Latest Building Envelope News and Industry Best Practices

Solar Voltaics Growing Rapidly

March 31, 2016 by Carl Weinschenk

A study by The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has concluded that almost 40 percent of electricity needed by the United States could come from solar photovoltaics. The study, according to a report on the research at Greentech Media, suggests that 1.118 gigawatts could be produced. That would almost double the last ... Read more »

EIFS Project at Historic Naval Air Station

March 24, 2016 by Carl Weinschenk

The Naval Air Station Patuxent River Building 409/Administration is being retrofitted with an energy-efficient exterior insulation and finish system (EIFS). The Naval Air Station Patuxent River Tester reports that the building, which has historic significance dating back to World War II, says that the EIFSs include a variety of insulating ... Read more »

Window Film is a Clear (or Tinted) Choice

March 23, 2016 by Carl Weinschenk

Darrell Smith, the Executive Director of the International Window Film Association (IWFA), said that in the past, window film installations in California schools were only done in conjunction with bigger projects. There simply was no way to assess the value of these projects in isolation and, thus, no way to qualify ... Read more »

The Benefits of Green Roofs

March 22, 2016 by Carl Weinschenk

Green roofs offer a number of benefits, according to David Charron, the President and CEO of MRIS, a multiple listing service in Rockville, MD. Charron posted a commentary in The Washington Post to extol green rooftops. One of the big advantages, he writes, is that they “drastically lower utility bills” ... Read more »

Reflective Roof Coatings: An Energy Saver that Hides in Plain Sight

March 21, 2016 by Carl Weinschenk

Earlier this month, The Roof Coatings Manufacturers Association released the Reflective Roofs Rebates Database to the general public. The database, which offers information on rebates, loans, grants and tax credits, previously was available only to association members. Reflective roof coatings is one of those typically unsexy good ideas that hide in plain sight. ... Read more »

Drexel University Updates its Energy Master Plan

March 17, 2016 by Carl Weinschenk

Drexel University has not updated its energy master plan for seven years, which is a long time in the rapidly changing world of energy. The situation is about to be rectified. The school, in accordance with new benchmarking requirements from the city of Philadelphia, has commissioned Concord Engineering to bring the ... Read more »

Green Roofs are Growing

March 10, 2016 by Carl Weinschenk

There is a trend that is growing in more ways than one: Green – as in living — roofs. Green roofs refer to more than using solar panels or a certain type of equipment. It really means green: Erik Vickstrom, the lead consultant for Acceleration Advisors and author of “Energy Retrofits ... Read more »

Major Energy Upgrades to PNC Plaza in Columbus, OH

March 10, 2016 by Carl Weinschenk

The Columbus Dispatch reports that Franklin County, OH, has made a $400,000 loan to the owners of PNC Plaza. The money will be used to make energy upgrades to the facility. The 24-story building in Columbus will have $3.3 million worth of work done on its roof, lighting, air controls ... Read more »

NRCA: Pay Attention to Your Roof

March 4, 2016 by Carl Weinschenk

Last month, The National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) updated its EnergyWise Roof Calculator. The online tool now includes information from the 2015 version of the International Code Council’s International Green Construction Code and the 2013 version of ASHRAE Standard 90.1 (“Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings”). Other adjustments ... Read more »

Smart Windows are a Smart Idea

February 12, 2016 by Carl Weinschenk

Fenestration – roughly stated, the art of bashing holes in the sides and tops of buildings and putting various objects in those holes in an energy-efficient manner – is a big deal. Windows fill many of those holes, and smart glass is a big advance. The savings can be significant. Dr. Helen Sanders, ... Read more »

Oft Forgotten Fenestration Should be an Energy Efficiency Priority

January 27, 2016 by Carl Weinschenk

How soundly fenestration – the windows, doors and other elements that are inserted into buildings – is handled goes a long way toward determining energy efficiency and costs. This week, the American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) updated its method of determining thermal performance of fenestration systems in commercial buildings. The ... Read more »

Bloomberg: Efficiency Focus Shifting to Existing Structures

January 19, 2016 by Carl Weinschenk

The efficiency of existing buildings will become a greater focus of greenhouse gas reduction efforts, according to a Bloomberg story. The piece quotes U.S. Green Building Council statistics that buildings account for 39 percent of carbon dioxide emissions. To date, the piece suggests, the focus has been on increasing efficiency ... Read more »

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