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 New
Green Building Standard Could Help Encourage Low-E Glass in Residential
Structure
March 11, 2009
The development of the 2008 National Green Building Standard (ICC-700)
may help further promote the use of low-E glass. The standard is
designed to provide guidance for safe and sustainable building practices
for high-rise residential buildings as well as new and renovated
single-family homes.
The standard's rating system allows architects/designers, builders
and communities to choose the levels of high-performance green buildings
that best suit their needs. For example, one key provision of the
standard is to offer energy performance starting at 15 percent above
the baseline requirements of the 2006 International Energy Conservation
Code (IECC).
"Whether they use the performance option (whole home 15 percent
above the 2006 IECC) or the prescriptive path, the standard will
reward lower solar heat gain coefficients (SHGC) in the south, and
lower U-value in the north," says industry consultant Thomas
D. Culp, Ph.D. "Both will promote low-E in all regions, and
possibly some triple glazing in the north. There are also credits
for sun-tempered design, passive cooling design and passive solar
heating design. These options reward builders for good practices
such as optimally orienting the building and glazing, using higher
SHGC in the south, using larger overhangs or other methods of shading,
placing operable windows for cross ventilation and using thermal
mass. These can give from three to 13 additional points in the energy
efficiency category, on top of points related to the basic window
and building energy performance."
CLICK HERE
to learn more about the Green Building Standard, as well as available
training opportunities.
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