MILWAUKEE--BUSINESS WIRE--Johnson Controls NYSE:JCI, the global industrial leader in providing
energy efficient and sustainable products, services and solutions, has
selected Serious
Materials to super-insulate more than 6,500 windows for the Empire
State Building’s energy efficiency retrofit project.
“Serious Materials competed with the most prominent manufacturers and
service providers for a key component of our program to make our energy
savings goals a reality”
Serious Materials will provide its SeriousGlass™ technology through a
sustainable production process that will directly reduce energy costs by
more than $400,000 per year. In a first-of-its-kind process, Serious
Materials will reuse all existing glass and create super-insulating
glass units IGUs in a dedicated processing space located in the Empire
State Building. The new IGUs then will be re-installed and will increase
the thermal performance of the windows by up to four times their current
thermal performance, improving the R-value of the older dual pane IGUs
from R2 to R-values ranging from R-5 to R-8. The super-insulating new
windows will also reduce solar heat gain by more than 50% compared to
the older windows.
Johnson Controls is overseeing the full Empire State Building retrofit
project, with team of energy efficiency experts including the Clinton
Climate Initiative, Jones Lang LaSalle, and Rocky Mountain Institute.
The window upgrade process is one of eight individual measures that are
expected to reduce energy use by 38 percent, save $4.4 million per year
in energy costs, and save 105,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide over the
next 15 years.
Manufacturing Innovation: A Sustainable Approach to Glass Retrofitting
As part of Serious Materials’ solution, a 5,000 square foot processing
space will be built onsite in the Empire State Building and will serve
as the production line for super-insulating SeriousGlass glass units.
The existing glass of the building’s 6,514 double-hung windows will be
removed from the window frames, separated, and cleaned in the processing
space. New super-insulating IGUs will be produced using the old glass
panes, new spacers, suspended coated film, and special gas fill. The
IGUs will be re-installed into the existing window frames.
Removal and re-installation of glass will occur during evening hours to
avoid any disruption to building tenants and occupants. Serious
Materials also will install the company’s QuietRock® soundproof drywall
in the processing space to protect neighboring tenants from noise during
construction.
By reusing existing glass and producing the new glass on-site, the
process eliminates virtually all waste, saves energy, and reduces
replacement costs.
“The Empire State building represents a model to others who may look to
emulate what is being done at this landmark building from an energy
efficiency standpoint. Our team has focused on providing the best energy
solutions. The super-insulating windows will reduce energy use and
produce savings that will payback in three years,” said Iain Campbell,
vice president and general manager, Global Energy & WorkPlace Solutions,
Johnson Controls.
“Serious Materials competed with the most prominent manufacturers and
service providers for a key component of our program to make our energy
savings goals a reality,” said Anthony E. Malkin of building owner,
Empire State Building Company. “Their expertise and ingenuity at
competitive standards won them the job. When the total project is done,
we will have happier tenants, a more comfortable environment in all
seasons, and long-term energy and cost savings. Johnson Controls has
guaranteed that the integrated 8 measures, including windows, will
provide us a payback within just 3 years.”
“Customers are the focus of everything we do at Serious Materials,” said
Kevin Surace, CEO of Serious Materials. “When we heard that retrofitting
the dual-pane windows was a key component of the cost-efficient upgrade
program, we went to work and came up with a solution never before
attempted. We expect to use this model with other major efficiency
projects throughout the world with customers who want to save real money
in their buildings.”
Visit www.SeriousMaterials.com/ESB
for more information about how SeriousGlass contributes to the
whole-building energy efficiency retrofit of the Empire State Building.
About Serious Materials
Serious Materials develops and manufactures sustainable green building
materials that save energy, save money, improve comfort, and help
address climate change. Serious Materials’ products are manufactured in
the company’s 5 factories across North America. For more information,
visit http://www.SeriousMaterials.com.
About Johnson Controls
Johnson Controls NYSE:JCI is the global leader that brings ingenuity
to the places where people live, work and travel. By integrating
technologies, products and services, we create smart environments that
redefine the relationships between people and their surroundings. Our
team of 130,000 employees creates a more comfortable, safe and
sustainable world through our products and services for more than 200
million vehicles, 12 million homes and one million commercial buildings.
Our commitment to sustainability drives our environmental stewardship,
good corporate citizenship in our workplaces and communities, and the
products and services we provide to customers. For additional
information, please visit http://www.johnsoncontrols.com/.
About Empire State Building
The “World’s Most Famous Office Building,” the Empire State Building is
in the midst of the more than $550 million Empire State ReBuilding
program as the flagship of the W&H Properties portfolio of Pre-War
Trophy office buildings. Since the Empire State ReBuilding program began
in 2007, new investments in infrastructure, public areas and amenities
have attracted new, first-rate tenants in a diverse array of industries
from around the world. The skyscraper’s robust broadcasting platform
makes it the most important broadcast facility in the most important
market in the world. The Empire State Building was named America’s
favorite building in a poll conducted by the American Institute of
Architects. The Empire State Building Observatory is the region’s #1
tourist destination. For more information on the Empire State Building,
please visit www.esbnyc.com.
