In collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Window Covering Manufacturers Association (WCMA) has launched the Attachments Energy Ratings Council (AERC).

Fenestration attachments are a cost-effective way to reduce energy use in residential and commercial buildings. Attachments have the potential to save a significant amount of energy due to their low cost and the rapid turnover of the installed base.

DOE has awarded WCMA cost-shared funding to develop a certification and rating program for residential and commercial fenestration attachment products. To that end, WCMA has established the AERC, which will design and administer a new energy rating and certification program for the fenestration attachment products. AERC will gather market and technical data that will be used to develop credible rating, certification, labeling, and performance verification procedures that will be adopted by the window attachments industry. This information will help consumers understand how well different window attachment products conserve energy.

During the next 4 years, the AERC will:

• Prioritize which product types and performance indices it will produce. As the program grows, AERC will include more product types and indices
• Characterize the key material properties of window attachment products (i.e. transmittance, reflectance, and emissivity)
• Conduct product performance simulations, which will cost-effectively increase the number of types of products that can be rated as well as the number of technically valid procedures used to rate them.

To learn more, please visit WCMA's website.