NFRC Spring Meeting in Nashville:
Working Toward the Future
NFRC members and participants convened in Nashville, Tenn., March 3-6 for the 2008 Spring Membership Meeting. Attendees discussed many topics during the conference ranging from the Component Modeling Approach (CMA) to the possibility of rating attachment products to NFRC’s international activities.
CMA Continues to Generate Discussion
CMA is a large focus of the NFRC membership as the program is refined and moves closer to completion. Most of the information in the program documents was approved in previous meetings, but attendees at this latest conference debated the use of generic frames. NFRC also solicited input on the CMA software tool and the Ratings Committee recommended that all agreed changes to the CMA Label Certificate be incorporated into a single ballot to be issued for the 2008 Summer Membership Meeting.
“I truly believe that for CMA to be as successful as it can, we need all parties to remain fully engaged in the process, providing thoughtful and critical input as we move forward,” said NFRC Chairman Joe Hayden. “There will, of course, continue to be disagreement on certain aspects, but I feel it’s vital that we all work together to achieve our common goal.”
NFRC also hosted a special forum to begin exploring the use of component methodology procedures in the residential fenestration market.
Attachments at the Forefront
The topic of rating attachment products as an entire class also received a lot of attention during the meeting. The Attachment Subcommittee, led by Fred Higgins of Wayne Dalton Corporation, held an open forum during which attendees debated the benefits and challenges of creating an attachment products rating program. They discussed how to possibly rate these products – e.g., use a base case reference window to which all attachment products could be compared, or build on existing attachment products ratings – and how to make a rating program as accurate as possible.
Hayden sees the issue of rating attachment products as an opportunity for the organization “to grow, improve, and evolve.” He added, “The board of directors is working hard to provide the membership with direction on this issue, and it has even set a deadline of April 30 for accomplishing this.”
Also during the conference, Bipin Shah, NFRC’s international coordinator, reported on activities taking place in several countries (see “NFRC International Activities Producing Results”). Australia and South Africa ratings are being implemented while India, China, and Saudi Arabia are working towards adoption.
Board Moves Items Forward
The NFRC Board of Directors met on the final day of the conference to vote on matters approved by committees. The board took action on numerous items, such as:
- Reapproving NFRC LAP-2007 as the NFRC LAP-2008;
- Authorizing the Technical Interpretations Policy Committee to be the governing committee to bring forth and maintain NFRC 601-2008 (“Unit and Measurement Policy”);
- Approving NFRC 600 as edited, with implementation upon publication (it sunsets the previous version at the same time);
- Directing the Technical and Ratings committees to review NFRC 400 for improvements and to consider alternatives; and
- Suspending the January 1, 2009, mandatory date for labeling of dynamic products until the completion of the Window 6/Therm 6 validation research project, or March 5, 2009, whichever comes first.
Participants took a forward-looking view on many topics, from refining and implementing the CMA program to exploring the possibility of an attachment products rating program to discussing the future of the ENERGY STAR® Windows program. In addition, attendees debated how to improve NFRC’s procedures.
“During the conference, participants reviewed a number of methods for simplifying NFRC rating procedures and began the groundwork to revise technical documents to meet our 2009 cycle,” said NFRC Executive Director Jim Benney.
Hayden concluded that the Nashville gathering was a successful, spirited meeting. Vigorous debates and discussions filled the air, and it drew 12 first-time attendees.
“I’m encouraged by the fact that NFRC has added 34 new member companies in the past year,” Hayden said. “This is a further indication that NFRC is a strong and vibrant organization. As I stated in Nashville, I’m excited about NFRC’s potential for continued success and look forward to working with everyone as we move forward.”
Check out information for NFRC’s upcoming Summer meeting in Chicago, Ill., July 28-31. Details can be found here.
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Chairman's Message >>>
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Working Toward the Future >>>
International Activities Producing Results >>>
The Latest with NFRC’s Component Modeling Approach >>>
Summer Meeting Set for Chicago >>>
NFRC Member of the Year Award >>>
NFRC Updates Meetings Schedule >>>
Industry Update Webinar Set for May 15 >>>
Member Spotlight >>>
Spotlight: AEP Subcommittee >>>
Spotlight: PCP Task Group >>>
Industry Happenings >>>
NFRC Insider | Vol. 2, Issue 2 - April 2008