CRDConcept: windows, doors, fenestration

Windows and doors lose or gain the most heat of all the building's components. In recent years, the window industry has developed warm edge spacers, Low-E coatings, low-conductance gases, improved weatherstripping and triple-pane windows. Windows are rated by U-Values. The lower the U-Value the more efficient the window. Of all components that make up the thermal shell, windows lose or gain more heat than any of the other components, selection is critical. Providing a tight building shell with an average performing window can result in serious condensation on the windows during the heating season. The National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) has developed a window energy rating system which compares window performance of participating manufacturers. It will provide information containing U-Value, solar heat gain coefficient, visible light transmission and air infiltration rates.

Fenestration refers to any aperture in a building envelope. Fenestration components include glazing material, either glass or plastic; framing, mullions, muntins, dividers, opaque door slabs; external shading devices; internal shading devices; integral (between-glass) shading systems. Fenestration can serve as a physical and / or visual connection to the outdoors, as well as a means to admit solar radiation. The solar radiation provides natural lighting, referred to as daylighting, and heat gain to a space. Fenestration can be fixed or operable, and operable units can allow natural ventilation to a space and egress in low-rise buildings.

Fenestration affects building energy use through four basic mechanisms--thermal heat transfer, solar heat gain air leakage, and daylighting. The energy impacts of fenestration can be minimized by (1) using daylight to offset lighting requirements, (2) using appropriate glazings and shading strategies to control solar heat gain to supplement heating through passive solar gain and minimize cooling requirements, (3) using appropriate glazing to minimize conductive heat loss, and (4) specifying low air leakage fenestration products.

See: Building Science Insight '88, Window Performance and New Technology at IRC/NRC

The National Fenestration Rating Council Incorporated ("NFRC") has developed and operates a uniform national rating system for the energy performance of fenestration products, including windows, doors, skylights, curtain walls and similar products.

Glazing performance BUILDING CODES

Historically, there have been three different general building codes in use in the United States, developed by three different governing bodies. The North East generally has used the BOCA code, developed by the Building Officials and Code Administrators International. The South has used the Standard code, developed by the Southern Building Code Congress International (SBCCI). The West has been allied with the Uniform Building Code (UBC) developed by the International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO). States individually adopt, modify or create their own codes and, depending on the state, individual cities often have a hand in further amending these general codes in specific local codes .

Web Links (11):

Notes

Buildcore - Building product information for Canada: " the Canadian standard in construction and building product information - helping the Canadian building and design community leverage its time and expertise to develop accurate construction documents", 12,000 building products available in Canada
Building Science Insights: A series of publications arising from a series of seminars offered by IRC: Institute for Research in Construction between 1982 and 1992. Each deals with a specific topic and provides scientific and technical information of a practical nature for construction professionals, on: Windows, roofs, walls, fire safety, noise transmission, sealants, coatings and protection systems, lighting, general.
Caulking and Weatherstripping - Louisiana Department of Natural Resources: complete information on Caulking and Weatherstripping
CWCT - Centre for Window and Cladding Technology: "information provider in the field of building envelopes and glazing, ... on education, training, publications, conferences and research."
Documents at Energy Efficient Buildings (Sina-Can project): many document with Canadian origins in "different areas of energy efficient construction: from the fundamentals to the nuts and bolts of EE products and equipment, the development of EE codes, technical study tours, and project planning techniques"
Home Energy Magazine Online: "providing energy professionals with reliable, easy-to-read reporting on the latest energy-efficient technologies for the home--from weatherization, to heating and cooling systems, to lighting, windows, appliances, and indoor air quality."
Journal of Light Construction, JLC Online: "unbiased coverage of products, materials, and building techniques as well as hands-on management advice". Good articles about all aspects of housing/buildings
RCI-Mercury - Resource for Roofing and Waterproofing Information: Excellent "online roofing and waterproofing document resource. " on Coatings Codes, Associations, Standards, Wood Expansion Joints, etc.; ...technical journal of the Roof Consultants Institute.
Technical Preservation Guidance: This site has a nice description of building components, including exterior envelopes and interior walls, with specific references to historical buildings.
Weatherize Your Home-Caulk and Weather Strip: Nice lists of Caulk and Weather Strip, and some web links
Windows and Daylighting at LBL: the definite source for window information, software, material database, high-tech products, and publications

