NFRC Continues Progress on Its Next
Generation Nonresidential Rating and Certification Program
- Consensus reached on the need for third-party verification
- Calculation Agencies consisting of trained individuals
deemed a necessary part of the program
Silver Spring , Md. – October
10, 2005 – The National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) Nonresidential
Task Group met in Atlanta to discuss a revised program flowchart,
find consensus on several issues, and design a working path forward
on its next generation nonresidential rating and certification
program.
Greg Carney, NFRC's Nonresidential
Task Group (Ratings) chair and Technical Director for the Glass
Association of North America, guided the discussion as the well-attended
task group found common ground as well as areas for continued
work. Developments include:
- Scope. The task group confirmed its project
scope, “To develop a component-based product certification program
for commercial (nonresidential) fenestration products and systems
which will provide value to the end users.”
- Third party verification . A group vote affirmed
that third-party verification should remain a part of the program
to maintain its integrity.
- Calculation Agencies. It was agreed that
calculation agencies are key to the program. These entities
will be trained and licensed by NFRC to be sure that they can
calculate whole product performance from the various component
libraries.
- Draft program language . A new working group
was formed to take the next generation flow chart and begin
to draft program language for inclusion in the PCP.
Jim Benney, NFRC Executive
Director, characterized the meetings as fairly productive.
“It's not always a pretty
process, but the whole point of task group meetings is to gather
as much input as we can to start making the hard decisions,” Benney
said. “We see the honest and forthright input of the participants
as a natural part of the process. What matters in the end is the
creation of a final product that meets the needs of architects,
specifiers, state energy offices and code officials; yet complements
the current business practice in the commercial building industry.”
Once revised, the third
iteration of the program flowchart will be available for review
at the NFRC Nonresidential Task Group Web site at www.nfrc.org/taskgroups.aspx
. Interested parties are invited to submit comments and suggestions
to C. Gregory Carney at cgcarney@aol.com
(Task Group Chair) with a cc to Bipin Shah at bshah@nfrc.org
(NFRC staff). Comments can also be submitted directly to
the NFRC nonresidential discussion board at www.nfrc.org
.
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