Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
Welcome to the Clear Impact Podcast, brought to you by Mitre Brands University. Thanks for joining us today. My name is Sheri Connor and I am your host.
[00:00:19] Speaker B: Actually, I would caution folks about using AI to get all of their code information.
AI is a wonderful tool and it's still developing, it's still learning.
But there are specific cases where if you Type something into ChatGPT and ask certain questions about building codes, sometimes it'll give information about previous codes, maybe not completely up to date. So it's always best to double check those sources with the actual building code.
[00:00:46] Speaker A: Good morning. We are here on the Clear Impact Podcast and sitting with me today is Lynn Miller and Lisa Wilson. Welcome back.
[00:00:55] Speaker C: Thank you.
[00:00:56] Speaker B: Good to be back. Good morning.
[00:00:57] Speaker A: Yeah, it's been a little while since you guys have recorded with me, and so obviously you're in the code compliance area, but before we tackle our topic for today, can you just give us a quick recap of your roles and areas of expertise? So, Lisa, we'll start with you. Okay.
[00:01:15] Speaker C: Good morning. I've been here with PGT for 30 years now, and I was one of the first people that helped start up the CO compliance team. And that started after the hurricanes, of course, and the building code change of the first Florida Building Code, 2001. They decided, let's have people that specialize in that area. So that's when I joined the team. Been there ever since.
My title right now is Co Compliance Engineer, and I love being in this department. It's constantly keeping up with new things and learning what's going on throughout the state and all of our products. And working with Lynn is always a joy.
[00:01:58] Speaker A: Yeah.
Never a dull moment, I'm sure. No. All right, Lynn, tell us about you.
[00:02:02] Speaker B: My name is Lynn Miller and I'm the code compliance manager. And I've been with PGT for about 16 years now.
And prior to PGT, I was a structural engineer, so I knew a little bit about buildings, not a whole lot about windows. So I've learned a lot in my 16 years here. And like Lisa, I enjoy learning about new codes and keeping the company up to date when things change. We're constantly involved with building code development, standards development, all kinds of different things.
[00:02:29] Speaker A: Yeah, so you've got the inside scoop a little bit on this. And so every three years, the Florida building code gets updated. And so we're about to hit the ninth edition, and that kicks off January 1, 2027.
And so let's just kind of walk through and I don't know who wants to answer this.
What is the update process with the Florida building code, and then what's happening with upcoming changes.
[00:02:56] Speaker B: So actually, it is January 1st. Technically, they say it's December 31st, 2026 at midnight, but it's effectively January 1st of 2027. I think they do that so that they can still call it the 2026 edition. You're right. It's the ninth edition. And then they usually say 2026, Florida building code. So sometimes we reference it as the 2026 code, as opposed to the current code that we're in, which is the 2023 cycle.
[00:03:21] Speaker A: Right.
[00:03:21] Speaker B: But like you said, every three years we get together and we actually take a look at the international codes that are also being developed simultaneously. And we typically look into those codes and see, is there something in there that we could incorporate into the Florida building code? The Florida building code is developed. We start off with the previous edition and then add on to it. So in this case, we work with the 2023 code as the base.
And then if there's changes in the I codes that we want to incorporate it, folks will typically put in code proposals to modify the 2023 code and turn that into the 2026 code. So it's actually a cycle that's a pretty long cycle. We typically start right after the previous code is implemented. So basically, next year in 2027, we're going to start working on the 10th edition right away, because it takes a few years to start looking at the I codes that are out there, and then also for folks to get their code proposals together and put them in. And so throughout this cycle, there's several meetings per year where we get together and go over these code proposals. There's technical advisory committees for each type of code. There's an energy code advisory committee, there's a structural advisory committee.
And their job is to review the specific code modifications that were submitted for those sections and give recommendations to the Building Commission as to whether they want to add those in or not. And then the Building Commission is the final vote. They're the ones that actually vote to put those changes into the code.
