Green makeover for Empire State Building
April 14, 2009 by Tom GuayPosted in: Cost Cutting, Latest News & Views
Energy savings are a key goal of a major renovation of the Empire State Building.
The project aims to cut energy use by nearly 40% and the main tool will be window replacement — all 6,500 windows in the 102-story building. The building’s tenants will benefit from lower heating and air conditioning bills, Anthony Malking, whose family owns the building, told Bloomberg.com. The new windows will be triple glazed and insulated.
Other green improvements planned include:
- insulating the buildings radiators,
- installing occupancy sensors to turn of lights when rooms are empty, and
- modernizing the giant chillers needed to cool the building.
The window replacement project is part of a $600 million renovation of the 78-year old landmark.
Improving a building’s energy efficiency can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions because supplying electricity for office buildings accounts for 38% of U.S. carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. By upgrading the windows, Empire State Building owners hope to qualify for EPA’s Energy Star program and the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program run by the Green Building Council.
Tags: energy efficiency, energy star, green building, greenhouse gases, LEED
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