I took them off the day they were installed...not sure why they would need to stay on. Where I am the only code on window is based on size, which can obviously be determined without a sticker.

Lol,
I had a pillow tag moment.....
The stickers say "do not remove until after final inspection".

Thanks for the response!

The primary purpose of the stickers is advertising. The only code issue addressed by the stickers is energy efficiency. If the inspector wants that information after the stickers are removed it can be documented by the installer or the supplier.

the nfrc stickers stay on until final inspection.
the info they provide are solar heat gain coefficients
and ufactors. different climates have different requirements low e coatings are installed on specific window
surfaces for different climates.
most installers wouldn't know what shgc or ufactor is.
suppliers make mistakes.
we have had several house with northern based climate
windows show up here in the south.
nothren climate windows reflect heat back into the hous
southern climate windows reflect heat out of the house.
nfrc is an independent unbiased company that tests and verifies info for mfgrs.

LOL at pillow tags..I cut those off immediately.
never had a pillow tag inspector show up in all of my
pillows lives..but if one comes...I'll let you know.

best of luck

lol, thanks for taking the time to answer such a ridiculous question. Of all the dumb things I get worked up about now that we're on the stretch. Well, past it. Inspection is tomorrow. I imagined I'd be over there trying to tape those things back on the windows or that the inspector would ask me what the specs were and if they met some climate code and I'd have no answer.

Energy_rater_la, if the pillow tag inspector shows up and gives you a hard time, I'd bet the farm it was our building inspector working his second job ;)

There is no energy inspection on windows where I am. The only code on windows is re: egress size. No need to leave them on here.

Well, we got our C.O.!!!!! No energy inspection here either!

In my experience, the strictest max. glazing U factor requirement for a single family house in the US is .35 (including Maine unless a community is smaller than 2,000 people or has adopted a different building code).

In theory any glass without a sticker proving U factor code compliance could be assumed to fail, however, in the real world, any double-pane glazing with a low-E coating would exceed the strictest U factor code requirement in the US so the sticker usually isn't telling an inspector anything he can't reasonably determine by looking at the glass. If codes become stricter, and if the project is located in the South (shading coefficient requirements) the sticker is more important but in my area code compliance is obvious with or without a sticker.

The so-called "energy inspection" usually occurs when the building shell is completed and insulation is installed and exposed. That inspection should be a matter of record well before the final inspection. Just because the inspector didn't say anything about the windows doesn't necessarily mean there wasn't an energy conservation code requirement.

For windows, leave the stickers on until the final. For pillows/furniture remove them when you want (read the fine print that says they can only be removed by the consumer).

IL requires a U of 0.35, it falls under the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code.

I thought NFRC members put the U and safety glazing numbers etched in the corner of the glass. I have new Pella windows and the U is etched and has TEMP on the tempered windows.

I just bought windows for a 3 season room, the safety glazing requirement (tempered) added ~$2000 to the cost, so I can see where some contractors/HO would be temped to cut corners if it wasn't easily verifyable. I'm pretty sure the IRC specifically says the safety glazing must be etched on the glass.

The IRC and the IECC say the fenestration U factor and SHGC must be determined by an independent lab and "labeled and certified by the manufacturer".

California requires that windows and doors have both temporary and permanent NFRC performance labels so I suspect some glass manufacturers might include the permanent labels on all their glass.

I think several glass mfgs etch info on window pane.
cardinal glass comes to mind.
this is in addition to nfrc sticker.

It doesn't happen often, but I have encountered unscrupulous contractors who have willfully installed glazing that didn't meet U-factor levels and have peeled the stickers from the windows to hide their fraud just to save a few bucks.

Not all manufacturers (in fact very few) etch U-factors into their glazing.

That's why it is important to see stickers on windows during the inspection process.

It is also not possible to tell if windows meet energy codes merely by looking at them. Many units out there have low-e glass with argon or other inert glass fill and still do not meet minimum U-factors for specific regions. U-factor takes into account not only the glass itself, but also the sealing of the window unit as well as the construction and conductivity of the window frame. Windows that 'look' like they comply may not even be close to compliance. It happens more often than one would think if they never actually performed an energy inspection.

This is why only documentation by a testing agency can be used to determine whether windows meet energy codes...and why labeling is the only true method to verify compliance.

And while a 'rough' energy inspection typically occurs when the building shell has been dried-in and insulated,
not all insulation, ductwork, piping, and heating and cooling systems have been installed at that point and only at the 'final' energy inspection can these items be verified.

Windows that may have failed the rough inspection would need stickers at the follow up or final inspection to verify compliance.

That's why it is importatnt to leave stickers on windows until after the final inspection has been approved.