New NFRC Video Shows Ease of Achieving Commercial Fenestration Energy Code Compliance

GREENBELT, MD—The National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) has created a new whiteboard showing how easy it is achieve fenestration energy code compliance.

The whiteboard introduces “Joe,” an animated commercial window manufacturer who uses NFRC’s commercial ratings program overcome the challenge of proving his products meet code.

Intended to serve commercial building architects, building owners, builders, code officials, and others, the video shows the value of NFRC’s program. It also shows the benefits of its label certificate, getting commercial windows certified, and how these label certificates are the way to comply with energy code requirements to avoid default ratings.

“Though NFRC introduced a new commercial window energy rating method (component modeling approach, CMA) in 2009, it is still a new concept in the building and fenestration industries,” said Ray McGowan, NFRC’s Senior Program Manager.

McGowan added that the video, “…allows architects, builders, component manufacturers, code officials, and others who have an interest in commercial fenestration to understand the potential benefits of the CMA process quickly.”

More detailed information on the commercial window certification programs available through NFRC is available at www.nfrc.org.

NFRC has also tailored resources specifically for code officials looking to verify ratings of commercial projects: a website that provides tools for the job and a free monthly webinar that explains its commercial program and how it relates to codes.

The webinar also provides one-hour AIA credit.

Questions on the NFRC commercial programs may be directed to Ray McGowan at 240-821-9510.

About NFRC

NFRC is a non-profit organization that administers a voluntary, uniform rating, labeling, and certification system for the energy performance of windows, doors, curtain walls, skylights, and other fenestration products. Its members include manufacturers, suppliers, utilities, consumer groups, representatives from the building and code industries, scientific and educational organizations, and government agencies.

Featured

  • Montclair State University Starts Construction on $120M STEM Building

    Montclair State University in Montclair, N.J., recently broke ground on a new $120-million Interdisciplinary Science Building, according to university news. The university partnered with HoK Architects for the project’s design, and it’s scheduled to open in time for the 2028–29 academic year.

  • Hawaii Elementary School Reopens Following $25M Campus Modernization

    Haʻaheo Elementary School in Hilo, Hawaii, has reopened to students following a three-year, $25-million campus modernization and expansion project that significantly increases the school's instructional space while preserving one of the island's oldest educational institutions, according to local news.

  • University of Pennsylvania Releases Design of Future Physical Sciences Building

    The University of Pennsylvania (Penn) in Philadelphia, Penn., recently released renderings of an upcoming 350,000-square-foot Physical Sciences Building, according to news release. The facility was designed by CO Architects and will unite the university’s departments of Physics and Astronomy, Mathematics, and Earth and Environmental Science.

  • Q&A: How to Prevent Kitchen Grease Fires in Commercial Kitchens

    School cafeterias and university dining halls serve thousands of meals daily, relying on high-heat equipment like fryers, grills, and ovens. While these operations keep students fed, they also generate significant grease-laden vapors. Without proper controls, this grease becomes a silent fire threat. As a certified exhaust cleaning specialist and business coach who has helped hundreds of institutional facilities achieve NFPA 96 compliance, I emphasize that proactive grease management isn’t optional; it’s a core fire/life safety practice.