Reaction Continues to Proposed ENERGY STAR® Revisions

Industry representatives continue to talk about and react to the proposed revisions to the ENERGY STAR criteria for doors, windows and skylights, which was released on August 6 and was discussed in-depth at last week’s industry stakeholders meeting at the Department of Energy (DOE). (CLICK HERE for related story.)

Several aluminum window manufacturers, particularly, have expressed concern about the revisions and the call for lower U-factors.

“It’s punishing those states, counties and municipalities that have done the right thing and adopted an energy code requiring the use of low solar gain products,” says Freddie Cole, national sales manager with General Aluminum Windows in Dallas. “Why should those jurisdictions be punished with required stricter values when there are entire states that do not require low solar gain products at all in the South? Wouldn’t the DOE be better served leveling the playing field, so to speak, by pressuring those states to adopt codes that require low solar gain products?”

He continues, “I understand the DOE’s position that ENERGY STAR has to be better than the codes, but codes in many jurisdictions are already equal to ENERGY STAR and codes can be and are being changed at a much more rapid pace. Many municipalities and jurisdictions reference ENERGY STAR in their codes, which means there can be three different code guidelines (ENERGY STAR, International Residential Code [IRC] and International Energy Conservation Code [IECC]). Wouldn’t it make sense to take a good (IRC), better (IECC), best (ENERGY STAR non-mandatory) approach?”

Tom Culp, who represents the Aluminum Extruders Council, also has some concerns about the proposed revisions.

“We’re encouraged that DOE is updating ENERGY STAR, but of course, we’re concerned about how it will affect aluminum windows in the south,” says Culp. “Because ENERGY STAR must beat code, it is still uncertain what the final criteria and performance trade-offs will include until after the International Code Council final hearings in late September. We will be filing detailed comments after that time.”

In addition, Cole says that there are also issues when it comes to the codes and the way they are viewed by window manufacturers, homeowners and builders.

“The biggest disconnect I and many others see is both the manufacturer and the homeowner view the code as the minimum standard; the builder, in most cases, views code as a maximum to which a home should be built. Builders could do better, but since the state(s) don’t require it they don’t choose to,” says Cole. “If every state adopted the IRC and its energy code as a base standard the nation as a whole would be better off in regards to conserving energy.”

Cole adds, “I would like to see the DOE make the statement that ‘ENERGY STAR U-value and solar heat gain coefficient requirements are not intended for and should not be used by jurisdictions as the basis for local energy code(s). ENERGY STAR is an above-code initiative.’ This would help explain the intended use of ENERGY STAR and prevent the misuse of the target requirements.”

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