Window Retrofits Are Easier than You Think

When it comes to upgrading a building’s windows, one of the biggest concerns of owners and property managers is the logistics of the installation process. And for good reason. The more difficult the installation, the more costly. Installing traditional replacement windows – especially in buildings located in densely populated areas like New York City and Chicago – is a complicated process. Removing and replacing glass in big city buildings requires construction permits, high-rise scaffolding, intensive labor and intrusive downtime. None of this is attractive to building owners who are looking for a strong ROI.

For this reason (and many others) more and more building owners are opting to increase their building’s energy efficiency via interior window retrofits. Unlike traditional replacement windows, interior window retrofits are a secondary window system that is installed on the interior of a building’s existing windows. The existing glass stays in place and there’s no need for any scaffolding, permits or costly labor. Because of this, the average time it takes to install a Thermolite window is only 10 to 20 minutes. A traditional replacement window, on the other hand, often takes several hours to install.

In fact, the entire process of retrofitting a building with interior windows – from the initial planning to the actual installation – can be completed in a fraction of the time it takes to plan and install replacement windows.
Thermolite streamlines the window retrofit process in two simple steps:

Step 1 – Window Measurement

Once a building owner decides which type of window retrofit system will be installed (Thermolite offers a variety of window retrofits), we visit your facility to take measurements. One of the benefits of working with Thermolite is that we always guarantee the windows you order will fit correctly the first time.

Step 2 – Window Delivery/Installation

Thermolite maintains an assortment of delivery trucks of all different sizes to facilitate the delivery process. We deliver your windows in batches to eliminate any storage issues. To minimize office disruption, we only deliver the windows that will be installed that week. And since Thermolite windows attach to the inside of your existing windows, we can retrofit your building outside of your normal office hours. This eliminates any office downtime and prevent any inconvenience to your tenants and building occupants.

Thermolite recently completed the world’s largest window retrofit at the Jacob K. Javits Federal Office Building, located at 26 Federal Plaza in New York City. The Javits building is 45 stories tall and features more than 180,000 square feet of glass. Thermolite completed the entire window retrofit in 40 weeks – about half the length of time that it would have taken to install traditional replacement windows. Read more about the 26 Federal Plaza window retrofit here.

Upgrading the windows in your building is a big decision. The logistics of the installation process can often be the deciding factor in determining what type of window system will yield you the best results and the strongest ROI. Contact us today to learn more about the many benefits of interior window retrofits.