Getting in Front of Energy Penalties

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Can you put a specific price on a building’s energy emissions? In New York City, starting in 2024, you can: $268.

That’s the penalty building owners will be charged for every metric ton of CO2 generated above an established limit beginning in two short years. Local Law 97, passed in 2019, will apply these limits for buildings in excess of 25,000 square feet from 2024–2029 before they become even more stringent (and with harsher penalties) from 2030–2034. While there are some additional complexities to the law—limits vary depending upon the type of building and its current emissions—the message is clear. Inefficiency now comes with a cost, and it can add up quickly.

New York City isn’t the only major city deploying these measures to reduce carbon emissions and promote greater sustainability. Washington, D.C., recently proposed a similar law that would take effect in 2025. Surely other cities aren’t far behind.

These measures are part of a more widespread push toward sustainability, but they strike me as a fairly distinct shift from how the industry has traditionally thought about a building’s efficiency. Energy efficiency is typically framed around the benefits—lower energy bills, occupancy comfort and, yes, reduced emissions. And it’s true that reaping these benefits requires an investment that some building and property owners may have previously not deemed necessarily worthwhile. But major municipalities instituting financial penalties for poorly performing buildings is a new kind of motivator for building owners and managers.

The commercial glass and glazing industry has some opportunity here, because high-performance window and glass systems are a great way to improve a building’s energy efficiency without sacrificing too much of the window-to-wall ratio. And I think this kind of financial imperative to improve energy efficiency in all buildings—new and old—will continue to drive greater acceptance of progressive window technologies.

One example is high-performing vinyl window systems, which can deliver outstanding energy benefits in a variety of applications where metallic systems have traditionally held the majority of market share. Not only are the energy benefits striking (especially when combined with warm-edge spacer systems), but there is also more evidence of their ability to deliver long-term performance. Last month I wrote about project-specific mock-up testing and why it’s becoming increasingly important to help validate the expected energy and structural performance of new, efficient building technologies. Vinyl systems, when installed with the right technique and care, absolutely have the potential to meet and exceed expectations.

For commercial glass professionals, we can advocate for technologies like these for our customers. For building owners in New York City and potentially other major municipalities, it’s decision time—invest in bolstering the efficiency of your properties today, or pay the price tomorrow.

 

The Increasing Importance of Mock-up Testing

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Not long ago I wrote about the importance of long-term performance once commercial glass products have been installed in a new building. Major investments are being made in new technologies, and in order for those products to meet their potential (and to protect our industry’s reputation), validating performance and sound installation practices are increasingly important.

I found this to be true during some of my recent travels over the past few weeks. In March, I and one of my technical services colleagues spent time at a test lab for project-specific mock-up performance testing on a commercial vinyl window system that is to be installed in a large mid-rise development project. The testing was necessitated by the project architect—some of the largest multi-lite openings needed to hit a certain criteria to keep the project moving. Windows were installed in a full-size representation of the proposed exterior wall system. Structural integrity, air tightness and water performance were all validated through the process, helping to grant confidence that the systems will deliver long-term performance.

While this is not standard procedure for every project, I think we’ll begin seeing an increase in required mock-up testing in large new commercial jobs. More evidence: The Building Envelope Contractors Conference (BEC) returned to Nashville for the first time in two years in March. There was plenty of chatter about how the industry has navigated the past few years, but a particular panel discussion on field and laboratory performance mock-ups caught my attention, correlating with my experience a week or so earlier. Presented by Jose Colon, regional sales director, Intertek; Szymon Zienkiewicz, president, Larsen Zienkiewicz; and Vic McConnell, Smith Cashion & Orr, PLC, the panel served to highlight the importance of performing physical mock-up testing to validate that the system as designed will be fit for use following sound installation.

Why an increasing emphasis on mock-up testing? I think there are a few drivers here:

Risk mitigation. First and foremost, testing helps validate performance—and that’s important for building owners in today’s environment. For many, making the investment in mock-up testing is a worthwhile venture to be more certain of long-term performance. System failures following completion of construction can be major liabilities. Especially as the construction space continues to face labor and skills challenges, a robust testing protocol can help reveal any weaknesses before the job is fully complete, allowing rework if necessary.

