What the contractor guide covers
The Network says its Bergen County selections meet USA TODAY standards for workmanship, responsiveness and customer service. It describes the contractors as licensed professionals with experience installing energy-efficient products and an established record of serving New Jersey homeowners.
The screening process includes checking licenses and insurance, reviewing product knowledge, scoring customer satisfaction and assessing installation quality. The guide also emphasizes clean installation practices and experience with products designed to perform in cold weather.
Listed services range from replacing windows and doors to reinforcing frames and seals and improving insulation and draft protection. Sliding and French door upgrades are also included.
The Network says editors select recommendations independently, including when third-party funding supports some content. It may receive commissions from purchases made through its links, and prices and availability can change.
Energy performance and product ratings
Bergen County's cold winters and humid summers make window and door performance a year-round concern. Older glass, deteriorating frames and drafts can increase heating and cooling costs while making rooms less comfortable. The U.S. Department of Energy attributes 25% to 30% of residential heating and cooling energy use to heat entering or escaping through windows.
For replacement windows, the department recommends checking for ENERGY STAR and National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) efficiency labels. Its guidance favors a low U-factor for greater resistance to heat transfer in colder climates. In warm climates, a low solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) helps reduce heat entering through the window.
Those measurements should describe the whole window, not just the center of the glass. The department says whole-unit U-factors and SHGCs provide a more accurate assessment of the complete product's energy performance.
Federal credit ended for installations after 2025
The Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit, under Section 25C, does not apply to property placed in service after December 31, 2025. That means windows and doors installed in 2026 are ineligible. The termination was enacted through legislation signed July 4, 2025, known as Pub. L. 119-21.
Before it ended, the credit covered 30% of qualifying exterior window and door costs, subject to caps. Exterior windows and skylights shared a $600 aggregate cap; exterior doors were limited to $250 each and $500 in total. Those amounts fell within an overall annual limit of $1,200.
New Jersey efficiency programs
Replacement windows and doors are among the upgrades eligible under energy efficiency programs offered directly to homeowners by New Jersey's Clean Energy Program and the state's investor-owned electric and gas utilities. The programs are administered through the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and the state's Clean Energy Program.
For income-eligible customers, New Jersey's Comfort Partners Program installs cost-effective energy-saving measures, including insulation upgrades, without charging the household. The free program is intended to help participating customers lower their utility bills.
