Certification

THERMAL PERFORMANCE
1. U-Factor
2. Solar Heat Gain Coefficient
3. Visible Transmittance

The National Fenestration Rating Council (www.nfrc.org) is an independent agency organized to help you quantify manufacturer's thermal efficiency claims. Working closely with Energy Star to help consumers fight the waste of valuable energy, the NFRC measures the overall thermal performance of a test specimen window. The official results are published on the NFRC label that is placed by the manufacturer on every window. Results are also published on the NFRC website. The glass package, the window material and its components, and the form and function of the window selected will affect the overall U-factor of the finished product. The lower the U-factor is, the better the window's overall thermal performance. Soft-Lite worked deliberately to design Imperial LS with key thermal features that make it one of the best-performing windows you can buy. We have selected materials for our product that work well together as a system to produce the lowest possible U-factor so you can stop wasting energy and live in a more comfortable, efficient, and beautiful home. Imperial LS is one of the best-performing NFRC certified products in the window industry.
STRUCTURAL DESIGN PERFORMANCE
1. Air Leakage
2. Water Penetration
3. Wind Load Design Pressure

The American Architectural Manufacturer’s Association (www.aamanet.org) is the source of performance standards, product certification and educational programs for the window, door and skylight industry. Soft-Lite has been an AAMA Gold Label Certified Member which is the highest available designation, for many years. AAMA executes no test for thermal performance like the NFRC. Instead, AAMA measures and quantifies the overall performance characteristics of the window design itself. First, the test specimen window is tested for air leakage by a fraction of cubic feet per minute at 25 mph winds. Next, the same window is subjected to the equivalent of an exceptional 8” per hour rainfall at increasing wind speed until water actually penetrates established barriers and diversions in design through the window. Finally, the same window is blown dry under increasing wind speed until it eventually breaks. Imperial LS is one of the best-performing AAMA Gold Label Certified products in the window industry.