It was June 2003, and the newly installed chief building official of Parker, Colo., stood before a room of builders to deliver a message he knew they wouldn’t like. But Gil Rossmiller also knew they’d come around. He had a plan for energy efficiency, and wouldn’t need much money to make it happen. Rossmiller wanted them to think differently about buildings – as a system of integrated pieces, that interact with each other, and would do it best if designed in a specific sequence. He cited an example: when builders design air-conditioning systems without first picking the windows and calculating a building’s thermal envelope, they’re doing it wrong. He knew they could boost energy efficiency, add comfort, and save money.

Rossmiller went on to private consulting, currently with Shums Coda Associates, but left Parker, a Denver suburb of 55,000, with a method to ensure efficient energy use in buildings and a group of local builders who support it.

“We took logical steps, integrated them with existing processes, and learned together with our builders,” Rossmiller said. “Energy code enforcement is now just a part of the process like any other building code.”

These are steps most American municipalities have yet to take, he said – energy codes aren’t as well understood and complied with as other parts of the International Code Council’s International Building Code (IBC). For windows, doors, and skylights, also known as fenestration products, that’s in part because of an assumption that an energy-performance label from the National Fenestration Ratings Council (NFRC) affixed to a newly installed window is typically all that’s required for compliance. But the reality is that energy efficiency requires early planning at the design phase. And whilst leaders work toward top-down solutions for compliance, that’s not the only way to drive efficiency– consumers demand it. Efficiency isn’t just a best-practice ideal. It’s also good for business. 

Rossmiller first understood that when he was a builder himself. After working in construction, and then as a private-sector building inspector for a company providing that service to municipalities, he worked in the 2000s as a systems-improvement manager for a local builder struggling with moisture issues in its houses.

“We came look at a house as a system, and that you can’t change one thing in the system without impacting other parts of it,” he said.

Fenestration was central to the challenge for compliance. Rossmiller and colleagues realized they were designing HVAC systems too early in the process. By committing to first calculating a house’s overall thermal envelope, including the fenestration factor, they realized that they could cut HVAC capacity by half, and that solved the moisture problem.

“Customer callbacks for comfort issues practically disappeared,” Rossmiller said.

He took these lessons with him when he became Parker’s chief – and only -- building official in 2003. He aimed to boost efficiency through a greater awareness of and compliance with the International Energy Conservation Code, one element of the IBC. Rossmiller convened builders working in Parker for training sessions given for free by product suppliers, for goods such as house wrap and insulation.

Together, he and builders learned more about defining a building’s thermal envelope, such as considering whether crawlspaces, attics, and HVAC ductwork would be placed inside or outside that envelope. They then moved on to other elements of the building process, and Rossmiller gave buildings time for adaptation before enforcement. By 2006, most of those builders were producing houses at least 15 percent more efficient, and often qualifying for ENERGY STAR® status.

“They resisted at first, but many later told me they’ll never go back to the old ways,” Rossmiller said.

Municipalities that follow the international family of building codes, and make clear that what will be inspected, will eventually find that training and inspection becomes less necessary over time.

Targeting efficiency is increasingly easy, Rossmiller said, given the natural improvements vendors make to their windows, doors, house wrap, and other materials. And code inspectors today have more tools, especially on-site. When Rossmiller was a young code inspector, he’d have to do longhand math on paper during inspections and didn’t have a smartphone available to look up code specifics. This combination of improved products and readily-available technical information should help today’s young building inspectors to better understand what they see in the field, and also create an opportunity to simplify and clarify the building codes themselves.

A conversation with John Gordon

When he was an on-demand, round-the-clock information technology consultant, John Gordon knew that when a computer system went down, there was no waiting until tomorrow. That sense of urgency is real, and you don’t go home until the system is back online. Today, as the newly elected chairman of the NFRC Board of Directors, John embodies that same level of commitment to ensure the organization operates smoothly, without disruption.

After leaving IT, John transitioned to become the Simulation and Thermal Operations Manager and a certified simulator at National Certified Testing Labs based in York, PA. He oversees testing and ensures accurate ratings for product certification, which leads to certification labeling. His department is responsible for the NFRC testing, so it goes without saying that John knows the importance of the label. In his six years of being involved with NFRC, John’s held a variety of positions ranging from participating in task groups to leading committees to chairing working groups.

