W&D Weekly - November 14, 2007 | Vol 2, Num 45
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AMD to Oppose Door Certification in ICC Hearings
The Association of Millwork Distributors discussed efforts to block proposed requirements for swing door testing and certification in the 2009 International Codes at its annual convention and exhibition...
Denver—The Association of Millwork Distributors discussed efforts to block proposed requirements for swing door testing and certification in the 2009 International Codes at its annual convention and exhibition here last week. In other business, AMD voted to change its bylaws to give supplier members a greater voice in the organization.
A roundtable discussion at the AMD convention allowed distributors to better understand the implications of new exterior door certification requirements.
The event featured a full day of educational presentations, examining topics ranging from lean and green to the industry outlook, as well as a trade show (as reported in last week’s WDweekly).
Door certification discussions began during the educational program, when Mark Fortun of Endura Products, reviewed the evolution of the International Codes, as well as the AAMA/WDMA/CSA 101/I.S.2/A440 window and door standard referenced in those codes. That standard and its previous editions, developed by manufacturers of windows and sliding glass doors, have long required such products to be tested and certified for air, water and structural performance, he explained. The last edition of the standard also incorporated similar language for side-hinged exterior doors, but an exception was written into the International Codes excluding those types of doors from certification requirements. AMD had lobbied for that exclusion because such doors often combine components from multiple suppliers put together by the pre-hanger and testing and certifying all the potential combinations would be cost-prohibitive.
Despite the exclusion from the 2006 code requirements, many see a need for building inspectors to assess side-hinge door performance, Fortun continued, pointing to coastal areas in particular. As a result, an AMD task group has been working with the American Architectural Manufacturers Association to develop a program that would allow a pre-hanger to produce a certified door system by mixing and matching certified components. Such a program has been developed, but is still in the testing phase.
Despite the fact that the component substitution program is not in place, the Window & Door Manufacturers Association and more recently, AAMA, have decided to go ahead and push for inclusion of door certification requirements in the 2009 International Codes, explained Peter McIlwee of McIlwee Millwork, who heads up the group’s industry standard’s committee, speaking at AMD’s general business meeting. Noting that hearings to update those codes begin in February 2008, he urged members and attendees to get involved, suggesting that such a step “would prevent many of our jobber members from supplying exterior doors.”
“We’ve been blindsided by these associations,” added Jeff Johnson of Western Pacific Building Materials, pointing to the work AMD has done to date to resolve the door certification issue. “You need to contact your suppliers and your customers,” he said. “For years, we’ve been talking about this, and writing about this, but our membership has not been engaged to the point they should be.”
Meanwhile, the new door certification requirements are being pushed by window manufacturers and door system suppliers, including AMD members, McIlwee noted. He also urged more action. “Let your customers know how much door pricing could change, let your local home builders association know. It’s going to come to a head pretty quickly.”
Noting that it’s been a very busy year for AMD, Don Houghton of Reeb Millwork discussed efforts of the group’s strategic planning committee, which include two bylaw changes that were approved by membership in Denver. The first change clarified eligibility requirements for distributor members, as the group continues to evolve to reflect the changes within the industry itself. Second, AMD voted to expand the voice of associate members. Two seats on its board of directors are now open to suppliers, and one associate will be elected to serve on AMD’s executive board.
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM
In addition to the seminar reviewing changes in door standards, AMD’s convention featured a full slate of sessions on the opening Friday. Among the most encouraging for many attendees may have been Greg Brooks’ review of trends in the building supply industry that included predictions for increased opportunities for independents in the years ahead. Looking at the housing market in general, the consultant and former editor of ProSales suggested first, “I don’t know when it will happen, but when it does come back, it’s going to come back in a big way.” This is largely due to demographics, he said, pointing to higher household growth rates over the next 10 years than the past 10 years.
The reason the immediate future holds more opportunities for independents is the fact that the current housing market has soured investors. “Red ink at the big builders means Wall Street will be turned off on this market for awhile.” Additionally, he noted, evidence that bigger companies can develop a competitive advantage through economies of scale has been scant. Pointing to declines in same store sales, Brooks also noted that consumers are less convinced that big names necessarily translate into better deals and better quality.
The needs and concerns of aging baby boomers and the new generation X and Y homebuyers will produce three major trends in the market, he continued. First, homes will continue to shrink as the physical constraints of baby boomers and the time constraints of Gen X and Y buyers limit the appearance of larger homes. Higher quality will be in demand as older buyers look for a home where they can age in place and younger buyers think about “cocooning.” Finally, green building will continue to rise as a priority, with boomers concerned about utility bills and younger generations thinking about global warming.
Ron Jones, editor of Green Builder Magazine, was also on the agenda, urging attendees—”no matter what your personal feelings”—to take the green building movement seriously and position their businesses accordingly. The housing industry was “on the wrong side” of the issue when the spotted owl was in the news, and it’s important that not happen again, he argued.
Pointing to the particular issues millwork producers should be aware of, Jones suggested that water is becoming an increasingly critical resource. Companies need to make sure they are using it as efficiently as possible in their own operations. On the demand side, he suggested the concept of whole house integration will become the norm to meet higher performance requirements.
Another element of green building Jones urged attendees not to ignore is indoor air quality. Pointing to statistics that 40 percent of children born today will suffer some form of respiratory disease, he said that products that contain no formaldehyde or give off any VOCs are going to become more critical. Products that potentially do harm indoor air quality, he added, are going to become the “low-hanging fruit” in a new wave of lawsuits.
