Properly designed windows and doors play an important role in achieving energy cost controls, as well as energy and environmental goals, and contribute to the comfort, satisfaction, and productivity of building occupants as well. The highest energy efficiencies are easiest to achieve during construction, but many retrofits will produce astounding results. Glazing windows, adding electronically controlled solar tubes, and tightening up the building envelope can drastically change the 'feel' of the building as well as change the amount of energy required.

Window Glazing and Coatings
During construction, choosing a glazed window will offer a host of advantages. Without replacing the existing glass or altering the exterior appearance of the building, you can also retrofit your windows by having interior panels installed over the existing windows, at a fraction of the cost compared to full window replacements.

There are many types of glazing available for windows, especially since many glazing technologies can be combined. Gas fills Heat-absorbing tints Insulated (double-glazed, triple-glazed) Low-emissivity (Low-E) coatings Reflective coatings Spectrally selective coating		Glazing benefits include: Quick installation Requires no change to the existing outer glass or curtain wall, preserving the exterior appearance of a building 50% to 75% less costly to install compared to typical aluminum replacement systems Increases thermal performance Improves inside glass surface temperatures Reduces HVAC costs Reduces noise transmission 99.5% UV blockage reduces fading and damage to interior furnishings.

 

Skylights and Solar Tubes
Skylights can provide your building with daylight and warmth. When properly selected and installed, an energy-efficient skylight can help minimize your heating, cooling, and lighting costs. Almost all window manufacturers produce skylights.

Maximizing a skylight performance in your building involves three steps:

• Design: Consider your building's design and climate in relation to the energy performance of a skylight.
• Selection: Find a skylight that meets your energy performance requirements.
• Installation: Ensure proper installation to maximize the skylight's energy efficiency.

Solar tubes are high-performance daylighting systems that use advanced optics to significantly improve the way daylight is harnessed. They are manufactured by solar tube companies that specialize in the technology required to pull light through corners and distances in a building.

The solar tube system consists of a lens on the roof, with a reflective tube attached to it that terminates within the building at a diffuser, softly bringing daylight in. So an interior room that has no windows can now enjoy natural, free daylight. Often, the diffusers are electronically controlled.

The cost of a solar tube is less expensive than most traditional skylights, mostly due to the ease of installation.

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Skylights and Solar Tubes
Skylights can provide your building with daylight and warmth. When properly selected and installed, an energy-efficient skylight can help minimize your heating, cooling, and lighting costs. Almost all window manufacturers produce skylights.

Maximizing a skylight performance in your building involves three steps:

• Design: Consider your building's design and climate in relation to the energy performance of a skylight.
• Selection: Find a skylight that meets your energy performance requirements.
• Installation: Ensure proper installation to maximize the skylight's energy efficiency.

Solar tubes are high-performance daylighting systems that use advanced optics to significantly improve the way daylight is harnessed. They are manufactured by solar tube companies that specialize in the technology required to pull light through corners and distances in a building.

The solar tube system consists of a lens on the roof, with a reflective tube attached to it that terminates within the building at a diffuser, softly bringing daylight in. So an interior room that has no windows can now enjoy natural, free daylight. Often, the diffusers are electronically controlled.

The cost of a solar tube is less expensive than most traditional skylights, mostly due to the ease of installation.

Manufacturers / Products / Links

The Solatube Daylighting System captures light through a dome on the roof and channels it down through our internal reflective system. This tubing is far more efficient than a traditional drywall skylight shaft, which can lose over half of the potential light.

Energy-Efficient Doors & Windows

Today's windows and doors are far more energy-efficient than those of even 10 years ago — doing a much better job of sealing out the elements, and reducing heating and cooling costs:

Windows / glazing technologies: If glass, then have multiple glass layers —double or triple paned (glazed) Special coatings on the glass reflect sunlight and ultraviolet rays without dimming the view Gases such as Argon and Krypton injected between glass panes create extra insulation A thermal break and frame seals Low thermal transmittance Low air infiltration Advanced framing materials Innovative design and improved construction quality increases life spans		Applications: Your municipality has a variety of buildings, each with their own set of door requirements. Each of these can be made energy efficient: Public Access Doors, Manual and Automated Overhead Sectional (Garage) Doors Overhead Rolling Steel & Fire Doors Rolling & Sliding Gates & Grilles Steel & Fire Entry Doors Electric Operators – Vehicle access control and loop detectors High Speed Doors open and close quickly to help keep the conditioned space temperature changes to a minimum.

Energy efficient walls can be made from all-wall systems, made entirely of concrete, or from Insulating Concrete Forms, which use the same insulation panels for the concrete forms and for insulation afterwards. Walls can also be made energy efficient by adding solar panels or wind microturbines to them.

Energy-Efficient Wall Systems
During construction is the easiest time to make your walls as energy efficient as possible.

