Industry Standards

For the last several years, the NGA advocacy team has worked with other industry associations and public officials to successfully work new performance requirements for windows, doors and skylights into the ASHRAE 90.1 energy standard for buildings.

ASHRAE 90.1-2022, published in January 2023, includes the following revisions: 

• New on-site renewable energy requirements (PV, BIPV) 
• New thermal bridging requirements 
• New additional energy credits requirements, including credit for higher performance fenestration, shading, daylighting, on-site renewable energy. 
• New option for jurisdictions to use carbon emissions as alternative performance metric to energy cost. 
• No change in fenestration requirements this cycle (we updated in 2013, 2016, 2019). 
• Significant overall advancement – around 48% reduction compared to 90.1-2004.  Targeting net-zero in 2031.

The NGA Advocacy Team participates in the ASTM E06 and ASTM C14 committee weeks and the Glass Strength meetings. C14 updated and published several new standards for the glass industry.

• C1036-21 Standard Specification for Flat Glass
• C1901-21e2 Standard Test Method for Measuring Optical Retardation in Flat Architectural Glass
• C1914-21 Standard Test Method for Bake and Boil Testing of Laminated Glass
• New Test Method for Bird Collision Deterrence Material Threat Factor (working through negatives)
• Pummel Adhesion testing of two-ply laminated architectural glass (will be published)
• Center-Punch Fragmentation of Fully Tempered Glass (working through negatives)

NGA’s Thirsty Thursday session Standards for Laminated Glass addresses the latest updates to ASTM standards affecting laminated glass. Watch a recording of the session.

NGA has submitted comments designed to promote and protect new and current glass technologies in Canada’s CSA A460 standard, which covers bird-friendly building design in both new construction and existing buildings. Learn more. 

Over the years, scientists and citizen scientists dedicated to bird conservation have amassed a significant body of knowledge on causes and prevention of bird collision with glazing structures. A set of simple design principles has been demonstrated to be effective at reducing the risk of bird strikes through tests, studies and research that support a prescriptive approach to bird collision deterrence. Download Best Practices for Bird-Friendly Glazing Design Guide to learn more.

United States Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm announced new Department of Energy initiatives to help reduce emissions and energy inefficiency in residential and commercial buildings, including availability of highly efficient windows. Read the press release.

In February 2022, the EPA released the ENERGY STAR Version 7.0 Residential Window, Door, and Skylight Draft 2 Specification. NGA’s advocacy team has been involved with the Energy Star process from the start and filed comments in support of the proposed update which will promote higher performance glazing in all parts of the country, including triple pane glazing and 4th surface low-E in the north.

EPA and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory completed over 600,000 new analysis runs which confirmed the prior energy analysis and actually showed improved payback periods. As a result, EPA is maintaining the proposed prescriptive window criteria, and only making small changes to the northern equivalent energy performance levels as well as combining the sliding and swinging glass door criteria.

Implementation will begin one year after completion, likely in September 2023. Version 7.0 will significantly decrease U-values which will push triple glazing and 4th surface low-e in the north and north-central climate zones, and the latest generation triple silver low-e in the south and south-central climate zones to meet lower SHGC criteria.

For more information, read “What companies should know as they prepare for the October implementation of Energy Star Version 7.0.”

While current building codes do not require security glazing in schools, a growing number of school districts nationwide are looking to meet voluntary security glazing standards to provide additional protection for their buildings. NGA is participating in a multi-industry effort with the National Fire Protection Association, ASTM International and ICC to provide guidance in this effort. In addition, NGA presented this topic as part of its Thirsty Thursday webinar series and published a glass technical paper on school security in February 2021. NGA’s school security task group drafted a consensus-based, repeatable test standard, published as ASTM F3561-22 Standard Test Method for Forced-Entry-Resistance of Fenestration Systems After Simulated Active Shooter Attack.