Wednesday, December 06, 2006

The Dawn of a new Blog day

Yep, its basically here, this Blog along with 3 others are now linked via US Glass Magazine. Obviously I am pretty pumped about it. Also as noted in one of the comments below, I had to try and "improve" my looks here because the other Blogs look a lot better than mine!

Well aside from adding a video here and there, I don't have the time to really re-model, but eventually I will.

In the meantime, I do have to take to task something I read in DWM (Door and Window Manufacturer). That magazine is run by Tara Taferra, who is the one to blame for me getting my gig at US Glass. As I was then, I am now a HUGE fan of her magazine and work. So if you don't get DWM, go sign up for it- its worth it.

Anyway, in the latest issue, none other than Jim Benney from NFRC appears (Note- yes in the pages of US Glass I swore off discussing this subject anymore, but I am making a "blog" exception because this is so amazing)

Jim makes the following statement:

"Without pointing fingers, we certainly can see the statistical results of industries failure to support a single, credible, third party rating system. The same year that the residential fenestration industry showed a 58 percent low E penetration in new windows, commercial glazing only had a 30 percent market penetration! The commercial fenestration market needs transformation. If it had been as successful as the residential market; it could be saving building owners at least 5.8 million BTUs every year."

Wow. So there you have it ladies and gentlemen. NFRC is the reason that Low E has taken off residentially and yes if you welcome us with open arms, we'll also change the world of you pathetic low e hating commercial folks! The problem is his numbers are way off and its like I wrote in a previous edition of US Glass- there is NO FEAR at all of using Low E- and in fact its getting more and more acceptance daily. I guarantee you if someone credible did a poll (not the NFRC or the DOE who basically mimic everything NFRC says) you would see tremendous growth on the Low E and Solar improvement products. And that number, when properly broken out, and not lopped in with mirrors, table tops and mono doorlites would easily be close to the 58 percent penetration mark that Jim boasts about.

See that's the thing- NFRC ignores everyone and on this one, they are ignoring the architectural community. Anyone paying attention basically knows that every architect wants to either design for "Green" or for "Energy" and that means using the right products. However Jim and his PR agency and his Lobbyist firm, would love you to believe that no, the clueless architect needs to have his hand FORCED into using that evil LOW E!! (You know because without "pointing fingers" the commercial guys suck)

It amazes me. The NFRC and Jim Benney truly believe they are the reason why Low E has taken off. Oh well- like I have said before, it doesn't matter. I don't have Clark & Weinstock to lobby for me and I don't have Potomac Communications to "PR" for me and I surely don't have the DOE in my back pocket- so I am really (and the commercial industry as well is) at major disadvantage. Anyway, maybe Jim and NFRC can work on health care or workmans comp while there at it...you know because we're failures and all...

2 comments:

Paul Bieber said...

Hi Max, great comments on Low-e. I agree...we do have an obligation to supoort low-e in all new and every replcement job possible. Despite all the teaching and preaching, the average person on the street doesn't understand Low-e and the benefits it can bring to home and office. I run into people who ask what kind of work I do, and telling them, they always ask about the expensive magic coating that they can't see!

I'll write something on this in tomorrow's blog, thanks for your note!

Kris Vockler said...

Hey Max, let's make them point fingers, this passive agressive stuff is lame. Hey, maybe it's a good idea to blog the history as to why it's NFRC against the world? It's an issue that seems a fog to most I think. The whole NFRC against the glass industry is what's lame.