Ballot Regarding VT Testing on Translucent Products to Be Revised, Resubmitted in March

Lisa Winckler presides over today's SHGC discussions

The Solar Heat Gain Subcommittee undertook its work this morning, addressing three ballots with Chair Lisa Winckler (Solution, Inc.) leading the proceedings.

NFRC 202 VT Testing Ballot

This ballot is aimed at making modifications to the NFRC 200 that allows VT testing on translucent panels per the proposed 202 procedure being balloted concurrently as, “NFRC 202 VT Testing Ballot.”

The primary issue involved is for NFRC to accept the ASTM E1084 and E972 combined procedures for rating products and to provide additional details on the method of product translation between repeated measurements to obtain a properly area-weighted average of the VT over the area of the product being tested. This topic arose out of one assertion that NFRC currently publishes incomplete data for translucent products.

Following considerable discussion, the ballot will be revised and resubmitted during NFRC’s spring membership meeting.

NFRC 200 Caming-Divider Ballot

The purpose of this ballot is to revise existing language, removing redundancies regarding caming and dividers. Further revisions would be made to the Frame Group Leaders decisions for determining the frame and divider representative for the SHGC/VT 0&1 Center-of-Glazing value.

One negative asserting that Section 5.2 does not clearly state that the caming needs to be accounted for in the SHGC and VT calculations was found non-persuasive. Another negative asked that the ballot not be approved unless there is no impact on door SHGC caming when compared to clear glass was withdrawn.

A motion to move this ballot forward to the Technical Committee for approval and implementation upon publication passed in a close vote, 13-11.

NFRC 200 CMA Reporting Ballot

This ballot calls for removing the reporting language for CMA SHGC results because all reporting requirements are to be documented in NFRC’s series of 701 publications.
In particular, the NFRC 701.03-2011, Section 1.1.2, outlines the reporting requirements for NFRC 100 and NFRC 200 simulations per the CMA program.

One member commented on the ballots, saying that while he agreed with removing the reporting requirements from the NFRC 200, the verbiage helps describe what is being done. He further suggested removing the table while retaining all the language except for anything that pertains to the table.

The ballot was approved with editorial changes and will move forward to the Technical Committee.

Feel free to offer your thoughts by responding to this posting.

Jim Krahn Named NFRC's Member-of-the-Year for 2011, Dedication, Commitment Recognized During Reception

Krahn accepts member-of-the-year award

Jim Krahn (Marvin Windows) was taken aback when Jeff Baker announced him as NFRC’s 2011 Member-of-the-Year during last night’s reception at the Southface Energy Institute in downtown Atlanta.

The evening began with NFRC’s CEO, Jim Benney, welcoming the membership to the LEED Platinum-Certified facility and quickly turned to Jeff Baker making the announcement.

“I honestly had no idea this was coming,” a clearly-surprised Krahn told the crowd over their rousing applause.

Krahn added that he’s seen many positive changes over the years and has found his involvement with NFRC both personally and professionally rewarding.”

The prestigious NFRC Member-of-the-Year Award recognizes the talents, achievements, and notable contributions that an individual makes to the fenestration industry in support of NFRC’s mission.

Feel free to offer your thoughts on Jim receiving the NFRC Member-of-the-Year award by responding to this posting.

Former NFRC Member-of-the-Year Recipients Help Celebrate Krahn's Award

2010 recipient, Bipin Shah, and 2009 recipient, Jeff Baker, join in the celebration last night as Krahn accepts NFRC's 2011 Member-of-the-Year award. 

Please take a moment to congratulate Jim by responding to this posting. 

U-factor Subcommittee Addresses Four Ballots, Creates New Task Group to Study Gap Widths

Thoman leads U-factor Subcommittee Discussions

U-factor Subcommittee Chair, Mike Thoman, addressed four ballots during this afternoon’s meeting.

NFRC 100 Commercial Skylights Ballot

This ballot concerned adding language to the NFRC 100 to accommodate the rating of large, commercial skylights. A motion to approve the ballot, noting that the relevant TI would be rescinded, and forward it Technical was approved by unanimous voice vote.

NFRC 100 Skylight Appendix 3 Ballot

The new Appendix A 3 addresses an emerging need by specifiers for project-specific skylight U-factor ratings similar to those available for non-standard window sizes as described in A.2.

The fundamental issue here is that as building codes continue to reduce the maximum allowed U-factors for all fenestration products, it is important to all for non-certified ratings to be made available for skylights at actual installed slopes.

One concern was that a statement in the document regarding certification should not be included in a technical document because NFRC does not allow for the certification of non-standard conditions.

After striking the word “certified” from the language and confirming that standard skylight sizes are simulated, a motion to move the ballot forward passed by unanimous voice vote.

NFRC 100 Sash Kit Ballot

During the Summer 2010 Virtual Committee Meeting, a ballot to revise the language in the NFRC 100, Section 5.1.2 Variations from Standard Product Lines regarding sash kits of any operator type.

While this ballot failed, a task group was assigned to revisit the issue. After creating some modified language, the group decided it would be more applicable to all products by moving it to the NFRC 100, Section 4.2.7 General Rating Rule, thereby removing Section 5.1.2. This change will cover operator types such as window sash kits, sliding door panels, and side hinged door slabs.

One negative was that sash kits, sliding door panels, and side hinged door slabs that are identical in material and design as a manufacturer’s rated product line may use the same ratings. A motion to move this ballot forward to Technical was passed by unanimous voice vote.

NFRC 102 Glazing Deflection Ballot

This ballot seeks to add language to the NFRC 102 test procedure regarding the measurement of glazing deflection.

