Site Built Program

NFRC Site Built Program:

In addition to the NFRC Component Modeling Approach Product Certification Program (CMA PCP), NFRC has a certification program in place for site-built or field-assembled products that is part of the current NFRC Product Certification Program (NFRC-PCP) which parallels the residential certification program. 

IIn order to address the needs of the commercial fenestration industry, NFRC developed a site-built product certification program in 1999 and recently approved a NEW nonresidential rating procedure where component data is utilized for obtaining whole product ratings, the NFRC CMA PCP.   

The information below refers to the current site-built program, and the most recent standard published in support of that progam is the NFRC 100-2004 (Section 5.6 - Non-Residential Products) .

About the NFRC's Site-Built Certification and Rating Program

• Site-Built Program Guidelines

Since its inception in 1989, NFRC has successfully developed a rating system and certification program for the thermal performance of residential fenestration products, including windows, patio doors and skylights. The success is evident by the more than 100,000 products listed in the most recent edition of the NFRC Products Directory. The National Fenestration Rating Council has developed a number of key elements that ensure the accuracy and credibility of its rating and certification program as noted below:

1. NFRC develops standards for rating products that are technically sound and that provide a uniform rating for fenestration products.

2. NFRC reviews and approves up-to-date computer simulation tools and thermal testing procedures for obtaining accurate thermal ratings for fenestration products.

3. NFRC maintains a list of accredited simulation and testing laboratories qualified to determine the thermal performance of fenestration products through computer modeling and thermal testing.

4. NFRC provides for a third party Independent Agent (IA) to review documentation, conduct inspections and approve products for certification and labeling.

5. NFRC licenses the manufacturers authorized to label products, permitting the use of the NFRC logo and ratings that appear on the certified product.

In 1995, NFRC turned its attention towards the commercial building arena and in 1999 approved a new standard ( NFRC 100-SB ) to address site-built fenestration products. The new standard was designed to address products that are field glazed or field assembled, including curtain wall and window wall applications and sunroom and solarium systems. In addition, a revision was made to the Product Certification Program to address the specific needs of site-built products.

The site-built program utilizes those elements that have proven successful in the residential program, specifically the computer modeling tools, the accredited laboratories and the third party IA's, to assure that the Site-Built Certification program will be accurate and credible. In addition, NFRC recognized that there were several critical issues that needed to be addressed including:

• The absence of a manufacturing entity - which established the need for a "responsible party" to assure that the thermal ratings for a fenestration system match the actual products being installed on the building envelope.

• The impracticality of having temporary and permanent labels on every opening in a commercial building project - which established the need to develop another method to communicate and compare the thermal performance of commercial fenestration systems in a fair and accurate manner and provide for the validation of the fenestration system performance by building code inspectors and other regulatory agencies.

The site-built program provides the flexibility needed to meet the needs of the commercial fenestration industry by establishing multiple license agreement for the potential "responsible party." A responsible party may be a glazing contractor or installer, a lineal supplier, a building owner, an architect or even a construction specifier. In each case, an entity agrees to guarantee the performance of the certified products that have been specified and installed on the building envelope.

A new "Label Certificate Form" was developed to replace the temporary and permanent labels required under the residential certification program. These new standardized forms include the NFRC logo and the U-factor, solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) and visible transmittance of the certified products installed on a building. The NFRC ratings are established on standardized specimen, using the framing and glazing systems specified.

These ratings will be helpful to architects, specifiers and building owners for comparing different potential suppliers with realistic product-to-product performance. In addition, the Label Certificate Form, posted on site of a building project, will provide building officials with the documentation needed to show compliance with local, state or regional energy codes.

These Label Certificate Forms also help to assure compliance with NFRC requirements, by providing a paper trail, with copies maintained by the responsible party, the IA and at the NFRC office.

For more information on the Site-Built Certification and Rating Program, contact the NFRC office at info@nfrc.org .