Have a Good Night

Day three of NFRC's Summer Membership Meeting has concluded.

The NFRC Board of Directors will meet tomorrow morning from 8:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. Be sure to check back for the most up-to-date information available.

Ratings Committee Moves Forward on Deadline for Dynamic Attachments

A deadline regarding the consideration of attachment products in ratings figured prominently in the today's last meeting.

Currently, products with dynamic attachments can be rated without considering the attachment.

A looming March 1, 2009 deadline, however, would require that any ratings consider the attachment product.

As a result of unavoidable delays in assessing the simulation software, the Window 6/Therm 6 Validation Research Project Monitoring Task Goup and the Window 6/Therm 6 Approval Task Group jointly and formally recommended to the Certification Subcommittee that the current mandatory date of March 1, 2010 be suspended. A motion calling for the suspension of any deadline pending thorough assessment of the simulation software passed, and will be forwarded to the Board.

Ratings Subcommittees Address Various Issues

Earlier in the afternoon, the subcommittees that report to the Ratings Committee got down to business. The Component Modeling Approach (CMA) Ratings Subcommittee kicked off the block with a report from Sneh Kumar, who leads the CMA Complex Products Task Group. He explained that the task was formed at the last meeting and has twice met. He encouraged people to join and participate in the task group.

The Subcommittee then posed a question, in reference to NFRC 705-2009, Section 5.1, for discussion: Should an Approved Calculation Entity (ACE) “select and contract” with an Inspection Agency (IA) that will conduct ACE calculation reviews? After the group discussed the issue, the Subcommittee recommended revision of that section of the PCP document. It directed the Task Group to handle this task (and ballot it for the November Membership Meeting), recommending that the revision reflect that the specifying authority would be responsible for contracting with IAs for those types of review discussed.

The Labeling Subcommittee followed CMA Rating Subcommittee, with reports from the CMA Label Task Group and the Attachment Label Task Group. The Subcommittee then discussed requirements for metric labeling. It was reported that Natural Resources Canada permits NFRC labels to show two decimal places for easier comparison of products between U.S. and Canadian programs. The Subcommittee decided to form a special task force to review metric ratings and labeling issues.

The Certification Subcommittee made the following motions, and all of them passed:

• Move the NFRC 700 product line ID forward to Board for approval
• Move the NFRC 700 Private labeler ballot forward to the Board for approval and implementation upon publication
• Move 700 Section 6 and Appendix B fwd to Board for approval and to be implemented upon publication
• Move the NFRC 700 Section 4&5 ballot forward to the NFRC Board for approval and to be implemented upon a date to be determined after approval of Window 6/Therm 6 software

A number of other notable motions presented during this meeting blocked passed. For example:

• Moving the NFRC 700 W6/T6 forward for approval and to be implemented upon approval of the Window 6 and Therm 6 software
• Changing the language in section 6.4.2 D of the NFRC 700, which currently reads, “shall include whole product ratings" to add "as applied to a reference window”
• Applied films should only be rated over worst-case reference windows; and be consistent in type and performance values as those in the IECC window default table
  

Guest Speaker Biography -- Melissa Shannon

Melissa Shannon provided a legislative update during yesterday’s RAM meeting. We thought you’d like to know more about her.

Shannon joined Kountoupes Consulting after nearly a decade of service on Capitol Hill. She served as senior policy advisor for Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, covering a broad range of issues, including, agriculture, education, technology, telecommunications, labor, science, small business, and veteran’s issues.

Shannon also held several legislative and political positions in Montana, including, state-wide field director for Nancy Keenan for Congress 2000, special projects coordinator for the Montana State Superintendent of Public Instruction, legislative aide for the Democratic Leader of the Montana House of Representatives, and legislative campaign consultant for the Montana Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee.

Shannon received her B.A. in Political Science from the University of Montana, Missoula in 1998, graduating with honors.

NFRC's New Exhibit Booth Prominently Displayed

NFRC hopes you’ve had a chance to get a close look at its new exhibit booth.

The booth represents a giant step forward in improving NFRC’s visibility and strengthening its brand recognition.

Please be sure to visit the booth, which is on display in the lobby, and help yourself to the literature.

The newly designed booth is more colorful than its predecessor, provides a more concise message, and features crisper pictures to depict NFRC’s mission, vision, core values, and goals. Most notably, the new booth features high-definition monitor with a built-in DVD player.

NFRC unveiled the new booth during the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) National Convention and Design Exposition in San Francisco, April 30 - May 2, where many visitors commented that it quickly caught their attention and increased NFRC’s visibility.

Technical Subcommittees Wrap Up Business

Following the U-factor and SHGC Subcommittees, four other technical subcommittees made progress on their business.

