What
is ENERGY STAR®?
ENERGY STAR®
is a voluntary partnership between the U.S. Department of Energy, the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the fenestration industry.
It is designed to assist consumers in the recognition of energy
efficient products and promote the environmental and economic benefits
of these products with the ENERGY STAR®
label and other program activities.
How
do products qualify for ENERGY
STAR®?
Consumer products (such as major appliances) receive the ENERGY
STAR® label when they exceed the
minimum federal energy consumption standards. These figures vary from
product to product.
How
do windows qualify for ENERGY
STAR®?
Window products qualify by meeting certain criteria set forth by
the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC).
All windows must be NFRC rated, certified and labeled for both
U-factor and Solar Heat Gain Coefficient as well as Visible Light
Transmittance.
What
is a U-factor?
A U-factor measures the rate of non-solar heat transfer from one
side of the window to the other. Heat transfers to both heat loss out
of a living space during cold winter weather and non-solar heat gain
into a living space during hot summer weather. This energy transfer,
measured in BTUs, is know as conduction.
The lower the U-factor of a window, the higher it's R-value.
And
what is Solar Heat Gain Coefficient?
The Solar Heat Gain Coefficient measures the amount of solar heat
that gets through a window. The lower the SHGC, the better a window is
at reducing heat gain, and in the end, the cooling costs that go along
with it.
What
is the NFRC?
The National Fenestration Rating Council is a non-profit,
public/private organization created by the window, door and skylight
industry. Their primary goal is to provide accurate information to
measure and compare the energy performance of window, door or skylight
products.
What
are those qualifications?
The program has established three climate regions with one
recommended product designation for each.
Northern Region Criteria
