What is this Fibrex Material We Talk About?

Here at Renewal by Andersen, we are very proud of a unique material called Fibrex that is used to make some of our window and door frames. It is a material that is durable, looks good, and best of all it is a sustainable material that is better for the environment than other materials used for window and door frames.Where Fibrex Came FromFibrex is a material that came from almost 90 years of innovation in the Andersen Corporation. Starting with mass production techniques to produce the first completely assembled window unit in 1904 to Andersen scientists engineering composite window materials in the 60s and 70s; Andersen has kept changing and creating to bring the absolute best product to their customers.Finally in 1992, after decades of research and testing of different composite window materials, Fibrex was born.Why is Fibrex so Great?Fibrex is the perfect material for homeowners because of its high quality and low maintenance. It never needs to be repainted (or scraped) like wood, vinyl or fiberglass frames do. It also doesn’t decay, rot, or grow mold.It is much stronger than other materials that window and door frames are made out of, like vinyl and fiberglass. For windows, this means that less of it is required to make the frames so they can be narrower. More narrow frames allows for more glass for the homeowner to see through.Fibrex also does not conduct heat, like aluminum frames do. It has excellent insulating properties to keep the warm air in your home in the winter and the cool air in during the summer. Homeowners can maximize these savings by combining the Fibrex frame with Andersen High-Performance Low-E4 glass for even better insulation and higher energy bill savings.How Can a Window Material, Like Fibrex, Be Good For the Environment?Fibrex is good for the environment in three ways:

1. The insulating properties of Fibrex keep the insides of homes more comfortable with less energy being used to continually heat and cool. With less energy being needed to regulate the temperature inside a home, fewer of our natural resources are being used to create energy for that home.
2. There are no wood preservatives treatments or painting required for a Fibrex frame, so Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) emissions are reduced. These emissions are harmful to both humans and plants when the concentrations are high enough.
3. Fibrex is made from recycled material. Fibrex is a blend of 40% wood fiber and 60% thermoplastic polymer. The wood fiber is reclaimed material from the Andersen manufacturing process and even part of the thermoplastic polymer s reclaimed. In addition to other materials being recycled to make Fibrex, even pre-consumer Fibrex is recycled to make new Fibrex.