Winners of Building Envelope Innovation Prize focus on secondary glazing
Winners of Building Envelope Innovation Prize focus on secondary glazing 0 dbarista Wed, 10/30/2024 - 11:41 Building Enclosure Systems The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced the winners of the first phase of the Building Envelope Innovation Prize. The prize targets high-performance, cost-effective secondary glazing systems to improve efficiency of commercial windows. Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor Goal is to upgrade inefficient commercial and high-rise residential building windows Codes and Standards Building Enclosure Systems Building Materials Building Tech Building Technology The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced the winners of the first phase of the Building Envelope Innovation Prize. The prize targets high-performance, cost-effective secondary glazing systems to improve efficiency of commercial windows.The prize aims to enable equitable decarbonization and optimize building envelopes for electrification. Seven participating firms focused on secondary glazing involving installing an additional windowpane on an existing window to improve insulation while minimizing cost and disruption.“About 40% of commercial buildings have single-pane windows, which provide a thinner barrier between the occupant and the outside than multipaned systems,” says Hayes Jones, acting director of DOE’s Building Technology Office. “This means higher energy costs and unwanted outside noise compared with multipaned windows. Despite that, less than 1% of windows are replaced annually because of high cost and occupant disturbance. Secondary glazing systems offer a less disruptive, more affordable opportunity to increase efficiency and indoor comfort than full window replacement.”The winning teams will now proceed to Phase 2, in which they will produce window unit prototypes. Phase 2 winners will proceed to Phase 3, where they will transform their prototypes into commercially viable, technically credible products that can be used in real-world applications.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced the winners of the first phase of the Building Envelope Innovation Prize. The prize targets high-performance, cost-effective secondary glazing systems to improve efficiency of commercial windows.
Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor
Goal is to upgrade inefficient commercial and high-rise residential building windows
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced the winners of the first phase of the Building Envelope Innovation Prize. The prize targets high-performance, cost-effective secondary glazing systems to improve efficiency of commercial windows.
The prize aims to enable equitable decarbonization and optimize building envelopes for electrification. Seven participating firms focused on secondary glazing involving installing an additional windowpane on an existing window to improve insulation while minimizing cost and disruption.
“About 40% of commercial buildings have single-pane windows, which provide a thinner barrier between the occupant and the outside than multipaned systems,” says Hayes Jones, acting director of DOE’s Building Technology Office. “This means higher energy costs and unwanted outside noise compared with multipaned windows. Despite that, less than 1% of windows are replaced annually because of high cost and occupant disturbance. Secondary glazing systems offer a less disruptive, more affordable opportunity to increase efficiency and indoor comfort than full window replacement.”
The winning teams will now proceed to Phase 2, in which they will produce window unit prototypes. Phase 2 winners will proceed to Phase 3, where they will transform their prototypes into commercially viable, technically credible products that can be used in real-world applications.
