RetroWAL™ a Revolutionary High Performance Curtain Wall Retrofit System
Thermolite has launched a revolutionary glazing retrofit system that enables rapid ROI for the commercial energy efficiency retrofit market. RetroWAL™ is designed to retrofit any curtain wall or storefront application and is ideally suited for historic and landmark projects as it allows preservation of the existing façade. RetroWAL™ consists of a “Window Attachment Lite” or “WAL” which is easily installed on the inside of the existing glass in as little as 30 minutes and greatly minimizes disruption to building occupants or tenants. The product increases the thermal performance of single pane windows in commercial buildings, improving center of glass R-value from R-1 up to R-3 (U-factor 1 to 0.37) with the basic system. Air infiltration is reduced to between .01 and .04 cfm per square foot of window space. Solar heat gain is controlled by using between glass blinds and/or window film laminated on the opposite side of the low-e coating or the existing building glass.
The RetroWAL™ patent pending design places composite caps around the frame with thermal breaks reducing the conductivity of the aluminum dramatically. Typical curtain systems in older buildings have R values (resistance to heatloss) of less than R=1. This value is only the same as ¼” styrofoam. ThermoWAL™ triples the insulating value of the existing older systems, outperforms many total replacement options at a fraction of the cost. It adds minimal weight to the existing curtain wall structure which is often limits the building options.
Security variations for curtain wall structures have been implemented by Thermolite for years and are now available for the commercial building market:
Blast Mitigation: Protects against blast pressures exceeding GSA and DOD standards over 12 psi.
Sound Control: Reduces noise levels to an STC rating of 47 and OITC rating of 40.
Forced Entry & Active Shooter Deterrence: Protects against active shooter entry into storefront, and curtain wall lobby glass.
Hurricane Mitigation: Hurricanes and Super Storms can not penetrate our glass and frame retrofit system. Designed to withstand 159 mph winds and higher 3 second gusts.
RetroWAL™ incorporates 3M VHB adhesive tapes used seal the perimeter of the entire window opening and virtually eliminates unwanted airflow. RetroWAL™ also comes with an option to use 3M solar film which reduces the amount of infrared radiation coming into the building while blocking out little of the visible light spectrum. 3M window films enables high light transmission, 99.5+% UV blockage, and reduced fading and damage to interior furnishings. 3M window films are proven in thousands of commercial and residential projects over nearly 30 years.
RetroWAL™ addresses the massive opportunity of retrofitting the commercial buildings in the United States. According to the Department of Energy Building Database, over 53% of commercial buildings have single pane windows. If all single pane windows were retrofitted and if all these projects result in our typical 20% savings, then over $40 billion dollars per year would be saved along with 300 million of barrels of oil and their associated CO2 emissions.
This product does many things at the same time. It has reduced the total building energy use and capacity requirements by 20% to 23% in 2011 and 2012 projects. This means not only lower monthly heating and cooling bills but also lower capital cost of replacing and maintaining expensive HVAC systems. RetroWAL™ enhances comfort to tenants by eliminating drafts, glare from the sun and greatly reduces street noise. Our technology is always on, never needs maintenance and is good for the life of the building. The return on investment directly effects the utility cost, the people and the environment- it should be the first retrofit consideration in large projects. There is no other product on the market that does all of this at the price.
