e-glass weekly - November 14, 2006
Vol 1 | Num 23
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Ratings council makes small gains in nonresidential program at meeting

Work on the nonresidential component modeling program took center stage again at the Fall Membership Meeting of the Silver Spring, Md.-based National Fenestration Rating Council, Nov. 6-9 in Arlington, Va. Many members said they were optimistic about the program’s progress, though issues such as pricing were still unresolved...

Work on the nonresidential component modeling program took center stage again at the Fall Membership Meeting of the Silver Spring, Md.-based National Fenestration Rating Council, Nov. 6-9 in Arlington, Va. Many members said they were optimistic about the program’s progress, though issues such as pricing were still unresolved, and concerns remained about the lack of involvement from many players in the industry.

“I felt for once that we made more progress at this meeting than at previous ones,” said Michael Thoman, director of simulations and thermal testing for Architectural Testing Inc. in York, Pa., and member of the NFRC board of directors. “It seems like we’re finally starting to button down the nonresidential stuff.”

During the meeting, the ratings subcommittee addressed about 130 negative comments received for the most recent draft for the Component Modeling Approach for nonresidential systems, a certification program that focuses on glass, spacers and framing systems. The draft will be revised and re-balloted in time for the spring membership meeting, said Gary Curtis, president and founder of the West Wall Group LLC in Salem, Ore., and co-chair of the CMA ratings subcommittee.

“I see the light at the end of the tunnel,” he said. “It’s quite possible that we’ll send out the letter ballot [to approve the latest draft] and people will still come back with negative comments, but we’re narrowing the disagreements and are getting closer.”

Several NFRC nonresidential groups have been meeting since the late 1990s, sometimes contentiously, to develop the CMA for nonresidential systems. “A year ago we had a lot of adversarial stuff going on,” Curtis said.  “We’re really seeing people work together.”

Program cost still unknown

Some questions remain unanswered in the CMA document, including a major hole about projected costs for the program, said Margaret Webb, executive director for the Insulating Glass Manufacturers Alliance in Ottawa, Ontario.

Webb proposed to the CMA Ratings Subcommittee the development of a joint task group between industry and NFRC representatives to develop a range of costs for the CMA program.

 “Right now this is a big unknown,” she said. The NFRC board tabled the proposal during its meeting Nov. 9 and will reconsider it at its next meeting later this month.

The CMA also lacks necessary details for the spacer and frame groups, and information about validation testing, Webb said. “Without having these things in place is opening up the blank check format,” she said.

Technical procedures approved in time for California deadline

Although work remains for both the Ratings and Technical CMA Subcommittees, the board approved several portions of the CMA technical procedures, meeting a tight deadline from the California Energy Commission.

Representatives of the CEC approached officials from NFRC in January about implementing the nonresidential ratings component modeling approach in the state. To meet the CEC’s requirements, NFRC members needed to complete the technical procedures portion of the CMA at the fall meeting.

“We made all the last-minute changes in for California,” said Tom Culp, owner of Birch Point Consulting in La Crosse, Wis. “It’s likely there will be future updates, but we wrote language that everyone could agree to.”

DOE eyes mandatory insulating glass certification

In a continued push for energy efficient and sustainable building products, the U.S. Department of Energy is investigating insulating glass certification requirements for manufacturers...

In a continued push for energy efficient and sustainable building products, the U.S. Department of Energy is investigating insulating glass certification requirements for manufacturers, says Margaret Webb, executive director of the Insulating Glass Manufacturers Alliance in Ottawa, Ontario.

DOE officials approached representatives from the National Fenestration Rating Council in Silver Spring, Md., to learn more about existing certification programs and to possibly incorporate an IG certification program into NFRC's ratings. At the NFRC meeting Nov. 6-9 Arlington, Va., four representatives from the certification and insulating glass sides of the industry, including Webb, spoke to membership about existing programs, the benefits of these programs and possible ways to incorporate them into the organization for the DOE’s needs.

There are four IG certification programs for the North American market, all voluntary, said Marcia Falke, president of Keystone Certification Inc. in Etters, Pa. This past month, Keystone Certification became the certification program administrator for IGMA.

The IG certification programs test the durability of a unit’s seal and its ability to retain gas fill, which directly relates to a unit’s thermal and energy performance, Falke said.

“The IG unit does affect how much heat loss you’re going to get through your windows, so the long-term durability of glass is important. It has a big effect on the performance of a window,” Falke said.

In response to the DOE request, NFRC created the IG Durability Task Group a year ago.

“The DOE is looking at requirements for IG certification and wanting to know how many of the current windows that are out there or that are being manufactured are certified,” Webb said. “The IG Durability Task Group is working to get hard numbers.”

John G. Kent, administrator for the Insulating Glass Certification Council in Henderson Harbor, N.Y., estimates that fewer than half of all IG manufacturers certify their products. So, a mandatory program could alter the certification industry, Kent said. “Our certification programs are all voluntary,” he said. “When considering a requirement for IG certification, we have to also consider testing capacity. Currently, most of IG testing companies are at or near capacity, so if the need for more testing goes up, how do you come up with places to test?”

Once more concrete figures are obtained about the number of certified IG units, the NFRC task group will have to work to address feasibility issues. The organization also will have to choose whether to require manufacturers to participate in one of the other certification programs, or to create its own internal program, Falke said.

Construction spending steady in September

Construction spending in September reached an estimated $1,195.9 billion, up 2.9 percent compared to September 2005, according to a Nov. 1 release from the U.S. Census Bureau...

Construction spending in September reached an estimated $1,195.9 billion, up 2.9 percent compared to September 2005, according to a Nov. 1 release from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Spending in the month stayed relatively level with the estimated $1,200 billion spent in August.

Residential construction fell 6.7 percent from the same period last year to $618.4 billion. Nonresidential construction, up 15.7 percent over September 2005, reached $577.5 billion.

In the nonresidential private category, lodging saw the biggest year-over-year gains at $22.4 billion, up 66.2 percent from the $13.5 billion in September 2005. 

Office construction edged up 1.3 percent from August to $58.7 billion, up 22.8 percent from last year, according to the release.

Health care slipped 0.4 percent from August to $42.9 billion, but still sits 10.1 percent compared with last year.

Spending on education reached 86 billion, a 2.8 increase over August and 10.9 percent increase over September 2005, according to the release.

Click here to view the full Census report.

Sales up, profits down for Kyro

Although sales increased 1.7 percent to $240.3 million in the first three quarters of 2006 for Finland’s Kyro Group, operating profits slipped 19.3 percent to $17.7 million, according to a Nov. 8 company release...

Although sales increased 1.7 percent to $240.3 million in the first three quarters of 2006 for Finland’s Kyro Group, operating profits slipped 19.3 percent to $17.7 million, according to a Nov. 8 company release.

Company officials attribute the fall in profits to non-recurring investments, including an efficiency program and a restructuring of the company’s glass processing group, according to the release.

Kyro’s Glaston Technologies business, which includes Finland’s Tamglass and Italy’s Z. Bavelloni, saw net sales of $207.3 million, down slightly from $210.6 million in the first three quarters of 2005. Operating profits for Glaston Technologies reached $14.4 million, down from $21.3 million in the same period last year.

Officials say lower demand for new and used safety glass machines hurt profits and sales for the glass machinery group. According to the release, that trend will reverse in the last quarter.