Quality assurance for new technologies. Building owners are further looking to new building and fenestration technologies for higher energy performance (more on that in a second). And as these new technologies are deployed, owners want assurance their selection can provide those benefits without sacrificing any of the reliability of legacy technologies. That testing I mentioned earlier was for Quanex’s commercial-grade vinyl window system, and structural performance was a critical part of the evaluation. I’ve noted before how commercial vinyl technologies can offer a wide range of benefits in punched opening and multi lite applications, and I believe that successful testing to commercial performance criteria like this will help broaden the acceptance of these types of options and further validate their place in the commercial market.

Efficiency and sustainability. Building codes and other measures will continue to drive the need for more thermally efficient glass and window systems, a trend that I don’t think we’ll see go in reverse any time soon. For example, last month I wrote about the burgeoning growth of passive house-certified buildings, which seek to drive energy consumption to the lowest possible point. Mock-up testing can help validate that the chosen window systems will provide the kind of air tightness required by passive house standards, for instance. As emphasis increases on making buildings more sustainable, I think it’s reasonable to expect testing will help contribute to those goals.

All in all, I think this kind of mock-up testing is a good thing for our industry. It’s an effective way that we can help grow trust and acceptance of new and emerging commercial glass and glazing technologies that can help make better buildings.

 

Why Demand is Growing for Passive House Buildings

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Here’s a news item that caught my eye last week: the Energy News Network reported that new incentives from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center sparked significant growth of passive house-certified multi-family buildings within the state throughout 2021, and looks to rise even further this year.

Per the report:

In the past year, families have moved into 257 affordable housing units in complexes built to the [passive house] standard, and about 6,000 additional units are now in various stages of development. Early numbers indicate that this building approach costs, on average, less than 3% more than conventional construction and can slash energy use roughly in half. Air quality is higher in these buildings and residents report the units being more comfortable to live in. Many developers who have tried passive house building have been so pleased with the benefits for residents that they are eager to pursue more projects built to the standard.

Massachusetts isn’t the only area where passive house construction is growing in prominence and popularity. Another recent report from Bloomberg notes that demand for passive house construction is growing as homeowners contend with extreme weather and as governments incentivize building decarbonization. The Guardian cites a simple reason why passive house buildings are growing in popularity: “People love living in them.”

This all tracks with the broader trends around energy efficiency that are driving the commercial fenestration industry, but passive house strikes me as a particularly interesting development. Compared with, say, building codes as a driver for higher energy performance, passive house certification prioritizes the entirety of an occupant’s experience. Airtight construction, indoor air quality, sound reduction and extreme resiliency are all factored in. Passive house design principles also specify high-performance windows and doors, where solar heat gain is managed to exploit the sun’s energy for heating purposes and to minimize overheating during the cooling season.

Suppose you’re a manufacturer or builder looking to capitalize on the rise of passive house construction. In that case, you must equip yourself with the right technologies, backed by the required certification credentials and performance data, to meet demand. Passive house certification isn’t easy to obtain—and that’s the point. These are extremely efficient structures that seek to drive energy consumption to the lowest possible point; the annual energy demand of passive homes is estimated to be 70% less than that of traditionally insulated buildings.

Insulating glass is an obvious necessity for meeting passive house criteria, with triple-paned units likely a requirement in certain climate zones. True warm-edge spacer systems are a good option to meet thermal performance targets here. Elsewhere, vinyl and composite framing options can help meet the thermal requirements, but there are other criteria to consider as well. A vinyl system that eliminates the need for foam filling or complex strut systems to meet required levels of structural strength can help streamline the manufacturing process. Owners and occupants care about aesthetics, too. Vinyl systems that are available in durable color options can be a differentiator between your certified systems and other available passive house offerings. Passive house is a selective certification. If you’ve identified it as a market worth pursuing, that means you should likewise be discerning in specifying the right technology you’ll deploy to meet the right performance requirements.

Elevated thermal performance is the way of the future in the commercial construction space—getting ahead of the curve now can be a good way to separate yourself from the competition.

Joe Erb is commercial sales specialist for Quanex.