Friday, August 19, 2011

NFRC's Program Fees, Membership Dues Overhauled

After careful review and consideration, the National Fenestration Rating Council’s (NFRC) Board of Directors recently approved a major change in its program fees and membership dues schedule.

The new schedule uses a flat dues structure for membership and a sliding scale for program participation fees.

The decision to change membership dues was prompted by NFRC’s desire to ensure that all industry members pay the same amount for their “voices and votes,” regardless of their size.

The new PCP fee schedule also more equitably assigns costs and benefits for participating manufacturers. Whether members or non-members, they will pay a fairer share for the programs and benefits that NFRC provides.

NFRC also expects the lower membership dues will encourage non-member participants to join NFRC and add their voices to the development of technical and certification procedures.

Under the new fee schedule:
  • Beginning in 2012, all industry members will pay an annual membership fee of $2,000. Members in the General Interest categories will continue to pay $500 per year.
  • Label fees and product line fees are eliminated, saving administrative time.
  • Program participation fees will be based upon annual sales of fenestration products (see the attached chart).
  • Non-members will continue to pay slightly higher additional program participation fees.
While it is anticipated that some industry members and non-members will pay more and some will pay less than they have in the past, it is expected that the new schedule will save everyone  time and money on internal accounting, billing, and management activities.

In addition to creating a more fair and equitable system, the decision to adopt a new revenue model was driven in part by a need to pay for the Blind Verification Program (BVP) that NFRC has agreed to implement.

The BVP will improve the quality of the Product Certification Program and ensures that NFRC Ratings are recognized by the EPA/DOE Energy Star Program. It is anticipated that the BVP will decrease costs for program participants by reducing recertification expenses.

If you have any questions, please contact either NFRC's Membership Manager, Anita Marsh, 240-821-9508 or NFRC's Product Certification Program Associate, Toni Stroud, 240-821-9511.

Please visit NFRC's Website for details
.