Certification and verification in revised Energy Star

Emily Zachery, manager, D&R International, Silver Spring, Md., provided a program update for the Energy Star program for Windows, Doors and Skylights during the Annual Meeting for the Insulating Glass Manufacturers Alliance, Ottawa, ON, March 22-25, in Las Vegas. The revised Energy Star program is scheduled to go into effect in fall 2013, she said.

One focus of the revision process is to ensure that Energy Star products are economically viable for manufactures and for customers. "We want to make sure this is economical to the industry," Zachery said. "Energy Star has to be cost effective. I know the law of diminishing returns exists for windows and we're working with manufacturers to see what's feasible."

The revised program will include several new criteria for the fenestration industry, including insulating glass certification requirements and product verification requirements. The insulating glass certification requirements "will help ensure the lifetime of products carrying the Energy Star label," Zachery said. The overhaul of Energy Star program includes product verification, possibly through third party certification. "This is a renewed effort to enhance the Energy Star brand," Zachery said. "For windows, [third-party certification] is nothing new, but for the rest of the product categories, this requires a big overhaul."

Possible changes could include more stringent U-factor and solar heat gain coefficient requirements, orientation and shading considerations, daylighting criteria for tubular daylighting devices and skylights, installation requirements and air leakage criteria. Proposed life cycle analysis and structural requirements are unlikely to make it into this round of revisions, Zachery said.