Third-party forest certification based on standards developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is the best way to ensure that wood products come from well-managed forests. Wood products must go through a chain-of-custody certification process to carry an FSC stamp.
Manufactured wood products can meet the FSC certification requirements with less than 100% certified wood content through percentage-based claims (30% certified content is required if only virgin wood fiber is used; certified-wood content as low as 17.5% is allowable if the rest of the fiber content is from recycled sources).
With a few special-case exceptions, FSC-based certification is a requirement for GreenSpec inclusion of any nonsalvaged solid-wood product and most other wood products. A few manufactured wood products, including engineered lumber and particleboard/MDF, can be included if they have other environmental advantages--such as absence of formaldehyde binders. Engineered wood products in GreenSpec do not qualify by virtue of their resource efficiency benefits alone (for more on this, see EBN, Vol. 8, No. 11).
Kolbe & Kolbe Windows
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Before specifying efficient heating and cooling equipment, it’s important to do what we can to reduce heating and cooling loads. Insulation is one of the key products to consider here, but because there are so many insulation products on the market, we look for additional benefits. Examples include cellulose insulation with recycled content, mineral wool insulation with no flame retardants, and fiberglass insulation with no formaldehyde binders. Other products in this area are high-performance windows and glazings, products that contribute to building airtight envelopes, products that reduce thermal bridging, and window-retrofit products.
With products in this area under constant development, we are always refining our approach. For example, as we have learned about insulation products with hazardous flame retardants and blowing agents that have high global warming potential, we have removed those products from GreenSpec, pending manufacturing changes. We encourage building professionals to pressure manufacturers for those changes through specification language and purchasing decisions.
Kolbe & Kolbe Windows offers commercial and residential windows with wood or vinyl frames using combinations of double- or triple-glazing, argon fill, and low-e coatings. The Ultra line of wood frames are available with FSC-certified wood and extruded aluminum cladding and have U-factors as low as 0.19. The company’s vinyl windows have U-factors as low as 0.18.
As with other building products made from wood, the source of that wood should be an important consideration. Currently, only a very few manufacturers use FSC-certified wood as a standard frame material, though more use it in certain components or as a special-order option. (Certification to Forest Stewardship Council—FSC—standards involves third-party evaluation and monitoring of sustainable forestry practices.)
Energy performance is the primary green consideration of windows, and new developments in window technology enable today's products to far outperform those of a few decades ago. Among the improvements are multiple glazing layers, low-conductivity gas fills, better seals on insulated glazing units, heat-reflective (low-emissivity) coatings, advanced weather-stripping, and new frame systems.
Low-emissivity coatings which allow short-wavelength solar radiation (sunlight) to pass through but reflect long-wavelength radiation (heat) back into the conditioned space are now standard options from all major window manufacturers.
Further improvement in energy performance is achieved with triple-glazing and multiple low-e coatings; sometimes an additional glazing layer is provided as a suspended polyester film.
To qualify for GreenSpec, wood windows must achieve an NFRC-certified unit U-factor of 0.25 or lower and must not only be available, but actively marketed. The U-factor threshold is higher (less stringent) for fiberglass, certified-wood, or recycled-content frame materials—and more stringent (lower U-factors) for vinyl because of environmental concerns with PVC.
Plastic windows come in both ABS and vinyl (PVC). A selling point for these windows is that they are low-maintenance. ABS does not contain chlorine and so, unlike PVC, ABS has no risk of dioxin generation during an accidental fire or incineration at the end of the product's life.
Energy performance is GreenSpec’s primary green consideration for windows, and new developments in window technology enable today's products to far outperform those of a few decades ago. Among the improvements are multiple glazing layers, low-conductivity gas fills, better seals on insulated glazing units, heat-reflective (low-emissivity) coatings, advanced weather-stripping, and new frame systems.
Low-emissivity coatings which allow short-wavelength solar radiation (sunlight) to pass through but reflect long-wavelength radiation (heat) back into the conditioned space are now standard options from all major window manufacturers. Further improvement in energy performance is achieved with triple-glazing and multiple low-e coatings; sometimes an additional glazing layer is provided as a suspended polyester film.
While vinyl products are listed here, there are some performance concerns specifically with regard to expansion and contraction. Products listed here must achieve an NFRC-certified unit U-factor of 0.25 or lower for ABS and 0.20 or lower for vinyl and blends that contain vinyl. GreenSpec’s U-factor threshold for windows varies depending on the environmental attributes of the frame material or other features such as storm resistance.
To qualify for GreenSpec, windows with the listed U-value must not only be available, but actively marketed.
LEED Credits
EAc1: Optimize Energy Performance
EAp2: Minimum Energy Performance
MRc6: Certified Wood
MRc7: Certified Wood
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