Industry leaders make the case for high-performance fenestration at NGA Glass & Glazing Advocacy Days

The National Glass Association’s Glass & Glazing Advocacy Days kicked off yesterday in Washington, D.C. Glass and fenestration industry leaders met with policymakers and agency representatives to discuss major issues concerning the future of high-performance systems. Advocacy Days continues today as industry leaders meet with Congressional representatives on Capitol Hill. Learn more about NGA's advocacy priorities. 

Here are the major takeaways from the first day:

Marc LaFrance encourages fenestration manufacturers to develop “value proposition” for windows

Marc LaFrance, the Windows Technology lead for Emerging Technologies and Residential Buildings Integration at the Department of Energy, presented on DOE work that is impacting the glass and fenestration industries. He underscored how important new fenestration technologies are for the energy performance of buildings, and said that it is “an exciting time for windows,” especially with the release of new technologies such as thin triples, vacuum insulating glass, and dynamic solar control glass.

He emphasized the need for the industry to underline the “value proposition of windows,” including all the benefits that high-performance fenestration systems can offer. “How can we do a better job of making the economic case for windows upgrades, whether that be a replacement window, secondary glazing, or whatever it may be?” he said. Part of making that case will involve putting a dollar value on the qualities of fenestration not strictly related to energy-efficiency, he said. “We need to find a way to monetize some of these extra benefits [that high-performance fenestration has], like comfort, resiliency and noise abatement.” He encouraged the industry to work with National Renewable Energy Laboratory to help develop these ideas.

Doug Anderson shares update on Energy Star 7.0

Doug Anderson, Manager of the Energy Star program at the Environmental Protection Agency, also addressed Glass & Glazing Advocacy Days attendees. He spoke about the process in updating products to Energy Star 7.0, which went into effect in October 2023. Anderson said there has been a “traffic jam” getting products submitted for the new standard approved, as officials are working through 1,700 products.

He also shared that, preliminarily, the agency does not have plans to update the Energy Star “Most Efficient” category for 2025. “This is an aggressive specification, and we think the market is still adjusting,” he said.

NGA thanks its hospitality sponsors for the event: Kuraray, Vitro and Guardian.