Utter FENESTRATION!

Fenestration. 

Are you experiencing  fenestration in your daily life? You may not know it, but I bet you are, that is unless you live in a yurt above the meadows in Asheville. Or simply have your head in the clouds.

Have a clue? Go on, take a guess! WHAT is "fenestration"?   

I asked my friend the green builder that question.He just grinned. He likes words like riparian and fenestration. He likes the way they roll off his tongue. He's into the curious spark in people's eyes.

He wouldn't tell me. Sent me to Wikipedia... OK... I'm game...  According to Wikipedia,  fenestration refers to "products that fill openings in a building envelope, such as windows, doors, skylights, curtain walls, etc., designed to permit the passage of air, light, vehicles, or people.

(With reference to people, the word defenestration refers to being thrown from a window.)

NOW... If you are an eco-savvy REALTOR® or client, this is an important word having to do with efficiency and saving money. So before you defenestrate me for bringing this word to your attention...let me take you on over to the US Department of Energy  for a small "lecture" on a subject close to home.

Fenestration graphic is courtesy of The National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC)

Hop on over, if you will, to the NFRC.

Here you will find help  on how "you [can] identify fenestration characteristics and select products!

In fact,  the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) has developed a rating system based on whole product performance. You can compare products using the NFRC label, which appears on NFRC-certified products."

 So here's the deal: Fenestration has to do with features such as daylighting, solar heating, shading, ventilation, and aesthetic value. And this is important when it comes to making purchase decisions. I'm not kidding myself, though. When it comes to all of this, I'm no pro.  It could be a challenge for me to tell the difference between different types of windows. This I'll leave that to my son, the Energy Rater who knows all about how to evaluate window performance and make recommendations. He might suggest these links . . .

• U-Factor
• Solar Heat Gain Coefficient
• Visible Transmittance
• Air Leakage

OK...it's your turn.. give me a word as intriguing as "fenestration"... 

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