[00:04:51] Speaker A: Wow. Well, fortunately, we only have to know about the windows and Doors aspect. That's right. There's a whole lot of other areas, obviously, that are reviewed and modified. So I'm glad it's not just a, hey, let's look at this thing that's been sitting here dormant for two years, like it's constantly being worked on. So that's awesome.
[00:05:09] Speaker B: Well, the interesting thing, too, is with Windows and Doors, we think oh, it's just windows and doors. They actually span a lot of these different code sections. So we have to deal with energy codes, we have to deal with the building code, the structural parts of the code, because we have to resist wind loads. And then there's also stuff with the fire code for egress and that type of thing that windows also. So we have to look at multiple code sections when we talk about windows as well.
[00:05:32] Speaker A: Yeah, that's a good point.
And so from your perspective, what are the biggest areas of focus on this update cycle?
[00:05:40] Speaker B: Yeah, on this coming cycle, the biggest change is from a structural perspective. There's a couple of things that are changing. One is, and I say structural, but it's really more related to water infiltration. Currently we have an exemption in the building code that if you have a sliding door or a French door on a patio or lanai, if you have an overhang over top of that door that, that extends away from the door about the height of the ceiling at the door. So let's say you have a 10 foot ceiling at a door and you have an overhang that's 10 foot out from that. In today's code, you don't have to meet water infiltration requirements for that particular application. So you could have a sliding door with no sill riser on it. You don't have to meet water for that. But in the new code, that's a major change that's happening now. If you have that same scenario, you have to have what's called a limited water rating. So that means typically when we do a water test on a sliding door or a French door, we typically have to spray water on the door and apply a load that is about 15% of the positive design load of the product.
For this limited water rating, you don't have to apply a load at all. You just spray water on it. So it's a little easier to pass, but you still have to have a rating for that product. So that's the testing requirement. That's new, but we also have expanded. The other requirement of this is that that overhang expands. Now where in the current code you only have to go straight out perpendicular to glass. So if you're going out a door, you go straight out that 10ft I was talking about. Well, now that's expanding to the side as well. So if you're going out to the side of your door, you have to have that much overhang out that way as well. So there's a lot of scenarios where you might have a sliding door that's real close to the edge of the lanai.
And in the current code, you'd be fine because you go straight out from that, you have overhang. But in the new code, going off to the side, you won't meet anymore. So in that case, you'd have to have a full water rating for that particular door.
[00:07:39] Speaker A: So for a low water rating, does that mean you'd have to. Maybe you could do a lower sill riser.
[00:07:45] Speaker B: That's correct.
[00:07:45] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:07:46] Speaker B: That's correct. And we currently offer on our sliding glass doors, we offer multiple riser heights, depending on where the door is being installed, as to how much water pressure they need for that area. In this scenario, we've tested the doors with no sill riser at all and passed with that limited water rating.
So if you're covered with the overhang, you can still use our doors with no sill riser and still pass.
[00:08:08] Speaker A: That's excellent. But a lot of work for you and your team as far as the testing. Right.
[00:08:13] Speaker B: Because we basically had to retest every one of our sliding doors for this new code requirement so that we're ready to go by the first of the year.
[00:08:21] Speaker A: And there's only what, like eight or 10 of them?
[00:08:23] Speaker B: Well, actually PGT doesn't have that many different sliding doors. About three or four that we've been testing.
[00:08:28] Speaker A: Yeah. But we'll have. The wind door has one.
[00:08:30] Speaker B: That's true. Right. Windoor has a sliding door. And then PGT has a vinyl door and an aluminum door that we're testing as well.
[00:08:36] Speaker A: And then MI has a couple as well for Florida, don't they?
[00:08:40] Speaker B: They do, but MI typically does not have a removable sill riser. Typically they just offer the riser. So their products are rated for water. And that's the other important point is that if your door is already rated for water the way it comes, there's no issue because this is an exception to a fully water rated door. So if you're removing that sill riser that was required to get your water rating, then you have to be covered by this overhang.
