The Economic & Environmental Case for Saving Antique Single Glazed Windows, Reducing Energy Costs & Providing Thermal Comfort
109 Prince Street NYC, built in 1882, restored in 1994 - Awarded. Landmark Certificate of Merit
Window Glass can last 1000 plus years. The first mouth-blown cylinder technique of making sheet glass for windows was developed in Germany during the 11th century. In 1226 this technique was brought to England. Molten glass was gathered on a blowpipe and blown to an elongated, balloon shape, cut and flattened by hand. Each piece had and has the character of an original oil painting yet most of this glass has been destroyed by thoughtless modern window replacement and dumbed down "historic preservation" guidelines that allowed it.
The average life expectancy of a double glazed IG unit is 15 years. which implies a short life and repetitive replacements. The current cost to replace a single failed IG unit in a building such as our example at 109 Prince Street would be about $1200 for material and labor. Had the glass been "modernized" in 1994 and enjoyed the 15 year lifespan, it would be ready for round three replacement. In today's dollars for a total cost of $2400 expense per pane. If the building makes it to 2182, the cost per pane replacement for a total of 12.5 replacements would be $15,000 per pane in today's currency. Since there are 4 panes of glass per opening, we arrive at the unhappy $60,000 per window.
Failed IG units do not get recycled. They get hauled away and fed into landfills.
It gets worse. The ugly fact of life is that the entire window will be trashed into landfills and replaced with thei latest and greatest "historic window series".So much for embedded carbon.
With over 500 historic window restoration and replication projects to our credit including 109 Prince Street, we have developed solutions. to preserve real historic windows. IQRG technology, frameless or framed, operable or fixed solutions are available for interior applications which will outperform any and every other modern window..
The basic premise for window replacement is thermal comfort (per ASHRAE Standard 55-2010) and energy conservation. We have better solutions that retain the legacy windows, provide healthy thermal comfort, reduce energy costs by a minimum of 25 to 50%. withe the added benefit of displacing fossil fuel heating systems.
Our system is benefical for schools, institutional and government buildings and very well suited for older building and larger private residences. We will soon be releasing an AIA accredited course for engineers, architects and other professionals interested in building electrification for historic and legacy buildings. This will also be available in a powerpoint presentation, which you can request through our website.