After three years of “unprecedented growth” for the home improvement sector, Home Depot reports that its figures for the first quarter of 2023 are down from Q1 2022. The big box retailer reports sales of $37.3 billion for the first quarter of 2023, marking a 4.2% decrease from the same time last year. Comparable sales […]

As with many things these days, it’s hard to believe that once upon a time people agreed on things. In 1969, Sen. Gaylord Nelson, a junior senator from Wisconsin who was concerned about the state of the environment in the U.S., saw a massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, Calif. He recruited others to organize […]

The National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) began a series of webinars in 2021 on products at the intersection of innovation, development and research. This series of webinars and presentations at our annual meetings have been widely popular. Not only is the industry anxious to verify that these technologies are going to be viable product options, […]

This year, we’ve been talking a lot about Why Windows Matter. NFRC has an ongoing campaign centered around it, to combat the notion that fewer or smaller windows are the answer to energy efficiency. As we’ve seen so far, this short-sighted “solution” doesn’t account for a host of benefits from windows, including occupant comfort, the […]

The 2022 Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance (FGIA) Virtual Summer Conference highlighted Canada’s path forward to energy efficiency on Tuesday, June 7. With Canada’s 2020 National Building Code noting a future with net-zero ready homes, panelists pointed to considerations of which the industry should be mindful. Speakers for the session included Andrew Oding, vice president […]

In the last couple of years, one of the main trends noticed in construction circles is the importance of comfort for building occupants. This trend has been incorporated into discussions regarding energy efficiency as well, as personal comfort is a way to get those who aren’t otherwise concerned about energy efficiency to move in that […]

The Why Windows Matter campaign sees involvement from numerous organizations such as the National Fenestration Rating Council, the Efficient Windows Collaborative, the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance and the Partnership for Advanced Window Solutions (PAWS). Manufacturers are on board, too, and are spreading the message that from financial and health perspectives, windows matter. Unlike in decades […]

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the winners of the 2022 ENERGY STAR Awards. Andersen Corporation of Minnesota, and SoftLite LLC and ProVia LLC, both of Ohio, received the ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Sustained Excellence Award. A joint news release from the EPA and DOE noted there […]

Rep. Mark Huizenga introduced a bill to amend the “Property assessed clean energy act” during a session for Michigan’s House of Representatives on October 5. The bill, No. 5357, referred to the Committee on Energy, aims to amend the title of 2010’s Act No. 270 and introduce a new section which discusses how glass, glazing […]

Jumbo glass and energy efficiency continue to be growing design trends, but the COVID-19 pandemic is shaking up other aspects of design. To discuss these trends, John Petersen, director of sustainable design and building innovation with MJM Architects, presented a seminar titled, “Inspired Design Trends for Commercial and Residential Construction,” during the Fenestration and Glazing […]