[00:09:04] Speaker A: Got it?
Yeah. Those things are just not so fun. The silverizer adapters, I have my own opinions about those and I will keep those to myself.
[00:09:13] Speaker B: Yeah, it's kind of a catch 22 because it's. People tend to, you know, they trip over those. They're really tall. You need that to meet the water rating. But then people don't like that because you can trip over that riser as well.
[00:09:24] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:09:24] Speaker C: We want to ensure too that people know if they hear like, oh, this has limited water, I'm okay.
To go back to Lynn's point, you still have to have that overhang.
[00:09:34] Speaker B: That's right.
[00:09:34] Speaker C: Just because there's a limited water on there does not mean it's okay. You still have to check all the new overhang requirements. This new change really probably was more work for us than it will be for our customers. Nothing's really changed as far as what their requirements are. It was more of us making sure that we had what we needed for the new code. The only thing they'd have to check is if they needed that to make sure the product they're buying has the limited water.
[00:10:03] Speaker A: Right.
[00:10:03] Speaker B: Correct. And they'll have to check their application where they're installing it to make sure they have that proper coverage.
[00:10:08] Speaker A: Right. Yeah. I know in my house, I have two sets of sliders, and one set is undercover and the other set's not.
So it can vary from place to place, for sure.
[00:10:17] Speaker B: And I will mention, too, that this requirement came about because of some of the recent hurricanes, as FEMA actually went out and did some investigations after some of the recent hurricanes. I think specifically Ian is one of them that they went out after, and they noted that there were some issues where sliding glass doors were having water infiltration issues. And so this came about because of some of that review.
[00:10:40] Speaker A: Yeah, well, that's how it's supposed to work. Right. You got to figure out where the point of failure is and then beef up the code to go with that.
And so we've kind of already answered this one, I think. How do these changes impact product approvals and certifications for manufacturers and dealers?
[00:10:55] Speaker C: Yes, for our customers, they really shouldn't see a change. It was more for the manufacturers to make sure that you have what you need.
[00:11:02] Speaker B: Right. It does require us to put on our certifications that we have a limited water rating.
[00:11:08] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:11:08] Speaker B: So currently we have a little image that shows if you're covered by an overhang, you don't need to meet water. Well, we have to change that. Now. We'll have to say you'll have to have a limited water rating, and we'll list that. And we are also required to put that on our labels, too.
So we'll have to make a change to our labels. But again, nothing the customer has to worry about. We have to put that LW stands for limited water. We have to show that on our label so that an inspector that goes out and sees that, okay, you've got the coverage, but do you have the water rating for it and they'll see that on the label and say, okay, you're good.
[00:11:40] Speaker C: Right.
[00:11:41] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:11:41] Speaker C: If we are talking about changes too, then you might want to mention the new anchor updates because that one, I think will be a big one. I've been getting for some reason more calls than normal for building department issues. People having to ask questions like, hey, this isn't passing, I got a red flag, what do I need to do? And I think the new anchor requirements being near the coastline is probably going to be a big one. I'll let Lynn cover that. Sure.
[00:12:09] Speaker A: Yeah. So tell us about the new anchor requirements because that is a big one and the installers need to know what that's about.
[00:12:16] Speaker B: That's right. So now a new requirement in the code is that if installing product within 3,000ft all around the coastline of Florida on both coasts, if you're within 3,000ft, you have to comply with some new corrosion resistant fasteners. And specifically if you're 300ft from the coastline. So this is a worst case scenario. You're required to put stainless steel fasteners in. Now, all of our product approvals already contain an option for stainless steel fasteners. They were not mandatory prior to this change. And so we've always had the customers have always had the ability to upgrade those if they choose. They're more expensive typically than standard fasteners. But now the code in those particular areas is now mandating that you use those types of fasteners. So it will require folks to pay attention to where they're installing products and to make sure that they are using the proper fasteners from our approvals.
