Sustainability

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…

Vinyl’s Sustainability

The industry is amplifying vinyl’s sustainable attributes through LCAs, post-consumer recycling and more.

Beautiful Biophilic Designs

Biophilic design continues to gain attention from architects, builders and increasingly, homeowners. Understanding the definition of this concept, its benefits and its practical application in residential construction can benefit window and door manufacturers, as well as your customers.

Post-Consumer Vinyl Window Recycling

Canadian pilot program Winfinity aims to recycle as much of the 40 million pounds of post-consumer vinyl windows as possible. 

The Importance of Hardware in Window and Door Efficiency

Components and hardware should meet, or even increase, a window and door’s efficiency. 

Fabricators’ Choice

Homeowners want to personalize their interiors to match their decorating preferences, and often assume this includes their windows and doors.

Achieve a High-Performance Door

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

A Look at PCR for Fenestration Systems

With owners, architects and organizations’ interest in sustainable products and building practices growing, the newly released Product Category Rule, or PCR, for fenestration systems comes at a great time.

Industry-wide LCA for Certified Vinyl Profiles Eases Manufacturer Sustainability Reporting

Anyone who has dealt with the world of life cycle assessment documentation, including environmental product declarations and health product declarations, can easily testify to the complicated nature of the field. But, some companies are now at the forefront of the LCA movement within the…

The Current State of Energy Star

The overall energy trend for the architectural glass industry is increased stringency moving toward net-zero.

Is Technological Adoption at a Standstill in the Fenestration Industry?

Despite hesitations—over new technologies, over consumer demand for higher-performing products—window and door manufacturers can’t afford to simply rest on their laurels. While it may not always follow a straight line, progress never stops in the fenestration industry.

Repurposing Unwanted Glass

Without a national glass recycling infrastructure, Repurposed Materials Inc. offers an opportunity to reuse and repurpose architectural glass.

Pushing the Boundaries of Sustainability and Materials Science

A global push to live more sustainably and reduce our collective carbon footprint is compelling manufacturers to rethink how products are created. Consider these three phases of window and door products’ lifecycle: Manufacturing, the life of the product in a structure, and end-of-life…

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.

Aluminum Extrusions

Aluminum can meet many goals, including those around sustainability, recyclability and design.

Energy Star 7.0 | Making Intelligent Design Decisions

Maximize operations’ bottom-line profitability and increase products’ market share by making intelligent fenestration design decisions.

Energy Star Version 7.0

What companies should know as they prepare for the October implementation of Energy Star Version 7.0.

3 Manufacturing Considerations for Your Energy Star 7.0 Strategy

If your current products are unable to meet the new guidelines, there are several potential solutions to consider. If you’re intent on keeping your label, it’s important to choose the right strategy that fits your business needs.

EPA Finalizes Energy Star Version 7.0

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized the Version 7.0 Energy Star Specification for Residential Windows, Doors and Skylights on Oct. 20. The new criteria will go into effect on Oct. 23, 2023, with products meeting the new criteria eligible for early certification starting immediately.…

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.

Why Fenestration is a Crucial Part of a Sustainable Future

If we work together, we can foster real change and create a more sustainable fenestration industry. It’s going to require participation at all levels from members and participants to federal partners and green building groups. But the time is now to lead the way and be part of the solution to build…

Disruption Alert: Transparent Solar

A conversation with Ubiquitous Energy about the opportunity for renewable energy and how solar windows can enable smarter homes.

Energy Efficiency Research Supports Growing Case for Triple-Pane Windows

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in collaboration with a coalition of public and private partners, said in a statement mounting evidence shouws triple-pane windows offer a return on investment for their long-term energy savings.

5 Takeaways From the FGIA Hybrid Annual Conference

The Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance Hybrid Annual Conference Feb. 28-March 3 in Amelia Island, Florida, was a jam-packed week of education, networking and a healthy dose of vitamin D from the Florida sunshine.

FGIA roundtables focus on window innovation, sustainability and trends

Roundtable discussions at the 2022 Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance Hybrid Annual Conference in Amelia Island, Fla. highlighted trends like thin triple glazing, sustainability best practices and case studies on window industry innovations.

Therma-Tru Launches Thrive Sustainability Initiative

Therma-Tru Thrive, the brand’s new social responsibility initiative, that features three key pillars: making life better at home; helping take care of our planet; and being a good neighbor.

Halio Announces $100M Financing Led by SK and Capricorn

Funding enables increased production capability to service orders and to further advance Halio’s electrochromic technology for commercial buildings, residential homes and vehicles.

Andersen Publishes Environmental Product Declaration for E-Series Windows

Andersen's E-Series EPD helps designers and architects achieve their green building goals, including materials and resources credits for customers pursuing LEED certification and by providing data for embodied carbon calculations without compromising design aesthetics. 

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.  

Vinyl Sustainability Council Report Details Industry Progress on Sustainability

The report documents updates to the +Vantage Vinyl program, advancements in the three impact categories, and VSC's global collaboration efforts, as well as spotlighting the sustainability stories of 10 member companies that are demonstrating leadership in the industry by verifying to +Vantage Vinyl…

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.

Warm as a Wall: An Introduction to Vacuum Insulating Glazing

For the fenestration industry and consumers, VIG would provide a lighter and longer-lasting alternative to high-efficiency triple-pane windows.

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.

How Proven Technologies Can Deliver Futuristic Performance

Increasingly high performance is an inevitability. Consumers won’t simply start compromising, nor will regulations go meaningfully backward. Developing the high-performance products to meet those demands requires high-performance technology—much of which already exists in some form today.

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.    

International Code Council Releases New Framework to Address Energy Efficiency Needs

The International Code Council released a new framework to assist governments and building industry stakeholders in meeting energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction goals.  

Record Numbers of Homes Were HERS Rated in 2020

Despite a pandemic and an economic slowdown, 2020 broke the record of the number of homes that were HERS Rated, with 299,755 homes in the U.S. being HERS rated and issued a HERS Index Score.

An Optimistic Outlook for a Busy Industry

Last week’s FGIA Virtual Annual Conference was packed with information for the fenestration and glazing industries, and covered everything from economics to safety to design to codes and regulations, and more. Read on for some of the key residential takeaways from the event.

Developing a Passive House Line

Insights on developing a high-performance window system.

Vinyl’s Green Journey

As the importance of sustainability continues to grow, fenestration companies that focus on responsible practices win with consumers.

Energy Code Update

The National Glass Association’s Thirsty Thursday webinar on June 18, presented by Tom Culp, Birch Point Consulting and NGA technical codes consultant, dissected some of the upcoming energy code evolutions in 2020 on a national and regional level.

Green Building Standard Update

Michelle Foster, VP, sustainability for Home Innovation Research Labs, provided an update on the 2020 National Green Building Standard. For those unfamiliar, the NGBS is a voluntary above code green certification program and is part of the ICC suite of I Codes. It offers alternative compliance for…

Passive House and Performance-based Building Codes

Passive House is all about energy modeling and meeting comfort, air quality and hygiene requirements. Rather than using a prescriptive approach to get to the end goal, Passive House requires the finished building meets certain standards.