AEC has worked in part with the U.S. Department of Energy's EnergyStar program for builders to promote the energy-saving aspects of aluminum window and door frames.

The organization touts the overall advantages of extruded aluminum windows as being resistant to rot (which can affect wood windows) and having the ability to withstand extreme temperatures (unlike vinyl windows, which can become brittle at low temperatures and flexible at high temperatures, according to the AEC).

Sales of metal window and door frames increased by $2.4 billion dollars annually in 2003 compared to 1993 for a 37 percent increase, according to a report prepared by The Freedonia Group, Cleveland.