[00:13:09] Speaker A: Wow. Okay. Yeah, that's definitely good to know. If you're fortunate enough to live that close to the water, you definitely want to make sure that the salt water is not going to corrode everything.
[00:13:18] Speaker B: And that's exactly why this particular change came about. It actually started not necessarily necessarily for fenestration products, but for if you think about elevated decks and things like that, where you might have straps and fasteners underneath that are exposed to salt water, but they're covered by the deck, but the salt water can get in from underneath and they'll tend to corrode that and then your deck collapses. So this was an attempt to try and mitigate those types of failures.
So the code basically just references fasteners and connectors. Well, with windows and doors, we also have fasteners that fasten our products. So any fasteners that would be exposed. So if for like A sliding glass door, you'll have fasteners that would be exposed to the exterior. If you have casements and single hungs and those type of things, even though the fasteners are inside, whenever you open the vent up or the sash up, those fasteners will be exposed. So it's important that those have the stainless steel fasteners as well.
[00:14:13] Speaker A: Wow. They're really getting into the details on that.
[00:14:15] Speaker B: They are.
[00:14:15] Speaker A: What anticipated changes are there that are specifically related to fenestration like windows, doors, impact requirements, energy performance, or installation standards that our folks need to be paying attention to, besides the ones that we've already talked about?
[00:14:30] Speaker B: Right. You want to talk about the energy code?
[00:14:32] Speaker C: Sure. So the 2003 or 8th edition currently allows compliance if your proposed design meets 95% of the reference design loads. And now it's going to have to meet 85%.
[00:14:46] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:14:47] Speaker C: So for energy, they're going to have to look at ways to get that extra 10%. People have asked us about our windows already. Do we need to upgrade the windows? Can we use your windows? And the biggest thing we have to let people know is that the windows are just a small part of it. There's going to be other aspects of the home that they should be looking at to get those numbers up there.
So our windows are still fine. You can still do what you need to do to the windows. It's going to be other things to the house. And we did put out an announcement to our distributors, dealers, and we suggest they look at that because it gives a whole list of what they can do, like airtight leakage, things like that. That's going to make the biggest difference.
So if they go to our announcement and look at it, they can see what they can do to get up to those extra 10% if need be.
[00:15:35] Speaker B: And that's for the performance path, right?
[00:15:37] Speaker C: Yes, for the performance path. The prescriptive path is not changing the performance path. Also, the one thing that did change on that was before they allowed you to go up to a maximum of 50% SHGC and they're dropping that to 40.
[00:15:53] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:15:54] Speaker C: But again, that shouldn't affect our windows too much. Probably the biggest thing, changing over to say, like from a standard lamy unit to a lamy IG unit, it would be affecting more probably the U factor. And the U factor is not being changed in this circumstance.
[00:16:12] Speaker B: And that performance path is generally used for new construction because it's something that you can control all aspects of the building. If you're doing a replacement project, you really don't know what kind of insulation you might have. You don't have as much control to change things.
[00:16:26] Speaker A: Right.
[00:16:27] Speaker B: So that's very crucial for, like our corporate builders and things like, they're counting on a certain model. They always build this model the same way. Now they have to rethink what they're doing. You know, they may have to change. Like Lisa mentioned, the air handler might have to change.
They may have to put some kind of different insulation in the roof. Sealing ductwork in the attic is another way of getting better performance. Looking at the whole building.
[00:16:48] Speaker A: Right.
[00:16:48] Speaker B: Not just the windows.
[00:16:51] Speaker A: We are sharing our expertise around all topics relating to the window and door industry. Whether you are a customer selling our products or a homeowner doing research, the Clear Impact podcast provides helpful content that makes an impact. Subscribe today wherever you listen to podcasts.
