Report: Dynamic Glass Helped One Business Save $487K in Energy Costs
Saint-Gobain’s SageGlass recently released the results of an energy study done in partnership with Scheels, a sporting goods and entertainment chain, which found dynamic glass helped the company reduce its electricity consumption. The study compared electricity use at two Scheels locations, one featuring SageGlass. The study found that the store with dynamic glass, in addition to enhanced building automation HVAC controls, better insulation and LED lighting, benefited from a 73% decrease in electricity consumption. This reduction resulted in $487,193 in energy cost savings in the store’s first year of operation.
In 2017, approximately 24,500 square feet of SageGlass was installed in large roof skylights and the grand entrance of the Scheels superstore in Johnstown, Colo. For the new store, Scheels chose the smart glazing to solve heat and glare issues that had impacted its other locations with similar design features.
“While customer comfort was one of the key factors driving the use of smart glass in Scheels’ Johnstown location, increasing the energy performance and improving the bottom line are impactful differentiators,” says Dr. Alan McLenaghan, CEO of SageGlass. “A holistic, system-level approach is critical for reducing energy consumption and creating more sustainable buildings. Smart glass, intelligent lighting and HVAC controls work synergistically to deliver greater energy savings …”
According to the company, when comparing electricity use between the two locations (the other being in Overland Park, Kan.) over a period of one year, the Johnstown location reduced its electricity consumption by 338,329 KWH per month on average, or an average monthly savings of $40,599.
Transparent Solar Window Technology Advances
A new research project could bring the architectural façade industry one step closer to transparent solar technology. Ubiquitous Energy is working on a research and testing program for its ClearView Power (CVP) technology. The transparent solar coating can be applied to the vertical surfaces of buildings, turning traditional windows into electricity-generating windows.
The research program is partially funded by a $3 million grant from the California Energy Commission (BRIDGE). Ubiquitous will be working with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and its Windows Group, experts in the testing of windows and window-coating performance. Their combined efforts will focus on the testing and validation of the performance of CVP.
“We are working to accelerate the development and testing of CVP so that it can be used by the glass and window industry for window energy-efficient, says Ubiquitous Energy CTO Miles Barr. “This … patent-protected technology will provide a truly transparent energy harvesting solution to the building integrated photovoltaic market, enabling zero net energy buildings and beyond.”
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