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Fenestration Canada report

Education is key at Fenestration Canada (formerly CWDMA) presently.

Education is key at Fenestration Canada (formerly CWDMA) presently. We are expecting an excellent Win-door show and we will be presenting an informative education program. Included will be seminars on building codes, energy codes across Canada and Energy Star. We will offer the Economic Power Hour, where Peter Norman from Altus Group, back by popular demand, will be providing an economic outlook for the next year, with prospects for activity in the new home-building and renovation sectors. Fenestration Canada will also hold its fall meeting, which will include reports on our work on technical issues and government relations work, along with a range of other topics. The show floor is filling up nicely for Win-door 2011. A significant portion of the floor has been spoken for and sales are ongoing. Now is the time for exhibitors to secure their spaces! Our Win-door committee is again working very hard to provide our industry with a great show. You will not want to miss it.

At the show, we will be presenting two important seminars on Canadian building codes as they apply to windows and doors, with special highlights for door manufacturers. The latest code in effect – NBC 2010 – will begin rolling out across the country in late 2011 and early 2012, starting in Ontario and Quebec. It will require manufacturers, dealers and installers to meet a host of requirements in such areas as labelling of products for air, water, structural and U values. The codes also affect the installation of windows, doors and skylights, and carry sections dealing with sealants, trim and flashing. It is our understanding that these new codes will be strictly enforced, which means that code officials will be scrutinizing product closely for labelling to ensure it complies with the code and that it has undergone stringent testing in certified test agencies for a broad range of requirements. It also means that installers, building inspectors and new home warranty inspectors will need to be well informed and in the habit of checking work very closely to avoid problems later.

In a changing regulatory environment, fenestration products will have to meet a challenging array of requirements controlling air infiltration/exfiltration, wind resistance, water leakage and heat transfer, plus requirements in the areas of egress, resistance to forced entry, spread of fire, minimum size, overall performance rating, and more. Doors, windows and skylights will be subject to standards based on January design temperature and 1/50 wind pressure ratings by region across the country.

Doors have been an integral part of the national building code for many years; however, the new code signals a renewed scrutiny. Products will now require temporary and permanent labels. Entrance doors must have a door viewer or transparent glazing in the door or sidelite. Exterior doors will be given a class (minimum R) and assigned a performance grade as well as tested for size, positive/negative design pressure (DP), air infiltration/exfiltration and cycles. Exterior doors will have to meet new energy standards and resist forced entry, all while operating with ease.

Win-door presentations on the new code will be led by Fenestration Canada technical advisor Jeff Baker, an engineer and renowned expert in fenestration rating. He is a respected industry source for factual information on code compliance and other relevant programs.

Fenestration Canada is pleased to announce its webinar schedule for the summer/fall period.

• August 18: Energy Codes in Canada (presented by Jeff Baker)
• September 15: Building Codes in Canada (presented by Jeff Baker)
• October 27: Glass Performance for Energy Efficient Fenestration (presented by IGMA)

Yves Houle is president of Fenestration Canada. Fenestration Canada’s mission is to represent and support all aspects of the window and door manufacturing industry.