In the course of discussing how various gap widths would apply to various IG units, one member expressed concern that the numbers were arbitrary rather than founded in science. This resulted in a move to table the ballot until further studies can be conducted on the gap width. Chair Mike Thoman created a task group to take on this work.

R&T Passes Three Motions During Afternoon Session

Strawn and DeBlock Engage in Discussion following R&T Meeting

Dave DeBlock led the Research and Technology Committee proceedings in passing three motions as the fall membership meeting continued its work toward refining NFRC's programs.

Following a report on the W6/T6 research project, a motion to extend the completion date to the spring 2012 conference was approved, 44-2.

A motion to deem the CMA CR research complete and make the final payment passed by unanimous voice vote. The next step is to send the data to the CMA Technical Committee to determine how it will be incorporated into CMA. This action will dissolve the project management task group.

A motion put forth during the Thermophysical Properties Subcommittee discussion that requires written reaffirmation for materials rather than retesting passed, 25-4.

This motion passed following some debate on whether retesting every eight years should    be required. One concern was that such testing would not add anything valuable to the procedure and would be too long. The issue will be returned to the Task Group to remove the language and to instead have manufacturers reaffirm that the materials they are using have not changed.

Simonton's Jenkins Dedicated to Expediting Improvements to NFRC Programs

Tina Jenkins says sharing knowledge creates succsss

Tina Jenkins, a fenestration industry veteran who has spent 21 years with Simonton Windows, attended her first NFRC meeting 10 years ago, and she has been involved with the organization ever since.

Starting out as an attendee interested in learning more about NFRC’s activities and programs, she now serves as the Vice Chair of the Technical Committee, Vice Chair for the 700 Certification Subcommittee, and Task Group Chair for the 700.

Jenkins was motivated to get involved with NFRC when her colleague, Chuck Anderson, recognized her talents and enthusiasm and felt she could serve as his replacement during membership meetings while he pursued other initiatives.

She has been a dedicated member over the years, working tirelessly to expedite revisions and improvements in NFRC's programs. She believes IGU certification is one example where members collaborated especially effectively to get things done quickly.

Jenkins adds that in addition to cooperation and teamwork among the members, contributions from the EPA and the DOE have also helped expedite the refinement of NFRC’s programs. For example, Jenkins points out that following additional input and insight from these organizations, NFRC was able to implement a plan for including the full CPD number on the temporary label.

“We have many talented and knowledgeable members with plenty of expertise to share,” Jenkins concluded. “Bringing them all together to improve understanding, comprehension, and awareness is what these meetings are all about. The more effectively we can accomplish this, the faster we can get things done.”

Keynote Speaker White Praises CMA, NFRC's Educational Outreach to ICC

Don White, Plans Examiner for the City of Las Vegas and Secretary/Treasurer of the International Code Council’s (ICC) Southern Nevada Chapter delivered the keynote address during today’s opening session.

White explained that NFRC has “greatly contributed to improving awareness of the importance of commercial window certification” through its CMA program.

White commented that during the Las Vegas “Boom Period” of commercial building the city was using “tons” of glass but not getting compliance. “We were putting up many office parks, mega resorts, casinos, and high-rise condos, but none of the glass was certified,” White said.

White pointed out that one key problem facing the development of commercial building energy codes for site built projects was the lack of viable information.

He described how searching for answers resulted in the discovery of misinformation rather than the “real deal.” The ICC began to experience frustration with certifying site built projects and began to feel there was no one available to provide the expertise they needed to resolve this challenge.

Shortly afterwards, NFRC’s outreach to the building energy codes community brought White, the Southern Nevada Chapter of the ICC, and NFRC together. White says it was NFRC that finally provided the expertise he sought by providing the ICC's Southern Nevada chapter with an educational presentation on CMAST.

“NFRC understands the day in and day out problems of building energy code officials,” White said. “I’d like to see the organization continue expanding its educational outreach because there is a strong need for it – not just in Southern Nevada but all over the country.”

Following White’s presentation one member asked how NFRC could help CMAST grow. White responded by advising NFRC to continue supporting events like EduCode and to stay involved in the code development process.

White also suggested that NFRC reach out to the state energy offices, informing them about its educational programs for the officials or to support consultants who can do this on NFRC's behalf.

White believes this is critical because all the pressure to certify windows on site built projects will come from state energy offices.

“NFRC is making the world sustainable,” White said during his closing remarks. “Please keep that up.”

CEO Benney Announces BOD Election Results

The National Fenestration Rating Council's (NFRC) CEO, Jim Benney, announced the results of the Board of Directions election for the 2012 term during this afternoon's opening session.

Each of the following members has been elected to a three-year term: 

• Steve Strawn, JELD-WEN. Fenestration Industry Category (Specified). This seat is specifically for a manufacturer who sells the majority of its fenestration products or systems for use in residential construction.

• Jim Larsen, Cardinal Glass Industries. Fenestration Industry Category (Unspecified).

• Neal Humphrey. Alliance to Save Energy (ASE). General Interest Category (Specified). This seat is specifically for a not-for-profit institution of research or higher education.

• Nelson Pena. California Energy Commission (CEC). General Interest Category (Specified). This seat is specifically for a representative of a state or local government energy or building code office.

• Tony Rygg. William Rygg Consultant. General Interest Category (Unspecified)

“I have every confidence these Directors will bring the kind of innovation and creativity NFRC needs to improve its existing programs, making them even more accessible to a wider variety of stakeholders,” said NFRC’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Jim Benney. “We all stand to benefit from their dedication and expertise.”