The Website http://www.metrogreenbusiness.com/ is reporting that the Empire State Building’s window refurbishment project is complete.
According to a recent Web article, the 6,514 windows in the Empire State Building were refurbished with a process that reused 96 percent of the existing glass and frames.
NFRC member company, Serious Materials, carried out this process, reusing the existing materials to create super-insulating glass units (IGUs). This process was performed in a dedicated processing located within the building.
The Web article also says the IGUs are four times more thermally efficient than the dual pane windows they replaced and are expected to cut solar heat gain in half. Additionally, the completion of this project will reduce building energy costs by more than $400,000 annually.
The project was completed over the course of seven months, three months ahead of schedule.
Full Story
Details about the Empire State Building Retrofit Project
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
NFRC to Assist Registrants with DOE’s Building Envelope Supplier Summit
The National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) is pleased to announce that it will serve as the registration partner for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Commercial Building Energy Alliances (CBEAs) inaugural Building Envelope Supplier Summit.
The summit will be held from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. in Chicago at the Westin Michigan Avenue on Tuesday, November 16, one day before the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) Greenbuild 2010 Show opens.
The summit will present new and emerging practices and technologies that can be used to potentially make existing commercial buildings 10 to 20 percent more energy efficient.
For more information on the Building Envelope Supplier Summit, please contact Bette Hughes.
You can register for the event here.
The summit will be held from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. in Chicago at the Westin Michigan Avenue on Tuesday, November 16, one day before the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) Greenbuild 2010 Show opens.
The summit will present new and emerging practices and technologies that can be used to potentially make existing commercial buildings 10 to 20 percent more energy efficient.
For more information on the Building Envelope Supplier Summit, please contact Bette Hughes.
You can register for the event here.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
NFRC to Exhibit at ICC"s Final Action Hearings
The National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) will be exhibiting at the International Code Council’s (ICC) Final Action Hearings at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
While the hearings are scheduled to run from Sunday, October 24 until Sunday, October 31, the exhibit hall will be open on Monday, October 25 from 3:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. and Tuesday, October 26 from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.
If you are attending the hearings, be sure to visit NFRC at booth #219. Representatives will be available to answer your questions about NFRC’s activities and programs.
Please contact NFRC’s Communications and Marketing Manager, Tom Herron, for more information.
While the hearings are scheduled to run from Sunday, October 24 until Sunday, October 31, the exhibit hall will be open on Monday, October 25 from 3:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. and Tuesday, October 26 from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.
If you are attending the hearings, be sure to visit NFRC at booth #219. Representatives will be available to answer your questions about NFRC’s activities and programs.
Please contact NFRC’s Communications and Marketing Manager, Tom Herron, for more information.
Friday, October 8, 2010
NFRC Working as Registration Partner for Building Envelope Supplier Summit
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Commercial Building Energy Alliances (CBEAs) are hosting the inaugural day-long Building Envelope Supplier Summit in Chicago on Tuesday, November 16, the day before the USGBC’s Greenbuild 2010 opens. The conference will be held at the Westin Michigan Ave.
New and emerging practices and technologies can be used to make existing commercial buildings 10 to 20 percent more energy efficient. Moreover, these same technologies can be used in constructing new commercial buildings that use 25 to 50 percent less energy than their traditional counterparts. These super-efficient buildings can have a dramatic impact on the United States’ energy use and carbon emissions.
As NFRC members and others in the industry recognize, the building envelope—windows, roofs, insulation, foundations, and other components—and the suppliers of these products are the most crucial elements of these equations.
Full Story
New and emerging practices and technologies can be used to make existing commercial buildings 10 to 20 percent more energy efficient. Moreover, these same technologies can be used in constructing new commercial buildings that use 25 to 50 percent less energy than their traditional counterparts. These super-efficient buildings can have a dramatic impact on the United States’ energy use and carbon emissions.
As NFRC members and others in the industry recognize, the building envelope—windows, roofs, insulation, foundations, and other components—and the suppliers of these products are the most crucial elements of these equations.
Full Story
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
New Study Demonstrates the Value of CMA
Today, the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) released the Component Modeling Approach (CMA) Simulation Study, which clearly demonstrates the benefits associated with the use of CMA in California buildings.
The study is based on simulations run for a variety of California buildings. According to John Lewis, NFRC’s director of new programs, the study shows that by using CMA construction professionals in California can achieve:
• Higher compliance margins for most buildings in California.
• More accurate HVAC loads modeling and sizing.
• Greater benefits from above-code incentive programs.
Other benefits from using CMA may include reducing utility demands, proving access to tax incentives, and helping improve re-sale value of a property.
Click here for a copy of the full NFRC press release. Learn more about CMA here.
The study is based on simulations run for a variety of California buildings. According to John Lewis, NFRC’s director of new programs, the study shows that by using CMA construction professionals in California can achieve:
• Higher compliance margins for most buildings in California.
• More accurate HVAC loads modeling and sizing.
• Greater benefits from above-code incentive programs.
Other benefits from using CMA may include reducing utility demands, proving access to tax incentives, and helping improve re-sale value of a property.
Click here for a copy of the full NFRC press release. Learn more about CMA here.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Web Article Discusses Value of NFRC Label
On September 30, the Website, http://www.ereleases.com/, posted an article that discusses how to understand the National Fenestration Rating Council's (NFRC) label.
The article says that as people become more concerned with the high cost of energy, many of them are growing more conscious about choosing energy-efficient windows. It goes on to explain the significance of the NFRC label, how to understand the various entries, and how to make the best purchasing decisions accordingly.
Details
The article says that as people become more concerned with the high cost of energy, many of them are growing more conscious about choosing energy-efficient windows. It goes on to explain the significance of the NFRC label, how to understand the various entries, and how to make the best purchasing decisions accordingly.
