REQUEST TOPIC ACCEPTANCE REQUEST (RTAR) TC/TG: TC 4.5 (Fenestration), and SSPC 90.1 Project ID No.

: TITLE: Determination of U-factors, Solar Heat Gain Coefficients and Visible Transmittances of Standard Fenestration Units made from Representative Fenestration Frame and Glazing Systems to Update Tables 4, 6, 13, 15, and 16 in the Fenestration Chapter of Handbook of Fundamentals. Research Category: 3 Energy Conservation; Building/HVAC system design Research Classification: Basic Applied TC/TG Priority: Highest Estimated Cost: $60,000 Possible Co-funding Organizations: NFRC, U.S. Department of Energy, Fenestration Manufacturers Handbook Chapter to be Affected by Result of this Project: Chapter 31; Fenestration BACKGROUND: Tables 4, 6, and 16 in Chapter 31 contain a large number of U-factors and Tables 13, 15 and 16 contains numerous Solar Heat Gain Coefficients (SHGC) and Visible Transmittance values (VT) for typical fenestration systems. These data are being used and referenced by various professions, from fenestration manufacturers to architects and system designers. Whenever there is a need for generic window data, in the absence of more detailed information, the values given in the tables within Chapter 31 are used. Those tables are clearly the most commonly referenced information in Chapter 31. These tables were last updated in 1996, through an ASHRAE supported research project. The tables were produced using the VISION/FRAME (ref) and WINDOW 4.1 (ref) computer programs, in accordance with NFRC 100-91, NFRC 300-92, and NFRC 200-01. A series of experiments, performed at a number of accredited laboratories both in the US and Canada, were used to validate the results. At the time, the table reflected the most up-to-date procedures and products available to the Fenestration T.C.
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Deleted: U-factors, visible transmittances, or SHGCs of common window types Deleted: data Deleted: It is probably no exaggeration to say that t Deleted: ( Deleted: ), and calculations were done using the VISION/FRAME and WINDOW 4.1 computer tools

JUSTIFICATION AND VALUE: The values in Tables 4, 6, 13, 15, and 16, need to be reconsidered for a number of reasons.
1.

The NFRC has revised its standard procedures since the publication of these tables. In particular, it has adopted the modeling of one standard size for rating fenestration

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products, and changed some of the heat transfer models used for calculation purposes. The WINDOW 4.1 software also been updated to include these new models. Although the previous software produced results to within scientific accuracy (i.e., the new models cannot be shown to produce better results), the standard size issue still needs to be addressed.
2.

Industry professionals use these tables to calculate the energy performance of fenestration system despite the fact that they are not intended for that application. The values are intended for worst-case design and rating purposes, and are not representative of the in-situ (dynamic) performance of the product. During the production of the existing values, much of the information that would facilitate a dynamic analysis was stripped away and lost. The recovery of this data, and it's inclusion in a series of reformatted Tables is an important goal of the T.C. 4.5 2009 Handbook committee. The current focus of ASHRAE (and others) on energy efficient buildings dictates that a number of new and more efficient windows be included. Of note, the thermally broken frame products currently included in the tables do not reflect the high-performance of some commercially available products. If the tables are to effectively reflect the benefits of such products, they must first be included. The products included in the current Tables need to be rethought and updated.
Deleted: The National Fenestration Rating Council procedures have become the basis for fenestration product thermal ratings and are widely referenced numbers in the industry. The NFRC procedures have been developed with significant participation from ASHRAE members and incorporate results from ASHRAE research. A new generation of computer programs have been developed that incorporate the latest algorithms developed by ASHRAE and NFRC. The U.S. Department of Energy has funded the development of THERM and WINDOW computer programs, which are provided to general public at no cost. These programs are used in NFRC rating system and they can easily be adopted for this research project. These calculations would result in more accurate values for fenestration products then currently listed values in the tables of Chapter 31 of the ASHRAE Handbook of Fundamentals. Also, the ratings for residential and commercial windows at NFRC are reported for one size, so it would provide greater consistency if the new values in the tables within Chapter 31 are reported for those same sizes. Deleted: using THERM 5.2 and WINDOW 5.2 or their more recent released versions, if available Deleted: with these new values

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OBJECTIVE: The objectives of the proposed research project are:

1.

Select and document representative fenestration products by contacting appropriate fenestration manufacturers, and modify and update the product types of typical fenestration systems for which representative U-factors, visible transmittance values, and SHGCs would be calculated. Perform detailed simulations of thermal performance of selected fenestration products using software that includes the latest methods accepted by the NFRC. Determine Ufactors, visible transmittances and SHGCs for each product and glazing and spacer option at standard NFRC size. Validate all results using the experimental data from ASHRAE ????-RP, or in the case of new products, run the appropriate validation exercises. Consider the inclusion of data and methods which will facilitate the use of the Tables for building energy analysis. Update Tables 4, 6, 13, 15, and 16 in Chapter 31.

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REFERENCES: 1) NFRC 100-1991: Procedure for Determining Fenestration Product U-Factors, National Fenestration Rating Council. Silver Spring, MD. Page 2

2) NFRC 200-2001: Procedure for Determining Fenestration Product Solar Heat Gain Coefficient and Visible Transmittance at Normal Incidence, National Fenestration Rating Council. Silver Spring, MD. 3) NFRC 300-2004: Test Method for Determining the Solar Optical Properties of Glazing Materials and Systems, National Fenestration Rating Council. Silver Spring, MD. 4) ISO 15099: Thermal Performance of Windows, Doors and Shading Devices Detailed Calculations, International Organization for Standardization, Geneva 5) Wright, J.L. (1994): VISION, Glazing System Thermal Analysis Program, Advanced Glazing System Laboratory, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. 6) Finlayson, E.U., Arasteh, D.K., Huizenga, C., Rubin, M.D., and Reilly, M.S. (1993): WINDOW 4.0: Documentation of Calculation Procedures, Energy and Environmental FRAMEplus5.1, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

AUTHORS: Bipin Shah, Dr. Dragan Curcija, John Hogan, William C. duPont, Mike Collins

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