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FMA Meets in Daytona
The Fenestration Manufacturers Association gathered in Daytona Beach, Fla., last week with window installation demonstrations, 2007 Florida code changes, HVAC education and energy efficiency updates at the top of the agenda. Manufacturers, suppliers and distributors to the Southeast region of the country gathered for the three-day event.
Fresh on the heels of recently released FMA/AAMA 100 installation guidelines for wood-frame construction and FMA/AAMA 200 guidelines for installing windows in masonry construction, attendees watched live demonstrations of windows being installed into each type of opening.
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FMA attendees got a first-hand look at new installation standards in action. |
To educate window and door manufacturers and suppliers on how fenestration works with HVAC systems, Bob Cochell, founder of an HVAC company in Florida, Gulf Coast Air Systems, and a member of Florida’s energy technical advisory committee, gave a crash course on the engineering behind moderating the temperature and humidity in a building. “My life is totally dependant on you guys,” he said to attendees. “Whatever windows you put in, I’ve got to design my system to match.”
The heat in a home, Cochell explained, is a combination of the dry bulb thermometer temperature and the moisture or humidity in the air. When low-E windows reduce the dry temperature, or sensible heat, the HVAC system must deal with the humidity, or latent heat, to maintain a comfortable ratio. “The house will not perform correctly if the ratio is not correct,” he said.
Cochell recommended that window producers and distributors work more closely with HVAC teams so adjustments in the performance of the window package can be matched with adjustments to the central cooling system, especially in replacement projects. An upgrade to higher performing, better insulating windows in a retrofit project may call for a whole-house dehumidifier to cut back on the sticky latent heat.
Keynote speaker Marc LaFrance, technology development manager for the U.S. Department of Energy, gave attendees an update of zero-energy goals the government is supporting with a research and development program for emerging technologies. He didn’t speak extensively on the current re-evaluation of the Energy Star program—which will likely include higher standards for labeling windows as Energy Star—but did say his colleagues at the DOE want to take the program to a higher level. The earliest effective date for potentially re-vamped certification requirements for Energy Star, he reported, would be at the start of 2009.
At the request of several Daytona Beach meeting attendees from Louisiana, the FMA board is planning to hold its spring meeting in the New Orleans area. Some building officials from Louisiana approached FMA requesting the association host an educational seminar for housing officials on what’s happening in the code arena for coastal areas and demonstrations of the installation standards. The board agreed, and organizers expect to have plans for the meeting nailed down in the next few weeks.
The association’s incoming board of directors will be Freddie Cole of General Aluminum, president; Mike Westfall of Jeld-Wen, vice-president; Roland Temple of PGT Industries, secretary; Robert Amoruso of Florida Extruders International, treasurer; and members at large Heath Cobb of WinDoor Inc., Jim Connery of Sika Corp., Mike LaFevre of Custom Window Systems, Rhonda Schotz of Kolbe & Kolbe Millwork Co., Jim Krahn of Marvin Windows & Doors, Jim Puckett of Atrium Cos., and Ivan Zuniga of AGC Flat Glass North America.
For more information about the association or upcoming meetings, visit www.fmausaonline.org.
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