Related References (52)

--------: 2004 Survey of United States architects on the subject of switchable glazings, by Sottile, G. M., 2005
--------: A database of window annual energy use in typical North American residences, by Arasteh, D., Huang, J., Mitchell, R., Clear, R. and Kohler, C., 2000
--------: An alternative approach for the energy and environmental rating of advanced glazing: An electrochromic window case study, by Papaefthimiou, S., Syrrakou, E. and Yianoulis, P., 2009
--------: Angular selective window coatings: theory and experiments, by Mbise, D. L. B., Niklasson, G.A. and Granqvist, C.G., 1997
--------: Automated blind control to maximize the benefits of daylight in buildings, by Koo, S.Y., Yeo, M.S. and Kim, K.W., 2010
--------: C1199-00 standard test method for measuring the steady-state thermal transmittance of fenestration systems using hot box methods, by ASTM, 2000
--------: Comparison between PCM filled glass windows and absorbing gas filled windows, by Ismail, K. A. R., Salinas, C. T. and Henriquez, J. R., 2008
--------: Computer simulation of window condensation potential, by McGowan, A. G., Wright, J. L., 1998
joints with wall: Creating durable bonds between windows and walls, by Rousseau, M. J. (Ed.), 1999
--------: Development of electrochromic evacuated advanced glazing, by Papaefthimiou, S., Leftheriotis, G., Yianoulis, P., Hyde, T. J., Eames, P. C., Fang, Y., Pennarun, P. and Jannasch, P., 2006
--------: E1105-00 Standard Test Method for Field Determination of Water Penetration of Installed Exterior Windows, Skylights, Doors, and Curtain Walls by Uniform or Cyclic Static Air Pressure Difference, by ASTM, 2000
measuring air leakage: E1424-91, Standard test method for determining the rate of air leakage through exterior windows, curtain walls, and doors under specified pressure and temperature differences across the specimen, by ASTM, 2000
--------: E330-02 standard test method for structural performance of exterior windows, curtain walls, and doors by uniform static air pressure difference, by ASTM, 2002
--------: E547-00: water penetration of exterior windows, curtain walls, and doors by cyclic static air pressure differential, by ASTM, 2000
--------: Energy efficiency of a dynamic glazing system, by Lollini, R., Danza, L. and Meroni, I., 2010
--------: Energy performance assessment of an electrochromic window, by Papaefthimiou, S., Syrrakou, E. and Yianoulis, P., 2006
--------: Energy savings of office buildings by the use of semi-transparent solar cells for windows, by Miyazaki, T., Akisawa, A. and Kashiwagi, T., 2005
--------: Fenestration of today and tomorrow: A state-of-the-art review and future research opportunities, by Hynd, B. P. J. a., Gustavsen, A., Arasteh, D., Goudey, H. and Hart, R., 2012
--------: Finite element analysis of temperature-induced deflection of vacuum glazing, by Wullschleger, L., Manz, H. and Wakili, K. G., 2009
--------: Heat mirror coatings for energy conserving windows, by Lampert, C. M., 1981
--------: Highly insulating glazing systems using non-structural center glazing layers, by Arasteh, D., Goudey, H. and Kohler, C., 2008
--------: Innovative solar windows for cooling-demand climate, by Chow, T., Li, C. and Lin, Z., 2010
IR thermagraphy measurement of glass temperature: Issues associated with the use of infrared thermography for experimental testing of insulated systems, by Griffith, B. T., F. Beck, D. Arasteh and D. Ttirler, 1995
--------: Long-term field tests of vacuum glazing, by Lenzen, M. and Collins, R. E., 1997
