November 2014 was the coldest November in nearly 15 years in the US and served as a chilly reminder that no area is safe from frigid temperatures: all 50 US states fell below the freezing mark; Buffalo, NY was buried in more than 65 inches of lake effect snow; and parts of Montana exp
Energy efficiency upgrades for buildings have the potential to eliminate over $1.2 trillion in wasted energy costs by 2020 for an upfront investment of $520 billion, according to McKinsey & Company’s report Unlocking Energy Efficiency in the US. Yet, even with the knowledge of the
Building owners may make the final decision on improvements for their properties – yet it’s the tenants who have to literally and figuratively pay the price and deal with the consequences on a daily basis. Windows are the weakest link of a building, in terms of heat flow and air infil
China and the US are two of the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases – combined, they are estimated to create nearly half of all of the emissions worldwide. In November 2014, China and the US met and pledged to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions: China – By 2030: cap carbon emissio
The Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics states that two objects in thermal equilibrium with a third system are also in thermal equilibrium with one another. This law is the basis of temperature – temperature flows from hot to cold; therefore, when systems are in thermal equilibrium, they are
If all existing commercial building windows were replaced with triple pane windows, it would save around 1% of the total energy usage in the US, according to 2012 estimates from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). Put into perspective, that is roughly equivalent to how muc
“Energy efficiency offers a vast, low-cost energy resource for the US economy – but only if the nation can craft a comprehensive and innovative approach to unlock it…If executed at scale, a holistic approach would yield gross energy savings worth more than $1.2 trillion, well above th
The Empire State Building has over 6,500 windows – and with windows being one of the main causes of poor building energy performance, the historic landmark NYC building had a lot of room for improvement. In 2009, the Empire State Building began work on a retrofit project that would mo
Condensation is the result of water vapor in the air dropping in temperature and becoming liquid water, the phase that is known as the water’s dew point. This accumulation of liquid water can be problematic indoors, such as on window surfaces, and is the result of cold temperatures pr
Thermolite has been working on a variety of interesting window installations this summer that shows the versatility that our interior window systems have to offer. Visual appeal is not often thought of as a main benefit of interior window systems, but they can provide a crisp, clean l