Yeah, well, and on retrofits, I mean, if you're putting in new windows from something that was put in 20 or 30 years ago, your performance is automatically going to go up because a lot of times those are single pane. There's not any insulation. There's no lamination in many cases. And so you're going to see some improvements just by doing the windows themselves. But it's good to know that the code is specifying that and that there's other ways they can meet that. For the new builds.
[00:17:35] Speaker B: Yeah. And for that, like Lisa mentioned, the prescriptive requirements are typically what's used for replacements.
[00:17:41] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:17:41] Speaker B: And those haven't changed.
[00:17:42] Speaker A: Yeah. Nice. Right.
[00:17:44] Speaker C: This new code for energy dropping from 95 to 85 is probably going to be, as Lynn mentioned, more for the builders and most of our distributors or dealers letting them know now because they will call in and ask. This is going to be something that's going to have to come from their folks that do their energy calcs, that do their plans, or their engineers. They'd have to go back to them to get the whole package on the new homes. That's not really something that we can calculate out for them.
[00:18:14] Speaker A: Yeah, well, no, of course. There's too many variables.
[00:18:17] Speaker C: Just throwing that out there.
[00:18:18] Speaker A: Yeah.
Lisa, you're not going to solve all of that for them?
[00:18:21] Speaker B: Come on, we'd love to solve everybody's problems for them. Unfortunately, some things are out of our hands.
[00:18:26] Speaker A: Yeah. I mean, you do need to sleep at some point. Right. What about the timing on all of this? So the new code takes effect essentially January 1st, but what about things that are already in the works?
[00:18:38] Speaker B: So if someone already has a permit that has been approved before, that Change that's still good. It doesn't just automatically have to flip over after the first of the year.
[00:18:47] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:18:47] Speaker B: So they can continue to, if they're, you know, if they've already got an approved permit, they can order products that are certified for the current code.
[00:18:53] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:18:54] Speaker B: But after the first of the year they will need to pull permits with the new code and then they would have to comply with those changes that we spoke about.
[00:19:01] Speaker A: Okay. So if they apply for a permit December 1st and that isn't granted until January, then the new code applies.
[00:19:09] Speaker B: That would be up to the local building department as to how they'll do that. But yeah, that's where it's important to check with the individual building departments on where they're going to draw the line for that. Yeah, yeah.
[00:19:18] Speaker A: So for quoting, if they're quoting it one way now, but they don't get the order until January. May have to make some adjustments.
[00:19:26] Speaker B: Yeah, we do offer if there's any product approvals that change because we are updating product approvals for the new code and if they have something that is not updated before the new code, they can still use those as long as their permit was under the current code.
[00:19:39] Speaker A: Got it.
[00:19:40] Speaker B: And so they have the option in the system of selecting products that would comply.
[00:19:44] Speaker A: Okay. That's so handy.
[00:19:45] Speaker C: Yeah. I would suggest when they have their sales order acknowledgement, whatever is on that acknowledgement, that's what they're going to get from our products. So when they order, just make sure if it's before December 31st, they're ordering the 2023 code after, they need to double check their acknowledgement to make sure it's whatever is being used in 2026.
[00:20:07] Speaker A: Yeah. Because sometimes projects take a while, like especially on retrofit. I know you said there's not that many changes going on there, but it takes a while like from quoting to ordering.
[00:20:17] Speaker B: And another important change, it's not necessarily code related but it's certification related that we need to talk about as far as making sure you have the right products. Our Miami Dade Notice of Acceptance that we currently have for most of our PGT products, if not quite all of them, but most of at the end of this year we'll be Transitioning those to HVhz Florida product approvals. So those will be going away after the first of the year. So this is an important point to mention that if you have projects that you're permitting before the end of the year, you can still use those NOAs because they're still approved for the 2023 building code, the current building code. But if you have a new project after the first of the year that needs product approvals that are approved for the 2026, you cannot use the Miami Dade Noa's. For those, you would have to use the new HVHz Florida product approvals.
