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.”

Fall Membership Meeting Underway in Atlanta

The National Fenestration Rating Council's (NFRC) fall membership meeting is underway at the Westin Buckhead in Atlanta. 

The proceedings began with the Challenge Procedure Work Group, the NFRC 712 Labeling Task Group, and the NFRC 712 PCP Task Group discussing a number of pending issues.

Be sure to check back for details throughout the day, and feel free to offer you comments on the postings. Those who are not able to attend but follow what's happening on the blog can benefit from your insight.

Fall Membership Meeting Set to Kick Off

Check back starting at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow, Monday, November 7.

We'll be bringing you live coverage of the proceedings and thoughts and insight from fenestration experts.

SBIC's Beyond Green Awards Offer Recognition for Sustainable Projects

As one of the sponsors of the Sustainable Buildings Industry Council (SBIC) the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) is proud to inform you about SBIC’s 2011 Beyond Green™ High-Performance Building Awards. This unique program recognizes buildings, initiatives and products that shape, inform, and catalyze the high-performance building market.  

The winners of the Beyond Green™ High-Performance Building Awards will be invited to present their projects on Capitol Hill as part of an educational briefing for lawmakers and the public. This presentation and poster session gives winners an opportunity to discuss the challenges and opportunities for delivering better buildings with policymakers.

The 2011 Award program will also feature an afternoon session held Catholic University's School of Architecture and Planning. Area students and local building practitioners will have the opportunity to understand winning projects in greater detail, and ask questions.

Winning projects will also be published on the Whole Building Design Guide Web site (www.wbdg.org). Additional recognition will include an announcement in SBIC's newsletter, a handsome plaque, posting on the Council's Web site and inclusion in SBIC technical guidelines and publications.

To learn more about the 2011 Beyond Green™ High-Performance Building Awards, please download the Call for Entries and click on the links to the left.  Visit the SBIC Web site frequently for program updates, including the jury announcement and details about the Capitol Hill briefing.  This year's deadline for entries is November 15, 2011. 

 If you have any questions about the program, please contact Kimberly Lowry by phone at (202) 628-7400, extension 200 or by email at: sbic@sbicouncil.org.