NFRC in the News - Selected Article Title

The BOMA Magazine
October 2006

New State Energy Codes - What You Need to Know

By Jim Benney

Building energy codes that address the energy performance of fenestration products (windows, glass doors, and glass curtain wall systems) in residential buildings are commonplace. In recent years, however, states all across America have begun to address fenestration in nonresidential buildings as well.

As of late last year, 37 states and the District of Columbia have adopted nonresidential state energy codes that reference or require the use of energy performance ratings certified by the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC), according to the Building Codes Assistance Project (BCAP). BCAP provides custom-tailored assistance on building energy code adoption and implementation.

NFRC, the only organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy for determining the energy performance ratings of fenestration products, rates and certifies products for U-factor (insulating value), solar heat gain, air leakage, visible light transmittance and condensation resistance. These ratings are determined by accredited, independent labs (such as Quality Testing) in accordance with NFRC procedures. NFRC labeling allows building officials to reliably verify energy code compliance and gives them a quick and simple way to measure the energy performance of fenestration products.

A few states, such as California , Florida and Oregon , have directly adopted NFRC nonresidential requirements into their independent, state-specific codes. In these cases and under specific circumstances, building owners and managers must certify fenestration systems through NFRC. In other states, NFRC is referenced in building energy codes as a result of adoption of national model energy codes developed by the International Code Council (ICC) and its predecessors beginning in 1995. Because these codes typically offer a punitive default option, NFRC certification of nonresidential products is commonplace across the country.

Owners and Managers Need to Be Aware

It is important for owners and managers to become familiar with nonresidential energy codes that incorporate fenestration rating requirements because building officials will be enforcing them. Because nonresidential fenestration products play a significant role in the energy performance of a building, NFRC began developing a system for rating and labeling nonresidential products in 1999. In 2001, NFRC launched its Site-Built Program, which allows manufacturers, glazing contractors, architects, specifiers, and building owners and managers to rate, label and compare fenestration products and to verify compliance with energy code requirements. But because nonresidential products typically are assembled on site rather than uniformly in a factory, the rating and labeling systems differ in important respects.

•  Products intended for site-built applications such as typical high-rise nonresidential applications are not labeled. Instead, energy performance information is displayed on an NFRC Label Certificate, which should be on file in the general contractor's office or posted on the job site. (Labels are typically attached directly to fenestration products installed in low-rise commercial buildings.)

•  The need for a “licensed entity or responsible party” because of the absence of a manufacturer. This party, which may be a glazing contractor or installer, a lineal supplier, a building owner, an architect or even a construction specifier, agrees to guarantee the performance of the certified products that have been specified and installed on the building envelope.

NFRC Improving Nonresidential Rating and Labeling

NFRC's rating and labeling programs are widely recognized as the industry standard, but the organization is constantly working to improve its programs. Based on feedback from users of the Site-Built Program, and to meet new requirements established by the California Energy Commission, NFRC is developing a series of improvements for nonresidential product rating and labeling options for the commercial sector.

These new improvements will:

•  Simplify the process, reducing the time it takes for participants to rate and reduce related costs.

•  Provide licensees with an alternate means of rating and labeling products that will meet new requirements in California and other states.

As more and more states adopt nonresidential building energy codes that include NFRC requirements, commercial buildings become energy-efficient. As this trend continues, it is crucial for building owners and managers to familiarize themselves with their state's nonresidential energy codes and any NFRC requirements they may include.

NFRC is committed to working with the building industry to develop fenestration standards that meet the needs of a fair, accurate and credible rating system NFRC continually strives to improve its rating and labeling programs, and the nonresidential product rating program is a giant step in that direction.

 Jim Benney is NFRC's Executive Director.

He can be reached at jbenney@nfrc.org