Mar 4 2011
Serious Materials announced today it has launched a revolutionary glazing retrofit system that enables rapid ROI for the commercial energy efficiency retrofit market.
iWindow is a retrofit glass system that delivers increased energy efficiency and comfort benefits – without replacing the existing glass or altering the exterior appearance of the building – at a fraction of the cost compared to full window replacement. Easily installed on the inside of the existing glass, an iWindow panel can be in place in as little as 20 minutes, which greatly minimizes disruption to building occupants or tenants. iWindow increases the thermal performance of single pane aluminum systems, found in more than 50% of commercial buildings in the U.S. today, improving full-frame R-value from R-0.8 up to R-3.9 (U-factor 1.2 to 0.25) and center of glass R-value from R-1.0 up to R-7.2 (U-factor of 1.0 to 0.14). At approximately $20 per square foot total installed cost, iWindow is 50% to 75% less costly to install compared to a typical aluminum replacement system which can dramatically impact the viability of such retrofit scenarios. Energy efficiency improvements such as iWindow can also return higher rents, secure greater occupancy, and generate higher resale value.
iWindow
iWindow directly addresses the large economic opportunity that retrofitting the U.S. commercial building stock presents – both to business owners looking to cut energy costs and for property and facility management firms looking for cost-effective solutions to improve building efficiency and indoor comfort for their customers. iWindow is designed for any curtain wall or window wall commercial retrofit application and is ideally suited for historic and landmark projects as it allows preservation of the existing façade.
“Serious Materials’ new iWindow is the right product at the right time,” said Peter Rumsey, West Coast Director of Integral Group. “Never before has the imperative to lower energy costs in buildings been so great. Owners are searching for ways to retrofit older buildings with leaky and inefficient windows, but too often full window replacements are not cost-effective and impractical. iWindow is easy to install, attractive, and very energy efficient, giving owners a way to dramatically lower energy costs in an extremely cost-effective manner. We are now recommending the iWindow to all of our existing building clients, large and small.”
iWindow addresses the urgent need for energy efficiency improvements in commercial buildings. By 2015, more than 75% of commercial retrofits will incorporate energy efficiency measures, largely due to higher energy performance standards and programs such as the Better Buildings Initiative, which aims to make commercial buildings in the United States 20 percent more energy efficient. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, 25% to 35% of energy wasted in buildings today is due to inefficient windows, adding up to 10% of total carbon emissions in the U.S. annually. The application of innovative technologies such as iWindow represents a tremendous energy savings opportunity.
“With iWindow, we have addressed the fundamental challenges preventing more widespread implementation of energy efficiency retrofits in commercial buildings,” said Ian Sullivan, GM and VP of Serious Materials’ Windows division. “iWindow was an innovation that in part evolved out of our work at the Empire State Building. Now, iWindow provides access to the broad market for our high-performance SeriousGlass in a simple package that can be quickly and cost-effectively deployed to solve both energy efficiency goals and occupant comfort considerations”. Serious Materials upgraded the 6,514 dual pane windows in the Empire State Building with SeriousGlass to create super-insulating units that increased the thermal performance of the windows by up to four times.
Superior Comfort Benefits
In addition to improving energy efficiency and enabling cost savings, iWindow directly solves typical complaints related to the comfort levels and indoor environment of building occupants and tenants. iWindow addresses winter comfort factors which are largely driven by inside window surface temperatures. Initial iWindow customer installations have proven to improve inside glass surface temperatures, making it more comfortable to work and sit near windows. Warmer glass temperature in winter months and cooler glass temperature in summer months can also result in temperature setpoint changes (decrease in winter and increase in summer), resulting in reduced HVAC costs. In addition, iWindow can reduce exterior noise transmission and enables tuned solar control according to a building’s unique climate zone and orientation with low and high solar gain SeriousGlass packages.
iWindow Innovation: Powered by SeriousGlass
Each iWindow incorporates the SeriousGlass system that delivers unmatched overall performance for both occupant comfort and energy savings. SeriousGlass units include spectrally-selective suspended film systems that create multiple air chambers, accomplishing high thermal performance of triple pane glass without the additional weight and structural concerns. Beyond super-insulating performance, SeriousGlass enables high light transmission, 99.5+% UV blockage, and reduced fading and damage to interior furnishings. SeriousGlass is proven in thousands of commercial and residential projects over nearly 30 years.
Source: http://www.seriousmaterials.com/