To mark the beginning of his tenure as board chairman, Michelle Blackston, senior director of communications and marketing, spoke with John about his vision for the board and the organization as well as goals he’d like to accomplish during his term.

What do you hope to accomplish while leading NFRC’s board of directors and overseeing the organization for the next two years? Also, talk about your leadership style and how you will set the direction for the future of NFRC.

It’s imperative that we continue stressing the importance of NFRC’s fair, accurate, and credible ratings for the growth of the organization, both in membership and for the widespread use of the NFRC ratings label. As board chair, I will also advocate for the use of NFRC ratings in the ever-expanding green building initiatives. This is especially vital for the health and betterment of the organization. Additionally, it bodes well for the fenestration industry overall, including our members.

I believe leadership is extremely important and so is the diversity of the board to have a voice. There are so many intelligent minds in the organization and on the board. Everyone has an opportunity to be involved with NFRC, and that’s the key to the success of the overall direction and health of the organization. I’m a big proponent of people getting involved and using their voice and vote to bring about change.

Over the last 30-plus years, NFRC has grown and evolved. What do you see as some of the biggest changes with NFRC? What is on the horizon for the organization and in the fenestration industry?

The movement in the organization to accredit the Product Certification Program (PCP) is extremely important for its long-term sustainability. I’ve seen a shift to be more open within the organization to embrace change such as in the new Linear Energy Analysis for Fenestration or LEAFF methodology.

From a high-level view, we need a better way to anticipate the pitfalls or the risks that lie ahead. We need some type of mechanism to determine risk and then capture, respond, and react. Ideally, we need to make ourselves immune to the risks.

Also, we need local and state code officials to rely on NFRC ratings. The ratings and the data that NFRC is known for and has expertise in must be a prominent part in the green building and wellness industries. Coming full circle, the more that starts to happen and the more exposure of the NFRC label, then there will be a drive for more companies to see the benefits of membership and being involved.

As for the industry, wellness and green initiatives are becoming more prominent along with the continued drive for more energy-efficient products. Both of those being in the discussion for net positive energy. However, we’re in a space and time where we’re asked to do more with less, which – before the Coronavirus and these stay-at-home orders – turns into more hours in the workspace. And the human element of comfort needs to be included in building facades and envelopes. Unless your building is actual brick and mortar there is no way fenestration can’t be a part of it.

What lessons have you learned from being involved in NFRC that you would share with young professionals just getting started in the fenestration industry?

Get involved. Be engaged. Listen. Actively participate—ask questions and offer ideas. NFRC is a great, well-rounded group of people and minds coming together to promote the advancement of energy efficiency, home and work environment comfort by way of fenestration products.

Through my time with NFRC, I’ve experienced tremendous technical growth and been able to connect and collaborate with some great individuals within the industry. As someone coming from a different sector or industry, I’ve been impressed by the minds in those meetings. There hasn’t been a meeting where I haven’t walked away without learning something or expanded my rolodex of people who I can call as a resource. 

If you could do anything now (outside your current profession or role), what would you do?

I would be professionally involved in sports in some way. I’d love to be an advanced scout or working in the front office of a professional sports team. I like to play baseball and ice hockey, and I enjoy coaching baseball. Mostly, I just want to be outdoors, enjoying my time with nature. 

NFRC participated in the 2019 Greenbuild International Conference in Atlanta last week. Senior Director Tom Herron and Manager Jeremy Browning met with exhibitors in the green building industry to promote the benefits of NFRC membership. They also connected with several window, door and skylight manufacturers to discuss the importance of NFRC’s fair, accurate and credible ratings for their products.

Organized by the U.S. Green Building Council, Greenbuild brings together companies and organizations focused on sustainability in the built environment. They have sessions and products on the exhibit show floor that highlight the latest trends and innovations in green building. They also released a sustainability report.  The international event also featured keynotes from a prominent civil rights advocate, a teen climate change activist and former President Barack Obama.

Headlining the opening session of the conference, President Obama spoke about the importance of sustainability for the future. He was interviewed by U.S. Green Building Council president Mahesh Ramanujam on the main stage and the two discussed the link between climate change and global economic inequality and the importance of leadership in shaping a sustainable agenda.

For more information, read the show recap.