The Attachment Subcommittee heard reports from several task groups, including Dynamic Attachments for Swinging Doors, Exterior/Interior Attachment, Storm Windows, Awnings, Applied Films, and Labeling and Certification. As no new business was at-hand, the Subcommittee adjourned.

The Condensation Resistance (CR) Subcommittee followed, turning its attention to a report on the ballot to accommodate WINDOW 6 and THERM 6 software. A motion passed to approve the ballot as presented. The group also heard updates on the discussion with the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) working group. A report may be available in the winter. Charlie Curcija then updated the Subcommittee on the CMA research and plans to develop a presentation on the research this fall. The Subcommittee decided to adjourn as there was no new business to discuss.

The Annual Energy Performance (AEP) Subcommittee met after the CR Subcommittee. The AEP Subcommittee is responsible for developing procedures to rate the annual energy performance of fenestration products and fenestration product attachments in homes. Its business today focused on the NFRC 901 ballot, particularly issues surrounding the reference house procedure. The Subcommittee found several negative comments to be persuasive and substantive and moved various issues back to the Task Group for review.

The Component Modeling Approach (CMA) Technical Subcommittee wrapped up the technical subcommittees’ activities, focusing on its one ballot – the NFRC 100, Section 5.6.4.2.1 – Spacer (Path III).

Technical Committee Block Resumes Business This Morning

This morning, the Technical Committee block picked up where it left off yesterday afternoon. The subcommittees continued to make progress on their activities.

The U-factor Subcommittee resumed its business, spending much of its time discussing the NFRC 100 Attachments Ballot, which included many comments. Several comments were found to be substantive and persuasive. Among the motions passed:

• Strike all subsections referencing permeability and all other sections referencing TBD (The reference to ASTM D737 will remain)


• Delete Section 4.3.3.4 as it is contrary to the base case window product procedure that has yet to be established


• Direct the task group to complete the missing data for skylights


• Remove 1/4 and 3/4 lite sizes and only require equal to or less than 1/2 lite and greater than 1/2 lite sizes as ENERGY STAR has recently recognized

After reviewing a ballot comment stating that attachments should only be rated over worse-case reference windows, the group engaged in a lengthy discussion about base case windows. The comment was found to be persuasive and substantive and a motion passed to take the issue back to the Task Group to consider this negative when determining the base case window(s).

The next order of business involved reviewing comments to the NFRC 100 Ballot to accommodate WINDOW 6/THERM 6 software. The negative comments were found to be persuasive and substantive, and it was decided to send it back to the Task Group.

The Subcommittee concluded its business with the NFRC 100 – 2010 ballot. A motion passed to approve all the sections balloted with the exception of 5.2.5 and Tables 5-1 and 5-2 and move them forward to Technical Committee for approval.

Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) Subcommittee

Following the U-factor discussions, the SHGC Subcommittee conducted its business. With no reports and no unfinished business, the discussion quickly turned to ballots.

One ballot addressed the possibility of changing certain digit calculation requirements (from 3 to 6) to match current CPD 2.0 database requirements. The concern here was that the requirements should apply to all products, not just to products with applied films.

After considerable review and analysis, the members agreed to table the ballot and have it rolled into the ballot for the next round of NFRC documents.

Finally, the SHGC Subcommittee also deemed it prudent to encourage the formation of a working group to refine language addressing ratings for garage doors.

Thank You NFRC Sponsors

NFRC offers a special thank you to its gold-level sponsor, HunterDouglas.

Headquartered in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, HunterDouglas is the leading manufacturer of custom-made window fashions in North America and has been in business for over 60 years.

One of the reasons the company chose to become a gold-level sponsor for the NFRC meeting is to call further attention to how attachment manufacturers and window manufacturers can work together to create innovative solutions that benefit consumers.

Another reason HunterDouglas chose to be a sponsor is the company's motivation to create a process for having its products become ENERGY STAR qualified. HunterDouglas views closer involvement with NFRC as a stepping stone to accomplishing this.

Staff members of HunterDouglas attending the NFRC meeting:

Mike Cienian

Tom Morrissey

Rob Simons

Sanjiv Malkan

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NFRC also thanks the Professional Awning Manufacturers Association (PAMA) for being a silver-level sponsor for the membership meeting. PAMA has several members in attendance including John Gant with Glen Raven, Inc.

NFRC Membership Reception Fosters Camaraderie

Last night's NFRC Membership Reception provided an ideal opportunity for members and staff to mix and mingle.

Good Morning and Welcome Back

The meetings will resume in about 30 minutes.

Be sure to come back for updates as they happen.