[00:21:09] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:21:09] Speaker B: So to Lisa's point about checking your sales order acknowledgement, making sure you have the proper product, that is very important, specifically this code cycle because of this change. And we did send an announcement out to all of our dealers about this, and our sales reps will be getting with individual dealers to kind of hammer that point home, if you will, because we don't want people to get caught if they're pulling a permit with an NOA that's not approved for the new building code, that can be an issue. But we do want to mention that all of those Miami Dade noa, the products that we have certified for those, the new product approval is virtually identical, except it's just through the Florida product approval process rather than a Miami data noa. So there's no reduction in performance.
We still have the same glass options, Anchorage options, design pressures as we did. It's just a new product approval method.
[00:22:00] Speaker A: Just a new certification name. Okay. And that's on our website. Right.
[00:22:04] Speaker B: We're currently working on getting the product approval process for the new code. They have a dropdown in the Florida product approval menu that says pre2026.
[00:22:12] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:22:13] Speaker B: So we have until December 31st to get all of our product approvals uploaded into that. And that's what our team is currently working on, getting all of those updated so that by the first of the year they'll be ready to go and be able to order from those.
[00:22:25] Speaker A: Sure. Yeah. That takes a lot of planning.
[00:22:27] Speaker C: And we want to also ensure that our entry system timelines match up to our release date of these FPAs.
[00:22:34] Speaker A: Yeah, no, that's important. Lots of coordination while we want to make sure people are doing everything right. So what kinds of practical steps should dealers be taking now to prepare for this transition?
[00:22:48] Speaker C: For now, they just need to be aware, as Lynn mentioned about the new FPA is coming into effect. New building codes, we go through this every few years. Just be prepared what timeline you're permitting, and that will help you know what you need to turn in for permitting. Also, as we mentioned about the energy conservation changes, they need to be aware of that. So if this is a builder, you have a new home, you might want to get with whoever they are working with for their energy calculations to ensure that they have this ready for 20, 26. A lot of them are used to their packages. They use for homes, they use the same one over and over.
So be prepared for that. Yeah, it's going to change because that's going to change. And then I suppose that's really all of it. We've covered the anchorage, so they're aware of that. If they're near the coastline, the overhang. The biggest change on that is the side of your home, which we also have an example out or we're going to when we're getting with the university. So they will have pictures they can show if people are in question what they mean.
[00:23:51] Speaker A: Right.
[00:23:52] Speaker C: Those are really the biggest things. But to prepare for it, just really know which code you're permitting under. That's the biggest thing. And to make sure if you're a builder or new homes that you're checking with whoever is working on your energy calcs, those are the biggest ones.
[00:24:05] Speaker A: Yeah. And maybe find a really good supplier for stainless steel anchor.
[00:24:09] Speaker C: Right. There you go.
[00:24:10] Speaker A: Start shopping now.
[00:24:10] Speaker B: And we have the specified. So we have specific anchors they can use with our products. So we have those stainless steel fasteners specified already in our approval.
[00:24:19] Speaker A: Yeah. Because we do have a number of dealers that specialize on those coastal builds. And so I'm sure they probably already have good connections there. But you know, just a heads up, the volume might go up a bit. And so what are some common misconceptions or areas of confusion that you typically see when a new code cycle is introduced? Because you guys have been around in this space for a number of these now. So what kinds of things are you normally getting questions about?
[00:24:45] Speaker C: Just we were speaking of before the timeline change. Some people will say, oh, I permitted this in the beginning of December and now I'm receiving it now in March. What do you. You have to send me like new labels, new stickers, and it's no, you're okay. You don't. As long as it was permitted before, you want those labels, those certifications to match that you don't need any new.
Now we also get it the other way around where they don't permit until after and they're permitting with the old. That's a little more complicated. But we usually are able to help out with that too.
[00:25:22] Speaker A: Yeah. Okay.
