Anthony J. Celebreeze Federal Building: Energy savings success story

As the 2005 deadline requiring federal buildings to reduce energy use by 30 percent draws near, property managers who haven’t addressed the issue look for a cost-effective solution that requires minimal installation time and pays for itself in less than 10 years, as required by Executive Order 12902.

The Anthony J. Celebreeze Federal Building in Cleveland represents one energy savings success story. Maine Glass in Park Ridge, IL, installed interior insulating windows in the building’s 4,872 existing windows during a four-month period beginning in late 1999. The cost of the window replacement was $1.2 million; in the first year alone, the window system generated energy savings of $204,001.

The Celebreeze Federal Building purchases steam to heat the building and chilled water to cool the building. A comparison of the steam and chilled water use from before and after the interior window installation shows a significant reduction in energy consumption, federal officials say. In the year after the interior windows were installed, the building’s steam consumption was reduced by 34.7 percent (see graph, p. 43) and chilled water use was reduced by roughly 6.8 percent.

The Celebreeze building was originally constructed in 1966, when it was typical for the metal frames to be glazed with single-pane glass. Today, industry standards for windows demand insulating glass units and framing have thermal breaks that block the transfer of heat or cold from the exterior of the building to the occupied space.

An interior insulating window is a separate window and frame that works in conjunction with the building’s existing window to act as a dual barrier against the elements. The additional window creates a significant thermal break as well as 21⁄2-to-3 inches of meaningful dead air space that is much greater than the standard 3⁄4 inch of dead air offered by new insulating glass panels. Interior insulating windows can eliminate 75-to-90 percent of energy-robbing air infiltration and reduce heat loss due to conduction by 40-to-50 percent. They also can reduce noise infiltration by well over 50 percent.

Another advantage to retrofitting custom interior units onto the inside of the existing windows is that the units are not vacuum sealed and can be removed for cleaning and repair. A cost-effective between-the-glass blind option also can be implemented to reduce solar heat-gain issues and reduce blind cleaning and maintenance.

Interior insulating windows are available in various glass options with aluminum or vinyl frames. The interior windows can be installed in any weather without closing or sealing off corridors, offices or floors, and without interrupting office activities. Installation time for this type of interior window is approximately 45 minutes per window.

“The four-month project caused minimal inconvenience to the various federal agencies occupying the building,” the building manager reports.

An additional benefit to governmental agencies is that interior insulating windows are on the federal supply list. Maine Glass manages the entire project through installation.

Celebreeze building managers chose interior insulating windows because they are a cost-effective option to full window replacement. They cost approximately 50 percent less than most replacement windows. Prior to purchase, Maine Glass provides a free energy study that will forecast savings resulting from interior insulating windows. The easy-to-understand energy study forms can be completed by the building owner, manager or engineer, and assess items such as window size; window square footage; the total number of windows; the total square footage of the building; whether the window frame is wood, metal or vinyl; whether there is air leakage through frames and seals; and the building’s heating type and thermostat settings.

S. Celani & Associates in Tinley Park, IL, an independent energy consulting company, conducts the studies for Maine Glass. For restoration of historical properties, low-profile interior windows enhance interior appearance without changing exterior sight lines. Maine Glass projects have been consistently approved by the National Register of Historic Places and the State Historic Registers.

Maine Glass has installed interior insulating windows and between-the-glass blinds in a variety of commercial buildings including office buildings, hotels, schools, hospitals and other healthcare facilities. For more information about interior insulating windows, contact Maine Glass at 888/825-6975 or visit www.maineglass.com.

The author is publicist for Maine Glass in Park Ridge, IL.

All in the (Quality) Control

By John Swanson

To provide recruits with ways to control the quality of insulating glass units, Bruce Virnelson, technology manager at PRC-Desoto International in Glendale, CA, reviewed the Insulating Glass Manufacturers Alliance’s quality-control manual, a 75-page document that takes an approach similar to that of the International Organization for Standardization.

He told plant supervisors and other personnel from nearly 20 window manufacturing companies that “the initial buy-in” represents a challenge for companies. Executives see higher costs, and it takes longer to find the payback. Eventually, the payback does come, he said during IGMA’s May training session in Chicago.

To illustrate the payback, Werner Lichtenberger, special projects manager for TruSeal Technologies in Beachwood, OH, concluded the session by talking about IG failures. The most common source of IG failures throughout their history has been improper glazing. Windows are designed in a way that water gets caught in the glazing cavity and not drained. IG units sitting in water are much more likely to fail prematurely. Other failures can be traced to manufacturing problems, he noted. The number-one manufacturing problem:

“Glass washers that become glass contaminators.” In particular, washers that don’t rinse glass properly and leave detergent on the glass.

The event, produced by IGMA twice a year—once in the United States and once in Canada—featured a panel of industry suppliers, each focusing on one component of IG and the issues fabricators need to be aware of to produce quality IG units. The topics included causes of glass breakage, glass handling, the science of desiccants, choices in spacer systems, sealants and glass fills.

The alliance’s twin publication, Preventing Insulating Glass Failures, TM-4100-03, costs $61 for members; nonmembers pay $100. The member price for the quality-control manual, TM-4000-02, is $87.50 and nonmembers pay $180.

The IGMA gathers next for summer technical meetings Aug. 6-8 in Victoria, BC, Canada. For more information, visit www.igmaonline.org.