Details
Thursday, September 23, 2010
NFRC Stakeholder Group Announces Call for Entries in Beyond Green High Performance Buildings Competition
Bud DeFlaviis, Executive Director, of the Sustainable Buildings Industry Council (SBIC) recently wrote an article announcing SBIC’s call for entries for its 2010 Beyond Green High Performance Building Awards.
The SBIC is one of the National Fenestration Rating Council’s (NFRC) stakeholder organizations. The article has been re-printed here verbatim to bring attention to the competition for all those who may be interested.
By Bud DeFlaviis
Introduction
Last year, during an event to promote energy efficient buildings, President Obama quipped that although the topic particularly isn’t a particularly “glamorous” one, it was something that he could “get really excited about it.” This light-hearted comment had the positive effect of reminding people that better buildings can, and will, contribute positively to the human experience. Such a claim may sound overblown, but when one considers that we spend approximately 90% of our time indoors, it becomes clear how important our buildings really are.
As the green building movement gains momentum, residential and commercial building owners strive to become better environmental stewards. This usually involves renewable and energy efficiency strategies. Certainly, these are laudable, but not sufficient to create a fully-functional building.
A Holistic Approach to Sustainability
The Sustainable Buildings Industry Council (SBIC) and its members are committed to doing even more. That is why SBIC created the Beyond Green TM Awards. Since 2001, these Awards have recognized exemplary innovations and innovators in the sustainable building industry.
The awards also encourage building professionals to develop a more holistic approach to design and construction – an approach that promotes energy, water, and material efficiencies, while ensuring indoor environments that are healthy, productive and comfortable. This kind of holistic approach fuels a self perpetuating cycle, triggering further advances and improvements, which lead to greener and more sustainable buildings all over the world.
Additionally, the Awards provide a platform to showcase forward-thinking buildings and initiatives that embody the definition of a high-performance building. Such buildings, of course, provide greater accessibility, cost-effectiveness, functionality, historic preservation, productivity, safety, security and durability, and sustainability.
Beyond Green Awards 2010
This year’s 2010 program, just getting underway, will again recognize high-performance buildings and high-performance building initiatives. Entries will be accepted through the end of October and reviewed by a select jury. Once winners are determined, they will be invited to Washington, DC in February 2011 to present their projects on Capitol Hill as part of an educational briefing for lawmakers and the public.
This year’s program will also feature an additional afternoon session and expanded poster session held at 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, ask questions, and earn AIA CES credits.
Finally, winning entries will have the opportunity to post a case study about their project on the Whole Building Design Guide – a highly-visible web resource that has become the comprehensive source of information for high-performance building practices and techniques.
Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen once wrote, “Always design a thing by considering it in its next larger context - a chair in a room, a room in a house, a house in an environment, an environment in a city plan.” The Beyond Green TM High-Performance Building Awards embodies this sentiment, and we hope the 2010 competition will continue to inspire others to embrace this holistic approach to buildings that will transform the American landscape, both figuratively and literally.
Details are available on SBIC’s Website.
The SBIC is one of the National Fenestration Rating Council’s (NFRC) stakeholder organizations. The article has been re-printed here verbatim to bring attention to the competition for all those who may be interested.
By Bud DeFlaviis
Introduction
Last year, during an event to promote energy efficient buildings, President Obama quipped that although the topic particularly isn’t a particularly “glamorous” one, it was something that he could “get really excited about it.” This light-hearted comment had the positive effect of reminding people that better buildings can, and will, contribute positively to the human experience. Such a claim may sound overblown, but when one considers that we spend approximately 90% of our time indoors, it becomes clear how important our buildings really are.
As the green building movement gains momentum, residential and commercial building owners strive to become better environmental stewards. This usually involves renewable and energy efficiency strategies. Certainly, these are laudable, but not sufficient to create a fully-functional building.
A Holistic Approach to Sustainability
The Sustainable Buildings Industry Council (SBIC) and its members are committed to doing even more. That is why SBIC created the Beyond Green TM Awards. Since 2001, these Awards have recognized exemplary innovations and innovators in the sustainable building industry.
The awards also encourage building professionals to develop a more holistic approach to design and construction – an approach that promotes energy, water, and material efficiencies, while ensuring indoor environments that are healthy, productive and comfortable. This kind of holistic approach fuels a self perpetuating cycle, triggering further advances and improvements, which lead to greener and more sustainable buildings all over the world.
Additionally, the Awards provide a platform to showcase forward-thinking buildings and initiatives that embody the definition of a high-performance building. Such buildings, of course, provide greater accessibility, cost-effectiveness, functionality, historic preservation, productivity, safety, security and durability, and sustainability.
Beyond Green Awards 2010
This year’s 2010 program, just getting underway, will again recognize high-performance buildings and high-performance building initiatives. Entries will be accepted through the end of October and reviewed by a select jury. Once winners are determined, they will be invited to Washington, DC in February 2011 to present their projects on Capitol Hill as part of an educational briefing for lawmakers and the public.
This year’s program will also feature an additional afternoon session and expanded poster session held at 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, ask questions, and earn AIA CES credits.
Finally, winning entries will have the opportunity to post a case study about their project on the Whole Building Design Guide – a highly-visible web resource that has become the comprehensive source of information for high-performance building practices and techniques.
Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen once wrote, “Always design a thing by considering it in its next larger context - a chair in a room, a room in a house, a house in an environment, an environment in a city plan.” The Beyond Green TM High-Performance Building Awards embodies this sentiment, and we hope the 2010 competition will continue to inspire others to embrace this holistic approach to buildings that will transform the American landscape, both figuratively and literally.
Details are available on SBIC’s Website.
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