Energy&Environment

DOE to Fund Energy Efficiency Building Envelope, Window Projects

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu has announced awards totaling more than $76 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Fourteen companies in the building envelope and windows category will receive awards (see chart below) from the Department of Energy (DOE) that will support advanced energy-efficient building technology projects and the development of training programs for commercial building equipment technicians, building operators and energy auditors.

The building envelope and windows segment is receiving $22,807,255. Some of those recipients spoke with USGlass, explaining that the funding will go toward a range of projects, all focused on increasing the energy efficiency performance of buildings, both commercial and residential.

According to Fred Millett of Pleotint LLC, the West Olive, Mich.-based company that received a grant of $402,547, the award will help fund a competitive test of its sunlight responsive thermochromic laminate material made into an insulating glass unit. Millett says the project is expected to take 18 months.

Eversealed Windows Inc. in Evergreen, Colo., received a $2,169,327 grant that David Stark, company president and chief technology officer, explains will go toward a project focused on vacuum insulating glass (VIG) units for use in developing R-10 windows.

The Performance Films division of St. Louis-based Solutia was awarded a $356,000 grant. The awarded funds have been earmarked for the continued research, development and commercialization of high-performance, energy-efficient retrofit window film technology for commercial and residential buildings. According to Solutia, this technology involves new film coatings and techniques designed to improve energy efficiency in every climate zone, specifically films with low-E properties.

The $1.2 million going to Dow Corning will be applied toward the development of an insulating façade system that would help increase the energy-efficiency of commercial buildings. The silicon-based, high-efficiency building insulation system would be used in retrofit and new construction applications to achieve thermal resistance values of R-40 or greater for exterior insulation and finish systems. The project is expected to take about three years.

TRACO in Cranberry Township, Pa., received a $2.6 million grant for high volume production engineering of R-5 commercial grade windows. According to Denise Abraham, Traco’s manager of marketing communications, this two-year project involves engineering the production of commercial grade R-5 windows, in a cost-effective manner. The project has identified improvements in the manufacturing and assembly of glazing, sashes/vents and frames since it represents a major portion of the overall cost to manufacture the window.

Massey’s Plate Glass & Aluminum Goes Green
Through a grant from the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF) On-Site Renewable Distributed Generation Program, solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are successfully operating at Massey’s Plate Glass & Aluminum Inc.

The 12.6-kilowatt solar PV installation on the roof above Massey’s Plate Glass in Branford, Conn., was designed by Spire Solar and installed by Pat Munger Construction. The 70 solar panel array supplies more than 41 percent of Massey’s electricity needs. CCEF’s grant of $45,424 helped to defray more than one third of the total project cost.

“We are pleased with our decision to go ‘green’ by pursuing this sustainable energy solution for our business and we applaud Munger Construction for a job well done,” says Robert Massey Jr., Massey chief executive officer.

“Businesses, municipalities and other institutions around the state continue to turn to solar technology to help control their energy costs, demonstrate the benefits of clean energy alternatives and protect the environment,” adds Lise Dondy, CCEF president. “The solar arrays that generate clean energy for Massey’s and Munger Construction are a great reminder of the power of solar.”
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