Good old Stimulus Bill writers thought overhead glazing and vertical glazing should be rated the same, despite the fact that it shouldn’t or can’t be rated the same.
Although Velux Skylights are ‘Energy Star’ rated with Cardinal 366 LowE3 glazing, it does not currently qualify for any tax breaks or credits. The skylights did qualify up until February of 2009. Before then, windows and skylights had two different R-value requirements. This made sense because if you take an insulated glass unit and install it in a vertical, you get one R-rating. Install the same glass unit with the same specifications in an overhead application, the unit gets a higher R-value rating. Unfortunately, the stimulus bill in 2009 eliminated the skylight category all together. Therefore, skylights now have to meet the vertical window requirements. At this time, there is no skylight produced that qualifies on its own.
The purpose of Energy Star rated is to buy products that conserve energy, therefore the best-rated products. Now, none are rated so people are back to having to do their own research. Trust me on this, Velux’s will be rated if and when they get this problem solved. However, in the meantime they don’t qualify for tax credits. Thank you big government for not knowing the details!
