Progress Continues on Revisions to ENERGY STAR® Criteria for Fenestration

Last year, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced its intent to revise the criteria by which windows, doors, and skylights qualify as ENERGY STAR® products. The plans call for a phased approach for implementing the revised criteria, starting in 2009.

In a May 20 letter to stakeholders, DOE released the preliminary criteria revisions to doors and skylights and explained that it may be revised as analysis continues.

ENERGY STAR Program Manager Richard Karney reported that the proposed windows criteria are scheduled to be released this month.

“However, the analysis, while in its final throes, is still examining issues which may affect the final outcome of the criteria,” said Karney. “I do not anticipate missing the July release, but I am more interested in getting it right than out the door,” he said, noting that those attending the next stakeholders meeting “will have ample time to review the document.”

DOE will hold that stakeholders meeting on August 13, in Washington, D.C. Karney recommends that participants be prepared to provide data with their suggestions. 

Before then, Karney is scheduled to deliver a presentation about the criteria revision process at NFRC’s Summer Membership Meeting in Chicago. The presentation is scheduled during the Regulatory Affairs and Marketing Committee meeting on Wednesday, July 30. Karney plans to “summarize the criteria under consideration and the key elements of the ongoing analysis.”

There have been several new developments since the release of the May 20 letter to stakeholders. Karney noted that DOE is considering two phases instead of three: 2009 and 2013.

Additionally:

• The analysis for 2013 is being conducted on the assumption that krypton will not be available for broad use (due to the scarcity of and demand for krypton).
• Trade-offs are still being considered in the North in place of a Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) minimum.
• Trade-offs are impossible in the South due to the 2009 changes to the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC).
• Modest adjustment of the climate zone boundaries is possible.

Final criteria probably will be released in October and become effective about nine months later, according to Karney.

For more information, visit the ENERGY STAR Web site.

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NFRC Insider | Vol. 2, Issue 3 - July 2008