Thermal window business is booming

Many people are grumbling about the expected high energy costs this winter, but like many things, there is a positive side. It's provides a nice boost for some businesses. <br/><br/>News on 6 reporter

Tuesday, November 1st 2005, 10:03 am

By: News On 6

Many people are grumbling about the expected high energy costs this winter, but like many things, there is a positive side. It's provides a nice boost for some businesses.

News on 6 reporter Steve Berg explains that things are red hot for replacement windows. The Elias family is getting new energy-efficient glass to keep their winter heating bills from going through the roof or in this case out the window. Yvonne Elias: "We have noticed them climb of course like everyone else's has and this is very timely with the recent energy costs."

"That's probably the primary reason that we're getting the increase in sales that we are." John Batts with Tulsa-based Thermal Windows Inc. says they're seeing a lot of people who had been contemplating getting new windows for a while. â€œAnd when they hear that big jump, it's triggering a lot of people that they need to do it now. So we're getting a lot of calls. Many people are concerned when they hear for instance, people talking about natural gas going up 72 percent this year."

Batts says their sales have gone up 25 percent compared to last October. And says they've added several temporary workers to try to keep pace with the demand. "If we could grow 25 percent a month, we'd be building constantly in this place."

Yvonne Elias, who's an architect, knows her stuff about windows. "Over the last 20 years, they've made huge strides in the technology of glass and glazing, so we really wanted to take advantage of that." And it's an advantage for the glass business.

Steve Berg made a quick check of the local insulation business, and they say they're busier than usual too.