Last week I saw a bumper sticker on a huge black SUV: “There’s more to life than gas mileage.” This is true. While fenestration is responsible for a great deal of energy use (solar gain in summer, heat loss in winter, air infiltration around frames), the daylight and connection to the outdoors that windows provide is essential for our health and well-being.

Another thing that’s important for our health and well-being is mitigating the accelerating effects of climate change, and super-efficient buildings are the easiest way to do that. However, some commenters worry that constructing zero net energy buildings will mean living with “… tiny little windows, little windows so you can’t see out, can’t see the light,” to quote a recent president.

To keep from being stuck with those “little tiny windows,” we all know some performance boosts like warm edge spacers, thermal breaks, and fourth-surface low-e coatings. Beyond that, talk of triple glazing always raises hackles, but alternative technologies are emerging. LBNL has developed a “thin triple,” inserting a very thin center pane in the thickness of a typical double-pane unit. Vacuum insulated glass and several varieties of dynamic glazing are emerging. While these newer options might be beyond typical project budgets today, glazing is inevitably going to get more complex, and it’s essential to have NFRC keeping track of how all these perform.

For an entire century, architects have dreamed of buildings that are all glass, wall to wall and floor to ceiling, which turns out to be good for magazine covers but not much else. Strategic sizing and placement of glazing to optimize energy as well as comfort, daylight, and views for the occupants will require breaking out of the old all-glass mentality, which itself might require a new generation of architects. To quote Mark Frankel: “That which exists must be possible,” so if you want to see what the Zero Net Energy future looks like, start by checking out the hundreds of ZNE buildings that already exist, and then make your own even better.

Information on some of the new technologies may be found in the NFRC "Emerging Trends and Technology" webinar series. Visit the NFRC store for the titles and access to the webinars. 

By Jessica Finn

“If you don’t create a system for testing and reporting fair, accurate, and credible energy performance information for windows, doors, and skylights, we will.”

-U.S. Federal government

In 1989, 25 industry leaders attending an American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) meeting in Vancouver, got together to discuss the need to establish a new organization focused on a national, uniform fenestration energy -rating system. Since there was no official meeting space available in the hotel, the group eventually settled in the hotel bar. It was in this humble setting that the National Fenestration Rating Council ( NFRC) was born, and its original logo sketched out on a bar napkin. By unanimous vote, these pioneers agreed to form the NFRC we know today.

The dedication of NFRC members mattered then, and 31 years later, membership matters just as much, if not more today. We are facing new challenges that need to be address ed as an organization and as an industry, including helping designers meet increasingly stringent energy codes, a changing global climate that requires higher performance from fenestration products, and the need to harmonize international standards.

In the early years, no matter how much NFRC members disagreed, everyone knew that the forces that brought them together still existed. If they couldn’t agree on setting energy-performance standards, the federal government would do it for them with its own system. Another risk was states opt ing to set their own standard, potentially adding onerous delays and expense to product testing and certification.

The challenges ahead of us are big, but the opportunities for advancement and innovation are bigger .  NFRC staff works diligently to increase the organization’s capacity to meet these challenges head on. I t’s also important to highlight the contributions of members for past milestones, as well as the positive effect they have on the future of NFRC.

NFRC members have been instrumental in leading and implementing:

NFRC welcomes members from across the industry, including manufacturers and suppliers, laboratories, inspection agencies, education and research institutions, not -for- profit organizations, and industry associations.  

Every member matters! Small or large manufacturer , university or laboratory, architect or retailer, your time and expertise can make a difference for you and the industry . Leading up to our 2020 membership meeting, we are launching a membership campaign to bring on new members and recognize our current members. 

We hope that you will join us to take on the challenges and seize the opportunities that are coming our way.  For more information, or to get involved click here.

Jessica Finn is NFRC’s membership manager and has been with the organization for nine years. 

NFRC will hold its 2019 Spring Committee Meeting in Baltimore from March 25 to 27. As the nation’s leading authority on energy performance ratings for windows, doors, and skylights, it’s a can’t miss event for fenestration professionals.

At the three-day event, attendees will discuss industry best practices, updates to NFRC’s ratings data and consider all of the aspects of fenestration that impact the comfort and energy use in homes and offices nationwide. The meeting also features a presentation by a representative from the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkley National Labs and Volunteer Leaders Network sessions to provide members with career skills and guidance.

Agenda topics will include diffuse glazing, nonplanar solar materials, and warm edge spacers.

“The demand for green building is continuing to grow, and NFRC’s ratings for windows, doors and skylights play a key role in servicing that demand,” said NFRC CEO Deb Callahan. “This is a great opportunity to look back at what we’ve accomplished, but also examine what’s ahead and how to continue positioning our organization and its members for success.”

Founded in 1989, at the meeting NFRC will continue to celebrate its 30th anniversary with the “30 Voices for 30 Years” campaign. It’s our chance to look back at the contributions of members and staff that helped build NFRC’s reputation. Those efforts established its ratings as the gold standard for fair, accurate and credible fenestration product certification. You can click here to submit your own story.