Latest Articles in All
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May 1, 2012VIG, dynamic glazing and BIPVs are comingGlass or window and door pundits who have hoped for a Moore’s Law like effect to hit our industry and consistently drive technological advances in a timely manner may finally be in luck. Oh, we may not realize the speed or intensity of change that occurs in the semiconductor or electronics industries. But we certainly are entering an era in which we can expect to see great leaps forward in... more » -
May 1, 2012The International Code Council begins its first set of code development hearings for the 2015 editions of its codes this month in Dallas. The ICC Group A codes to be covered include the International Building Code. Group B codes, including the International Residential Code, the International Energy Conservation Code and the International Green Construction Code will be addressed later. IBC... more »
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April 25, 2012In preparing for my moderator role at this week’s Fenestration Manufacturers Conference—taking place right now in Pensacola Beach, Fla.—I participated in several conference calls with organizers to polish up our agenda. One of the topics of discussion we explored was raw material price increases and whether or not the market can sustain increases rippling through the supply... more »
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April 24, 2012Window & Door recently reached out to a number of people in the industry for an upcoming article looking at the impact of recent steps taken by the Federal Trade Commission designed to end the use of "exaggerated and unsupported claims" related to the energy-savings potential of windows. Gary Delman of Sunrise Windows in Michigan shared the following insights. We thought... more »
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April 18, 2012A growing number of new home builders have found a point of differentiation in the marketplace by offering Energy Star-qualified homes. Studies reveal that homebuyers feel good about being good stewards of the environment—but they feel even better about saving money on energy bills. Consequently, with more people staying in their homes longer, energy-rated homes are becoming an easier sell... more »
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April 18, 2012Biggest challenge for most manufacturers likely to be new U-factor requirementsThe fenestration industry is facing significant changes that will likely increase thermal performance standards by 30 percent to 40 percent within the next few years. Higher performance levels are demanded by the International Energy Conservation Code and the ICC 700 National Green Building Standard, and soon the Energy Star Windows, Doors & Skylight program. The Environmental Protection... more »
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April 18, 2012Most window and door manufacturers and dealers talk very cautiously about the future. The downturn in the economy, coupled with some false starts on the road to recovery, has produced a significant change in attitude to our industry. In the ’80 and ’90s, there was always an underlying optimism—even when economic forecasts were less than rosy. That optimism grew and grew as we... more »
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April 17, 2012With Earth Day coming, I thought I would turn my attention to green. In surfing the internet on the subject, I came across a a small business report on American Express's Open Forum that suggests that consumers are opting for green products less due to the weak economy, but companies continue to move in a greener direction. The reason companies are embracing green, it suggests, is that... more »
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April 11, 2012The American Architectural Manufacturers Association fully supports the Lead Exposure Reduction Amendments Act of 2012 (S2148), introduced in early March by Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.). The bill seeks to restore the “opt-out” provision removed from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting rule in April 2010. In 2008, EPA finalized its RRP... more »
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April 11, 2012It a little less than a week, the 2012 deadline for filing your income taxes will be upon us. Always a fun day to look forward to, isn’t it? I read an article that says more than half of Americans plan to use this year’s refund to pay bills. Some people will take vacations, participate in leisure activities or buy gifts with their refunds, the survey says, but a majority of... more »