Industry News: Green Retrofits Surpass New Green Construction

A report published this week, says the green retrofitting of commercial buildings is outpacing the construction of new green buildings.

According to McGraw Hill Construction’s Green Outlook 2011, this trend could mean that more building owners believe that achieving LEED certification may be cost efficient and environmentally conscious. The trend may have also been prompted by fewer new green building projects being scheduled for construction.

The report also says that by 2015 the green share of the largest commercial retrofit and renovation activity will more than triple, representing a $14 billion to $18 billion opportunity in major construction projects alone.

What might this mean for the fenestration industry?

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Changes to Canadian Codes Seek Greener Building

Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, Joe Oliver, says he is working with the provinces and territories to support the adoption of the 2011 National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings.

The Code recently underwent 245 technical changes in an effort to accommodate new technologies and construction practices that have emerged in Canada over the past 15 years.

One aspect of the Code is its overall performance improvement compared with the 1997 Model National Energy Code for Buildings. The goal was to improve the energy efficiency of the Code’s technical requirements by 25 percent from the previous version published in 1997.

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Kumar Leads Traco's Drive Toward Innovation

          

Sneh Kumar, R&D Project Manager of Traco Windows, a Division of Kawneer and Board of Directors member for the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC), says his company continues to drive innovation with the introduction of one of the industry’s “thermally smartest” windows.

As pointed out by Marc LaFrance (U.S. Department of Energy) during NFRC’s recent membership meeting in Atlanta, Traco’s latest innovation was developed in partnership with the DOE and achieves U-Factor in the range of 0.17 to 0.22 (R5) with commonly available glazing.

The product series called OptiQ Ultra Thermal Windows also meets or exceeds the minimum requirements for AAMA’s Architectural Window (AW) structural rating performance.

This is the first Aluminum window to meet R5-thermal and AW-structural performance. OptiQ™ Ultra Thermal Window reduces energy loss by 40% compared to the leading commercially available double-pane low-E windows (U-Value 0.35/R3).

What makes this window smart is its built-in thermal intelligence, which enables it to achieve optimal thermal performance, maintaining continuity, reducing thermal transmission, and retaining interior heat. 

Breakaway view shows product developed through DOE partnership

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