[00:25:23] Speaker B: Yeah, we can write letters of equivalency. We can say, okay, this. Although this NOA is not approved for the new code, we do have an approval that you can certify this product to. And so it kind of ties those together. Even though your label has the Miami data in a way on it, if they ordered something, you know, that was older, we can help them out with a letter.
[00:25:42] Speaker C: Yes, that is the biggest thing, because the labels, I would say they want us to change labels and we cannot do that as a manufacturer. We have to label to whatever was ordered and manufactured under.
So we can't just swap out a label or swap out a certification number on a label. That's confusing. And we get asked that quite a bit on the label comes into effect.
[00:26:03] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, that's good to know. And I'm sure the building inspectors all get a heads up on this too. Right. They know what's going on so that they can be ready with the new regulations that they're supposed to be watching for.
[00:26:14] Speaker B: Correct?
[00:26:15] Speaker A: Yeah. God bless them. I don't know how they keep track of all the different things. I mean, windows and doors are enough. Right. But then everything else that goes on in a building. And so what are the best ways for dealers to stay informed on these changes? Like, I know we send out emails. Are there other channels that they should be tapping into so that they can stay aware of what's going on?
[00:26:40] Speaker B: Well, I know that Patrick is working on a new building code class.
[00:26:44] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:26:44] Speaker B: So Mitre Brands University is a great place to enroll in that new class because I'm sure folks are really itching to find out what's going on with the codes.
[00:26:52] Speaker C: Sure.
[00:26:53] Speaker B: So this is kind of like a sneak preview for that.
And like Lisa mentioned, you know, we've got some specific photographs of scenarios for sliding glass doors that might meet in the current code but may not meet in the future because it's. For myself, I'm a visual person. I like to see those. You can talk about stuff in text, but until I see a picture.
[00:27:12] Speaker A: Right.
[00:27:12] Speaker B: It's a little easier for me to grasp the concept if I see a photo of it.
[00:27:16] Speaker A: Right.
[00:27:16] Speaker B: So that's one way. And of course, they can always get in touch with their sales reps and their customer care reps that can get the information back to the code compliance group.
[00:27:25] Speaker A: Right.
[00:27:25] Speaker B: We're always available to answer questions on this and we understand, understand this is a big change. Primarily with the Miami data noa's changing and then some of these other changes. We know we're going to get a lot of phone calls and we're ready for that.
[00:27:36] Speaker A: Yeah. Okay. Lisa, anything you would add to that? Maybe read emails? Read your emails.
[00:27:42] Speaker C: I know the announcements go out and they probably get so many emails, it's easy to skip over something. They can also check our website. I believe we would have something on the website as well. And. And when we do have transitions with the new code, I am totally open to people giving me a call or emailing me directly. Sometimes it's a little easier just to handle it that way because our department, we're kind of the base for everything. Yeah. So they can come right to us and we can usually answer them right away instead of if they are in a hurry, they have something going on and they're not sure which one of their representatives to get ahold of, they can just. Just email me directly.
[00:28:21] Speaker A: I love that.
[00:28:22] Speaker C: Or call directly.
[00:28:23] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. Sometimes that's just faster than sending an email and waiting and waiting for an answer.
[00:28:27] Speaker B: And most of our dealers that have been here long enough, they already have Lisa on speed dial.
[00:28:32] Speaker A: Yeah, right.
Yeah. Send flowers, send chocolate. You know, make sure she's happy.
[00:28:37] Speaker C: Yeah. Come buy coffee. It's all good.
[00:28:40] Speaker A: There you go. There you go. All right. So is there anything. I know we talked a little bit about sources and places where people could get information.
Is there anything else that people need to know about that?
[00:28:51] Speaker B: Yeah, actually, I would caution folks about using AI to get all of their code information.
