NFRC Agrees to Complete its
Component Modeling Program In Response to Request from the California
Energy Commission
Silver Spring , Md. – February
15, 2006 – The National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) Board
of Directors has directed the organization to move forward with
its Component Modeling Program with the goal of meeting the schedule
and needs of the California Energy Commission (CEC). The Board
reached its decision at a meeting held February 9-10, 2006 .
The request comes as a
result of recent changes to California
's energy efficiency standards for buildings ( Title
24, Part 6 of the California Code). The codes require
an NFRC rating and certification program for site-built fenestration
products in nonresidential buildings. NFRC is designated as the
state's administrator of its certification program and responsible
for providing the CEC a method to verify compliance.
“As
the designated administrator of California 's certification program,
NFRC has an obligation to provide the state with the necessary
tools for code compliance,” said Jim Benney, NFRC's executive
director. “ California has consistently been a leader in the state
energy performance codes arena. They recognize the need for this
program and we are committed to meet those needs.”
“The changes in California
's Title 24, Part 6 are designed to bring the benefits of independently
certified, technically accurate energy performance ratings to
the construction of nonresidential buildings as specified in the
code,” said Nelson Pena, at the California Energy Commission.
“We strongly support NFRC's Component Modeling Program and appreciate
the Board's decision to move forward based on our request.”
NFRC's next step will be
to identity the issues that must be addressed and their respective
timelines; and establish various task groups to develop ways to
meet those timelines.
The Component Modeling
Program, which NFRC has been developing for three years, involves
testing and rating individual components of a fenestration system
and using computer simulations to rate the energy performance
of the entire system. In addition to providing consistent and
reliable thermal performance ratings, it more thoroughly addresses
issues specific to the commercial market.
“We
have a lot of work to do over the next two or three years to comply
with the CEC's request, and we encourage all nonresidential stakeholders
to provide input and feedback as the process unfolds,” Benney
said.
Interested
parties can find more information about the Component Modeling
Procedure (see Committee Information - non-residential task group
activity) on the NFRC Web site at www.nfrc.org.
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