Tag: windows

Today’s Decisions Impact Long-Term Success

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Allow me to borrow an example from the residential window market for a moment. Talk in the industry has revolved around the critically stringent new ENERGY STAR 7.0 criteria, set to take effect at some point in 2023. Window systems meeting the current criteria will in most cases need to make significant design alterations to achieve the thermal efficiency performance required to maintain the ENERGY STAR label.

The question for window manufacturers is this: How to go about making these changes? There are options, and some of them are more complicated than others. To date, residential manufacturers have typically relied on their insulating glass units to meet previous ENERGY STAR criteria; low-E coatings and high-performance spacer systems have gotten the job done.

But the new ENERGY STAR 7.0 numbers — requiring a < 0.22 u factor and > 0.17 solar heat gain coefficient in the Northern Zone, which covers much of North America — will trigger more dramatic changes. My colleague John Ryba has written extensively about the options manufacturers have at this magazine’s sister publication for the past year. Triple-paned IG could be a necessity if manufacturers don’t want to alter their window systems completely. Elsewhere, switching to energy-efficient vinyl systems can help manufacturers meet the new figures with greater confidence.

The latter process involves a greater upfront investment. Changing your vinyl systems is a big shift — but one that might be worthwhile over the long term for residential manufacturers who want to remain at the forefront of energy efficiency trends in the industry.

What does this have to do with the commercial glass industry? First, it’s important to remember that energy efficiency standards, barring some major regulatory shakeups, never go backward. ENERGY STAR is just one example. Government bodies around the world, from the local level to the national stage, are more concerned than ever with fostering greater sustainability in all areas of society. We’ve seen the effects in North America as new building codes in major municipalities are implemented, demanding higher and higher levels of performance from all types of buildings. That, of course, includes glass and glazing codes.

It means that the case is strong for commercial fabricators (both window and door and glass) to invest in innovative and forward-thinking technology today — before it simply becomes the cost of doing business. For example, high-performance vinyl systems have proven themselves to be viable in commercial window and wall applications, while delivering an outstanding thermal performance that metallic options can’t match without major modifications. Warm-edge spacer systems have likewise delivered outstanding efficiency gains in major commercial applications, including architectural glazing. The right products can also provide nice efficiency improvements in manufacturing.

Technologies like these represent not only a way for commercial fabricators to prepare themselves for a future where more stringent efficiency standards come into effect; they’re also a means to create separation from the competition. As we round out 2022, it’s worth keeping these things in mind while making plans for 2023 and beyond. It’s incumbent upon the commercial glass and glazing industry to remain innovative as codes and regulations change. Investing in high-performance technology is one path to get there.

Joe Erb is the national account manager for Quanex

Getting in Front of Energy Penalties

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Can you put a specific price on a building’s energy emissions? In New York City, starting in 2024, you can: $268.

That’s the penalty building owners will be charged for every metric ton of CO2 generated above an established limit beginning in two short years. Local Law 97, passed in 2019, will apply these limits for buildings in excess of 25,000 square feet from 2024–2029 before they become even more stringent (and with harsher penalties) from 2030–2034. While there are some additional complexities to the law—limits vary depending upon the type of building and its current emissions—the message is clear. Inefficiency now comes with a cost, and it can add up quickly.

New York City isn’t the only major city deploying these measures to reduce carbon emissions and promote greater sustainability. Washington, D.C., recently proposed a similar law that would take effect in 2025. Surely other cities aren’t far behind.

These measures are part of a more widespread push toward sustainability, but they strike me as a fairly distinct shift from how the industry has traditionally thought about a building’s efficiency. Energy efficiency is typically framed around the benefits—lower energy bills, occupancy comfort and, yes, reduced emissions. And it’s true that reaping these benefits requires an investment that some building and property owners may have previously not deemed necessarily worthwhile. But major municipalities instituting financial penalties for poorly performing buildings is a new kind of motivator for building owners and managers.

The commercial glass and glazing industry has some opportunity here, because high-performance window and glass systems are a great way to improve a building’s energy efficiency without sacrificing too much of the window-to-wall ratio. And I think this kind of financial imperative to improve energy efficiency in all buildings—new and old—will continue to drive greater acceptance of progressive window technologies.

One example is high-performing vinyl window systems, which can deliver outstanding energy benefits in a variety of applications where metallic systems have traditionally held the majority of market share. Not only are the energy benefits striking (especially when combined with warm-edge spacer systems), but there is also more evidence of their ability to deliver long-term performance. Last month I wrote about project-specific mock-up testing and why it’s becoming increasingly important to help validate the expected energy and structural performance of new, efficient building technologies. Vinyl systems, when installed with the right technique and care, absolutely have the potential to meet and exceed expectations.

For commercial glass professionals, we can advocate for technologies like these for our customers. For building owners in New York City and potentially other major municipalities, it’s decision time—invest in bolstering the efficiency of your properties today, or pay the price tomorrow.

 

Being Thankful for Progress

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We’re approaching the end of November, and that means Thanksgiving and the holiday season is right around the corner. I hope that after the challenges our industry has been through this year, you’ll be able to find at least a bit of time to rest and reflect over the next month or so.

With all of this in mind, I got to thinking about what we—the fenestration industry—can or should be thankful for this year. On first thought, it might seem a bit difficult to identify those things as we continue to navigate the ongoing supply chain crunch, labor issues, and additional challenges that arrived with the pandemic and don’t seem to have subsided.

But I was struck by a couple of recent news items in this magazine. A new report from Key Media & Research suggests that commercial glass-related construction is approaching a full rebound. Elsewhere, a panel of commercial construction industry experts recently noted that construction pipelines are full and expect that the market is headed toward a period of sustained growth. You’ve probably been seeing and hearing similar chatter in the past few months.

This is all good news we can be thankful for, and it’s also worth thinking about a little more deeply. It’s evidence not just of the resiliency of our industry, but of commercial glass and glazing’s vital role in the modern built environment. The benefits are real, and they’re in high demand in new construction. Outstanding efficiency and occupancy comfort. Daylighting and views. Long-term performance.

We’ve helped sustain the demand for these benefits by working with building code communities to demonstrate glass’s ability to meet desirable performance targets in large-format glazing and curtainwall applications. We’ve also done it by utilizing proven technologies such as warm-edge spacer systems, low-E coatings, new kinds of framing, and other solutions. Glass today is an essential part of modern facades—and it’s because of the tremendous effort and innovation our industry has delivered over the past few decades. I’m thankful for the progress we’ve made toward the realization of more efficient, modern commercial construction.

It’s worth thinking about this collective hard work and collaboration as we begin to look toward next year and the future beyond. And while for many in the industry it’s been difficult to forecast too far beyond the day-to-day, it’s important that commercial glass professionals don’t let today’s challenges cause us to rest on our laurels. Make no mistake—it’s rough in the world of commercial glass fabrication and installation right now. But demand for what we can bring to modern buildings is higher than it’s ever been, and it will take our continued efforts and innovation to keep driving that demand higher.

Toward the end of a year filled with challenges, I hope you can find some things to be thankful for in the commercial fenestration space. And I’d love to hear what they are—let me know at Joe.Erb@Quanex.com.