Energy & Performance

The Many Benefits of High-Performance Products

High-performing products yield big benefits for the homeowner, manufacturer and community at large.

2024's Record Heat: Driving Innovation in Window Technology

The summer of 2024 was the fourth-hottest summer on record for the contiguous United States, with an average temperature of 73.8 degrees Fahrenheit, which is 2.5 degrees above normal. The states of Arizona, California, Florida, Maine, and New Hampshire experienced the warmest summer in their…

Elevating Efficiency: Solutions for Window Performance

High-altitude locations present unique challenges for maintaining energy efficiency in window systems, requiring advanced argon retention technologies to meet stringent energy codes.

Progress Never Stops for Window Manufacturers

Success in today’s window and door space requires striking the right balance between efficiency, performance and consumer preference.

Thermal Expansion in Big Doors

The International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas provided a fascinating glimpse into the new and exciting trends in the market. One of these trends is that aluminum doors are getting much larger, with some fabricators showcasing doors as tall as 23 feet.

Achieve a High-Performance Door

Innovative thermal solutions can enhance U-factor performance in larger doors.

DOE Launches $2 Million Prize to Advance Cost-effective, Energy-efficient Commercial Secondary Glazing Systems

The Building Technologies Office, part of the Department of Energy, announced that they will sponsor a $2 million dollar prize to encourage production of high-performance and cost-effective secondary glazing systems towards improving energy performance in commercial windows. The first phase of the…

Advanced Window Technologies: The Latest on Thin Glass

Interest in thin glass and “skinny triples” is picking up and drawing the attention of commercial builders eager to install energy-efficient products.

Building a Culture of Innovation

Innovation can seem daunting, but focusing on consumer trends and customer preferences can produce next-generation glass technology.

How is Energy Performance in Windows Measured?

NFRC’s standardized physical tests and simulation methods provide specific fenestration performance information.

Pushing Patio Doors Forward

Improved energy performance and total integration with the indoor and outdoor experience are desirable traits for high-performance patio doors.

Understanding the NFRC Window Label

The NFRC label, issued for factory-built fenestration, or the label certificate, issued for site-built fenestration, provide performance data for thermal transmittance (U-factor), solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC), visible light transmittance (VT) and air-leakage (AL).

Select the Right Spacer System for Your Business

Warm-edge spacers can be part of a system to achieve higher performance targets.

Implementing Innovation

Window and door products are constantly redesigned to meet increasing thermal performance requirements and yet, many under-utilized products could help meet high demand. These innovative solutions could reduce residential energy consumption while increasing homeowners’ thermal comfort.

Next-Level Performance

Buildings account for an estimated 40 percent of global carbon emissions, with building operations producing 27 percent of total emissions, according to Architecture 2030. But there is more than just energy savings and climate benefits driving the use of higher-performing glass technologies.

How Federal Window Tax Credits Benefit the Industry

Energy-efficient tax credits make it appealing for homeowners to upgrade and replace their old, drafty windows. Through the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, federal tax credits provide savings for homeowners, home builders, and commercial building owners to offset the costs of improvements and…

Next-Gen Glass Can Save Billions in Energy Costs

Window Condensation Tells Many Tales

Condensation, whether wanted or not, can be a useful indicator of many physical processes. By observing the condensation trails of high-altitude jet planes, for example, one can easily estimate the speed, direction and stability or turbulence of air in the upper atmosphere.

What Will the Inflation Reduction Act Do for EPDs?

What's the Word on Thin Triples?

At the NGA Glass Conference: Miramar Beach January 24-26, Selkowitz will present considerations for the practical application of thin triples in commercial and residential construction. 

Energy-efficient Windows Offer Reason for Optimism

While fenestration product manufacturers still face challenges meeting demand, post-pandemic consumer attitudes may offer some relief.

Canadian Energy Codes: A Crooked Path to 2030 and Beyond

While some provinces push ahead faster on the requirements for improved energy efficiency for fenestration, energy efficiency is the future for Canadian fenestration products.

Energy-efficient Windows Offer Reason for Optimism

Putting more energy-efficient windows, doors and skylights into service depends on functioning, resilient global supply chains. While fenestration product manufacturers still face challenges meeting demand, post-pandemic consumer attitudes may offer some relief.

High-performance Facades, Recycling Top Agenda at Glass and Glazing Advocacy Day

Leaders in the architectural glass and fenestration industries met with Congressional representatives to discuss challenges and opportunities facing the industry, as part of the National Glass Association’s first-ever Glass and Glazing Advocacy Day, April 4-5. The largely productive discussions…

Next-Gen Tech to Meet Energy Goals

Transparent solar and VIGs are among the window technologies poised to take the fenestration industry to the next level of energy efficiency.