The green building seminar, like most of the others on the AMD agenda, attracted strong attendance. “It’s fantastic for our association to see these full rooms,” noted Carl Detering of The Detering Co., introducing one of the sessions.
AMD’s next convention and exhibition is scheduled for October 11 to 16, 2008 in Kissimmee, FL.
DOE Offers Update on Changes to Energy Star
The Department of Energy is on track to put revised Energy Star criteria for windows into effect by early 2009, according to Richard Karney, DOE Energy Star program manager. Karney spoke at the National Fenestration Rating Council fall meeting...
The Department of Energy is on track to put revised Energy Star criteria for windows into effect by early 2009, according to Richard Karney, DOE Energy Star program manager. Karney spoke at the National Fenestration Rating Council fall meeting last week.
Karney said the DOE is working with manufacturers to learn what products are available in the marketplace and what products are in development. Analysis of the findings should be published by the end of January and distributed to stakeholders. A stakeholders meeting is planned for March.
January 1, 2009 is the earliest effective date for the new criteria. “We’re trying to stick to that date as best we can. But, we will not keep it if it means sacrificing better criteria,” Karney said.
The DOE also plans to issue even tougher criteria for Energy Star windows in 2012 and again in 2015, he noted. “We’re looking to establish much more aggressive criteria in 2012 using technology that’s out there or technology that’s coming down the pipeline. … We’re studying targets for 2015 that will be extremely aggressive—extremely high tech products, perhaps using technology that may not exist now,” Karney said. “Products like highly super insulating units, or windows with dynamic glazing.
“We’re setting numbers now to give industry time to prepare to meet aggressive targets,” he explained.
The Energy Star climate zone maps are also set to change, Karney said. The maps will more closely match up with IECC climate zones, but will be more simplified. “The proposed climate zone maps will have 5 zones compared to IECC’s 8,” he said.
The Canadian Energy Star program is looking to toughen its window ratings as well, said Steve Hopwood, program officer for standards and labeling, housing and equipment for the Office of Energy Efficiency, Natural Resources Canada in Ottawa. Hopwood also spoke during the NFRC meeting.
“The U.S. DOE is looking to make their program more stringent, and we’d like to match what’s happening in the U.S.,” Hopwood said.
Changes to the Canadian program could also occur as early as 2009.
—Katy Devlin, e-glass weekly e-newsletter editor
NFRC to Look at Window Attachments
The National Fenestration Rating Council has started the process to potentially develop ratings for three new sets of fenestration products—dynamic attachments and exterior and interior window coverings. NFRC’s board of directors approved the establishment of a new attachment subcommittee and several task groups to explore the technical aspects of developing rating methods...
The National Fenestration Rating Council has started the process to potentially develop ratings for three new sets of fenestration products—dynamic attachments and exterior and interior window coverings. NFRC’s board of directors approved the establishment of a new attachment subcommittee and several task groups to explore the technical aspects of developing rating methods, during its fall membership meeting last week in Tempe, Ariz.
“We received numerous requests for new product ratings at our summer meeting in Denver, and the board evaluated them to ensure they fell within the mission and scope of NFRC,” said Jim Benney, NFRC executive director. “We hope to add these new products into NFRC’s rating and certification program and will closely monitor the progress of the task groups.”
The Tempe meeting also featured more discussion about the component modeling approach under development for commercial fenestration products. Marcia Falke, NFRC board chair and president of Keystone Certifications Inc. acknowledged industry calls for a simplified CMA program during her opening session report. However, she added, NFRC needs to ensure the program has sufficient independent verification first.
Falke discussed a recent board decision to rule against a proposal that would have allowed random auditing of product ratings developed by an approved calculation entity or ACE instead of 100 percent review by an inspection agency. “We want something that is easy and user friendly...but we cannot sacrifice independence and integrity,” Falke said. “We don’t have enough information to determine whether random sampling offers enough of a safeguard.”
The board could reconsider its decision in the future, once a scaled program can be proven successful. “We like the idea of random sampling, but to allow it right now is just too big of a leap,” Falke said. “We need to kick the tires for a little while longer before we make another decision.”
—Additional reporting by Katy Devlin, e-glass weekly e-newsletter editor
- Pending Home Sales Surprise In September - NAR
from Seeking Alpha - Pella Builds, Strengthens During Housing Downturn
from DesMoinesRegister.com - USGBC Launches Green Homes Web Site
from Newland Communities
...
Pending Home Sales Surprise In September - NAR
from Seeking Alpha
Countering gloomy forecasts, pending home sales rose unexpectedly in September from the month before, though they were still well below the year-ago period, the National Association of Realtors said Tuesday. That bit of good news compensated somewhat for the NAR's forecast that existing home sales will hit a five-year low of 5.66 million this year—the NAR's ninth consecutive downward monthly revision and a 12.7% drop from last year... read more
Pella Builds, Strengthens During Housing Downturn
from DesMoinesRegister.com
Mel Haught, president and chief executive of Pella Corp., says the national housing downturn is unlike any that the Pella-based window and door maker has experienced in 30 years. Missing are triggers such as high interest rates or high unemployment... read more
USGBC Launches Green Homes Web Site
from Newland Communities
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), with generous support from Newland Communities, has launched a new Web site that will give homeowners, homebuyers, renters, landlords and others the tools they need to ensure their homes are as healthy and environmentally friendly as possible... read more