New construction applications:

• Insulating Concrete Form (ICF) Construction uses reinforced concrete as structure between panels of insulation. The insulation does double duty as permanent stay-in-place formwork for concrete during placement. The insulating material, typically expanded polystyrene (EPS) affords a variety of state-of-the-art exterior finishes, such as siding, brick, cultured stone, stucco, and so on.
• Structural Insulated Panels (SIP) consist of two outer skins and an inner insulation core. Most structural panels today use either plywood or oriented strand board (OSB) as skins. OSB is most commonly used because it is available in large size up to 12 ft by 36 ft. Expanded polystyrene (EPS) is the most commonly used insulation core material. Extruded polystyrene (XPS) commonly known as Styrofoam, polyurethane foam and isocyanurate are also used as the inner core but predominantly EPS is the used as the inner core.
• Precast Concrete Wall Construction ... Precast concrete walls use use high-strength concrete, typically 5,000 psi with reinforcing steel and fibers. The precast concrete walls have full-length insulation built in to increase energy efficiency. They are smart, with convenient features like built-in accesses for wiring and treated wood nailers for drywall. An important feature for builders is the speed of installation. The walls have a built in footing to be placed on a base of stone. It takes just hours to install a typical home foundation.
• All-Wall systems are similar to ICFs, but they are made entirely from concrete. They have a number of advantages, such as ease of installation, mold resistance, and less expensive than ICFs.

For existing walls, consider adding other forms of renewable energy, such as a:

• Solar-wall system, which adheres to the exterior of a wall and supplies the interior of the building with heat.
• Wind microturbine, mounted vertically to the walls of a building, providing an electrical power source.

Energy-Efficient Roofing Systems
Roof coatings have reflective properties that contribute to a buildings performance as an Energy Star compliant. Coatings can reflect up to 88 percent of heat from direct sunlight as well as reflecting UV rays, which over time can be harmful to the integrity of many roofing systems. Coatings also lower roof and interior temperatures, thus reducing heat and cooling costs, and prolonging roof life.

There are also many types of insulation panel and decking options to make a roof properly insulated and weather-tight. A more elaborate way of making your roof more reflective, and more insulated, is to use a pedestal system for roof decking. The systems provide for roof protection and drainage, as well as providing an ideal roof terrace surface.

Supplemental Insulation
There are three different standard types of exterior insulation that are most commonly in use today to achieve higher energy efficiency:

1. Spray insulation, either cellulose or foam, provides excellent long-term stable insulating performance and moisture resistance.
2. Fiberglass Thermal Batts, made in R-values from 11 to 38, enhance interior noise control and provide effective heat control between studs, masonry and walls.
3. Insulation boards provide structural integrity, a neat, finished appearance, and comes in many densities.

Waterproofing

Through Wall Flashing and Vapor Barriers Building owners continue to battle the elements when maintaining their assets. Inevitably, minor problems will start to surface after a building has been in service for many years. Water penetration and intrusion are especially troublesome. Water intrusion is a major problem when considering the effect it has on tenant dissatisfaction, damage to interior finishes, and mold development.

Commercial waterproofing includes:

• Leak Detection and Repair
• Window Sealant Installation
• Structural Sealants
• Waterproof Coatings
• Water Repellents

Sealants should be watertight, insulating, resistant to the effects of air pressure, color-appropriate, and cost-effective.

Buildings should have proper building wrap, flashing and vapor barriers at construction. Some wraps are now available as spray-ons, reducing seam openings.

Repairs can be costly, but energy efficiency is almost impossible to achieve without a tight building envelope. Repairs can be folded into an energy efficiency lease - contact MLC today and we'll help you meet your energy goals.

Weatherization

Weatherization is the practice of protecting a building and its interior from the elements, particularly from sunlight, precipitation, and wind, and of modifying a building to reduce energy consumption and optimize energy efficiency.

• Sealing bypasses (cracks, gaps, holes), especially around doors, windows, pipes and wiring that penetrate the ceiling and floor, and other areas with high potential for heat loss, using caulk, foam sealant, weather-stripping, window film, door sweeps, electrical receptacle gaskets, and so on to reduce infiltration.
• Sealing recessed lighting fixtures, which leak large amounts of air into unconditioned attic or crawl space.
• Sealing air ducts, which can account for 20% of heat loss, using fiber-reinforced mastic.
• Protecting pipes from corrosion and freezing.
• Installing footing drains, foundation waterproofing membranes, interior perimeter drains, sump pump, gutters, downspout extensions, downward-sloping grading, French drains, swales, and other techniques to protect a building from both surface water and ground water.
• Providing proper ventilation to unconditioned spaces to protect a building from the effects of condensation.
• Installing roofing, building wrap, siding, flashing, skylights or solar tubes and making sure they are in good condition on an existing building.
• Installing insulation in walls, floors, and ceilings, around ducts and pipes, around utilities, and near the foundation.
• Installing storm doors and storm windows.
• Replacing doors with tightly sealing, foam-core doors.
• Replacing windows with low-energy, double-glazed windows.

While this may look like a long list for your maintenance team, remember that the work can all be leased as part of a single energy efficiency project. Call MLC today.