About Innovation

As we discussed labor and supply challenges, product trends, manufacturing capabilities and more, I kept noticing the overriding theme of innovation. Innovation in how to mitigate labor and supply chain struggles, innovation in product development and innovation in manufacturing processes.

Triple Glazing and Embodied Energy

Is the energy savings gained by moving from double to triple glazing outweighed by the extra energy used to make the third pane in the first place?  

Balancing Thermal and Acoustic Demands for Total In-Home Comfort

As homeowners seek to make improvements, it’s important to offer solutions that offer a range of high-performance benefits.

Andersen Corp. Invests in Ubiquitous Energy

Andersen Corp. announced a strategic investment in Ubiquitous Energy, a company in transparent photovoltaic technology that converts light into electricity using semiconductor materials while maintaining visible transparency. 

All Weather Launches Title 24 Compliant Series 6100 Windows

Available to order from All Weather’s network of dealers, the new Series 6100 window utilizes a thermal strut system and offers dual and triple glazing.

Don’t Forget the Frame

Today’s residential windows, sliding and terrace doors, and other fenestration systems can help protect us from extreme temperatures and conserve natural resources. While high-performance glass often is the first component we see, it’s essential to remember the role of the frame itself.

Photovoltaic Glass: Benefits and Technologies to Bring it to Market

If buildings have windows or curtain walls made of PV glass, they could become vertical power plants and make a huge contribution to the decarbonization required to meet the climate challenge.

Energy Star Version 7.0: Reckoning with The Future of Performance

Energy performance is a marker that only moves forward, and it’s incumbent upon the fenestration industry to continue rising to the challenge.  

Number of HERS-Rated Homes Grows in First Three Quarters of 2021

In the first six months of 2021, there were 150,894 homes rated and entered into the RESNET registry. This compares with the 145,961 homes that were rated during the same period in 2020.

Climate Change Drives Demand for Better Energy Efficiency

The implications of climate change and what it could mean in the form of increased specifications in all windows and doors in North America.

Upgrades to FenStar Restore Confidence in Certification Program

NFRC restructured and added personnel, enacted changes to policies and procedures, and upgraded software. Each of these elements has improved the FenStar program.

Next-Gen Window Technology

The next generation of window, door and skylight technology will be done in a lab with the most up-to-date thermal performance measuring equipment and predictive performance analysis software.

Explain Energy Efficiency to Close More Sales

The National Fenestration Rating Council is providing window, door and skylight retailers and salespeople with tools to help their customers understand the energy performance of the products they are buying.    

High-performing Windows and the Energy-efficient Home

The interactive Window Selection Tool is a way for manufacturers to list their products and reach energy savings-savvy consumers.

Developing a Passive House Line

Insights on developing a high-performance window system.

3 Reasons Manufacturers Should Take Advantage of Skinny Triples

Adoption of skinny triples has, so far, been slow, but that could change soon. With some new incentives in place that make skinny triples more attractive, and as finding ways to hit California’s thermal targets becomes mandatory, there’s a ripe opportunity for window and door manufacturers to take…

High Performance Building Practices Prevalent in the Residential Home Building Market

Home builders across the country are prioritizing high-performance building practices in their projects, regardless if they consider the home they are building to be green, according to new research published in the 2020 Green Single Family and Multifamily Homes SmartMarket Brief.

The Continued Evolution of Residential Comfort

I had the opportunity to attend the American Institute of Architects annual conference in New York City this summer. From my perspective, it was a great, busy show, with big names from around the industry, international attendees and a good energy overall. At the event, I noticed that talk about…

Making Smart Investments in the Future of Glass

Thin or "skinny" triples use a very thin, nonstructural center lite, allow the use of a single spacer, and create no significant weight changes compared with standard dual-pane IGs. Window suppliers can drop skinny triple units into existing framing designs with little or no change in the frame and…

The Green Issue

Green building and energy performance are ever-developing areas within the construction industry. So too are the associated risks for industry stakeholders. So far, claims relating to green building construction have been—and will likely continue to be—asserted based on theories that resemble…

Social Cost of Carbon

A little over a year ago, we provided a general summary of then-recent events relating to the development and implementation of an innovative conceptual number, expressed monetarily, known as the “Social Cost of Carbon.” SC CO2 is defined by the EPA as an estimate of the economic damages…

Ingrained Innovation

Sometimes innovation occurs not when something new is created, but when an improvement to an existing process advances new ideas and practices. In the ever-evolving world of fenestration, innovation is ingrained in the industry. While innovation brings about improvements and breakthroughs,…