According to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), the energy lost through windows represents four to five percent of total annual U.S. energy consumption at a cost of $50 billion.

Learn how the National Fenestration Rating Council’s (NFRC) commercial ratings program is making it easier meet and exceed fenestration code compliance during a free, one-hour long webinar at 1:00 p.m. on December 9.

During the webinar you will learn how to:

• Quickly and easily determine fenestration code compliance for commercial projects.
  
  
• Understand the NFRC 100 and NFRC 200 documents.
• Understand the 2009 IECC and ASHRAE 90.1 - 2007 fenestration energy requirements for commercial construction.

NFRC’s CEO, Jim Benney and two board members visited Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) last week and got an up-close look at its $15.9 million User Test Bed Facility, also known as FLEXLAB.

The facility is used for determining the energy performance of building envelope products, including windows, doors, and skylights in real life conditions and with different exposures.

"The flexibility of the lab promises to shed new light on the important role fenestration products play in contributing to improved building energy performance,” Benney said. "This is an exciting step forward that will benefit the public.”

Benney along with NFRC board chair, Steve Strawn, vice chair, Jeff Baker, and board member, Joe Hayden, toured the FLEXLAB following discussions with LBNL on the international glass database, upcoming versions of the WINDOW / THERM software, and ways to improve communication between the two organizations.

Steve Selkowitz, Senior Advisor for Building Science, and the Group Leader of the Windows and Envelope Materials Group in the Building Technology and Urban Systems Department, led the tour. NFRC board member Christian Kohler and Charlie Curcija also attended.

According to the LBNL Website, FLEXLAB is like a giant, life-size set of building blocks. The facility allows researchers and manufacturers to test buildings systems and components under "real-world” conditions by swapping systems and changing configurations. Afterwards, they can complete rigorous monitoring of performance of every key building element that impacts energy consumption.

Details

The National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) is proud to present the results of its 2013 board of directors election.

New board members will be seated in January 2014.

Nominated and elected by NFRC membership, the following people will join the board or have been re-elected in the following seats:

• Joe Jonely will assume a Fenestration Industry (unspecified) seat. He has been with AMSCO Windows, in Salt Lake City, Utah, since 1975. He currently serves as vice president of engineering.
  
  
• Paul Bush takes the Fenestration Industry (primary glass manufacturer) seat. He is the technical services manager for the flat glass business of PPGIndustries in Cheswick, Pa.
  
  
• Christian Kohler has been re-elected to the General Interest (not-for-profit institution of research or higher learning) seat. On the NFRC board since 2010, Kohler represents the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), in California.
  
  
• Bipin Shah takes a general interest (unspecified) seat. A former NFRCemployee, Shah is now president of WinBuild, Inc., in Fairfax, Va.

Longtime board members leaving in January include Dr. Ross McCluney (SunPine Consulting), Joseph Hayden (Pella Corporation), and Steve Farrar (Guardian Industries Corp.). Hayden is a former chair of the NFRC board, and Farrar serves as the current board secretary.

All three received awards for their service during NFRC's recent membership meeting in Tempe, Ariz.

Team Austria, a group of students from the Vienna University of Technology, was crowned the winner this weekend at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon in Irvine, CA.

Known as "Living Inspired by Sustainable Innovation,” the net-positive home competed on being a simple, smart house capable of adapting to a variety of lifestyles and climate zones.

This was the first time a team from Austria competed in the event.

Tom Herron, NFRC’s Senior Manager, Communications and Marketing, will deliver a presentation during next week’s ICC Final Action Hearings to help code officials understand how growing public awareness of the energy-saving and human performance benefits of fenestration is driving demand for windows that meet or exceed code.