NFRC 100: NFRC 100: Procedure for Determining Fenestration Product U-factors, by NFRC, 2001
--------: NFRC 200-2010[E0A0] Procedure for Determining Fenestration Product Solar Heat Gain Coefficient and Visible Transmittance at Normal Incidence, by NFRC, 2010
--------: NFRC 300-2010 Test Method for Determining the Solar Optical Properties of Glazing Materials and Systems, by NFRC, 2010
--------: NFRC 400-2010[E0A0] Procedure for Determining Fenestration Product Air Leakage, by NFRC, 2010
--------: NFRC 500-2010 Procedure for Determining Fenestration Product Condensation Resistance Values, by NFRC, 2010
--------: NFRC Test procedure for measureing the steady-state thermal transmittance of fenestration system, revised 1997, by NFRC, 1997
--------: Office worker preferences of electrochromic windows: a pilot study, by Zinzi, ., 2006
--------: On minimizing heat transport in architectural glazing, by Manz, H., 2008
--------: On-site investigations of spandrel glass microenvironments, by Behr, R. A., 1995
fenestration account for 20% of air leakage for low-rise: Particle penetration through windows, by Liu, D. and Nazaroff, W.W., 2002
--------: Recent advances in electrochromics for smart windows applications, by Granqvist, C. G., Azens, A., Hjelm, A., Kullman, L., Niklasson, G. A., Ronnow, D., Mattsson, M. S., Veszelei, M. and Vaivars, G., 1998
--------: Repair method for common water leaks at operable windows and sliding glass doors, by Beers, P. E. and Smith, W. D., 1998
--------: Report, by ILO, 2001
simulation: Role of computer simulation in window certification, by Curcija, D., 0
--------: Spectrally selective glazings, by Lee, E.S., 1998
--------: State-of-the-art highly insulating window frames -- research and market review, by Gustavsen, A., Jelle, B. P., Arasteh, D. and Kohler, C., 2007
IR thermagraphy measurement of glass temperature: Surface temperatures of insulated glazing units: infrared thermography laboratory measurements, by Griffith, B. T., D. T¨ąrler, and D. Arasteh, 1996
surface temperature of glazing: Surface temperatures of insulated glazing units: infrared thermography laboratory measurements, by Griffith, B. T., D. T¨ąrler, and D. Arasteh, 1996
--------: Surface temperatures of window specimens: infrared thermography laboratory measurements, by Griffith, B.T., H. Goudey and D. Arasteh, 2002
window performance standards: The system approach to window performance standards, by Elmahdy, A.H. and A. Patenaude, 1988
--------: Theoretical and experimental analysis of the vacuum pressure in a vacuum glazing after extreme thermal cycling, by Fang, Y., Hyde, T., Eames, P. C. and Hewitt, N., 2009
--------: Thermal behavior of a novel type see-through glazing system with integrated PV cells, by Han, J., Lu, L. and Yang, H., 2009
glazing temperature measured on curtain wall: Transfer of heat, moisture and air through metal curtain walls, by Ge, H., P. Fazio, and J. Rao, 2001
--------: Voluntary test method for thermal transmittance and condensation resistance of windows, doors and glazed wall sections, by AAMA, 1998
--------: Water intrusion evaluation for caulkless siding, window, and door systems-laboratory testing results, by NAHB Research Center, Inc., 2002
--------: Window industry technology roadmap, by DOE, 2001
repair: Window systems: repair versus replacement, by Kelley, S. J., Chiropolos, J. N. and Gustitus, D. A., 1993
--------: Z8311Z-200x, test method for water penetration of exterior windows, skylights, and doors by rapid pulsed air pressure difference, by BSR/ASTM, 2000

CRDBER, at CBS, BCEE, ENCS, Concordia, June 2014