Green –

Everyone’s talking about it. But we do more than just talk.

Energy Conservation is, by far, the most quantifiable green feature for fenestration products and has a significant environmental impact over the product life-cycle.

We fabricate a wide range of energy-efficient products to suit an architect’s design, whether it’s an insulated building envelope or a passive solar design. We offer product certified to National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) standards NFRC 100 and 200 for thermal performance.

Durability, consistent performance over the life of the product, is also a key feature.

Our insulating glass units are certified by the Insulating Glass Certification Council (IGCC) to ASTM 2190. Our window products are certified by the American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) to AAMA/WDMA/CSA 101/I.S.2/A440-08 for structural performance which is usually a basic requirement for both green and non-green projects.

Components & Raw Materials play a pivotal role in our offerings.

While some of the parts we use are “more green” than others, most of our suppliers have taken steps to reduce their environmental impact. We regularly review how our component suppliers are doing, encouraging them to do more so that we can offer our clients an integrated perspective on product impact, when requested.

    Use of Regional Materials that are highly desirable, but tough to offer.

    The locations of our facilities in Teterboro, NJ and Johnstown, NY are strategically placed between our component suppliers facilities and the final installation sites to maximize meeting the “Regional material” criteria of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). The credit percentage will vary based on product configuration and work site, but we always do our best to provide a product with the highest percentage possible, especially when you work with us from specification development.

    Recycled content also gets you LEED points.

    Building products can contribute to earning performance points toward LEED certification, though individual products are neither certified nor endorsed through the rating program.

Our Company and our Practices are also very important. Our management team has been making decisions based on three core green principles for twenty-five years:

    • environmentally-friendly

    • economically-sound

    • socially-just

    We phased out vinyl window production decades ago because we did not want to expose our workers to the material. While we continually search throughout the US and Europe for the latest technologies, we still believe aluminum framing with advanced thermal improvement offers the best combination of energy and structural performance, design flexibility and reduced fabrication impact for our market and sector.

    We implement green practices such as deep day-lighting in our offices and factories, and recycling scrap materials in plants. We will continue to do and anticipate making more improvements based on the latest green standards and guidance from ASTM and the Federal Trade Commission.

    Through energy-saving products and manufacturing practices, it is Northern’s purpose to affect our world and to make evident our goal for a sustainable and profitable future. We back our promise to continuing the utmost quality, efficiency and sustainability standards dedicated to ethical business practices and superior management.