AI is a wonderful tool and it's still developing, it's still learning. But there are specific cases where if you Type something into ChatGPT and ask certain questions about building codes, sometimes it'll give information about previous codes, maybe not completely up to date. So it's always best to double check those sources with the actual building, and the building code is available online that you can check some of that information. I just caution folks to be careful about what you get out of AI.
[00:29:24] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. I mean, that's just good general advice anyway. But especially when you have a code change where it matters so much to your business. Lisa, would you agree with that?
[00:29:33] Speaker C: Yes. And if you do use AI, as Lynn mentioned, it could be wrong information or older information. I did it this morning before this podcast. I wanted to see what was being said out there, and I pulled something up about the energy change and the source that it gave. Gave a couple sources had incorrect information on it. It was talking about prescriptive numbers changing and saying, oh, it's changing to a 0.25 for your SHGC. Now, that's not a change. That was not a change in this code. That changed quite a while ago.
[00:30:10] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:30:11] Speaker C: And I was like, wow. And that looked like a reparable.
And I think it was, but I just think perhaps they weren't as knowledgeable on the Florida aspect of that in the code. So again, if you do check a source, check it against a couple other ones.
[00:30:25] Speaker A: Yeah, for sure.
[00:30:26] Speaker C: If you use it or you just call in to us and we'll let you know.
[00:30:30] Speaker A: There we go. Awesome. Well, thanks for clarifying that. So, as we wrap up, what is one key takeaway that you would want the dealers, builders, partners to remember about these upcoming changes?
[00:30:43] Speaker B: I would say read your emails, the notifications that we sent out. Make sure that you check the emails and the postings that we'll have on the website. We're trying to communicate this as broadly as possible. We're also trying to get our sales reps to go in and talk to our dealers face to face about these changes. Because sometimes, like Lisa mentioned earlier, we get so many emails every day, and sometimes these company messages maybe go to the higher ups in some of these companies and don't always trickle down to everybody that's pulling orders and things like that. And so they may not get the message, but if you've got a sales rep coming in and talking to you face to face, sometimes they'll remember that better.
[00:31:20] Speaker A: Yeah. Take the course on Mitre Brands University.
[00:31:22] Speaker B: Yes, yes, definitely.
[00:31:24] Speaker A: Share the podcast with people in your organization that need to know. Yeah. Anything else?
[00:31:28] Speaker C: This code change I don't think is as drastic as some of the other ones, except for perhaps the energy conservation for the new build.
That one's probably gonna be a bigger one, but it's not gonna affect our fenestration as much. So just don't be scared.
[00:31:45] Speaker A: Don't be scared.
[00:31:46] Speaker B: We didn't make any changes to our products to accommodate that.
[00:31:48] Speaker A: Right.
[00:31:49] Speaker C: Most things are staying the fairly, fairly level.
[00:31:52] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:31:53] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:31:53] Speaker A: Well, and we're lucky in Florida, like California energy codes and Colorado energy codes, they get really crazy out there and they do have to jump through hoops in order to have product that meets those codes. So I think we're going to count ourselves lucky.
[00:32:08] Speaker B: That's right.
[00:32:09] Speaker A: Awesome. All right, well, you guys are amazing. Thank you for bringing so much wealth of information to us today. I appreciate your time and, as always, appreciate your expertise.
[00:32:19] Speaker C: Thank you, Sherry.
[00:32:20] Speaker B: Thanks, Sherry.
[00:32:20] Speaker C: Have a great day.
[00:32:21] Speaker A: You too.
[00:32:21] Speaker C: Bye.
[00:32:24] Speaker A: The Clear Impact podcast is brought to you by Mitre Brands University. We are a part of mitrebrands, a family of leading window and door brands united by our passion for quality and relentless pursuit of 100%. At Miter Brands, our common purpose is to deliver value by manufacturing the finest products, services and customer experience every day everywhere. Our window and door brands deliver regionalized expertise, products and services, all backed by a national company, Mitre Brands Uniform is here to educate you, our listener, so that you can be a more informed consumer of window and door products.
