Finally: Sunlight in the Office Cubicle

Check out this great article from the Wall Street Journal that touches on how 3M Daylight Redirecting Film is being used to help offices save energy and create a more pleasant work environment.

Story by James R. Hagerty for The Wall Street Journal

Several Companies, Including 3M and Alcoa, Introduce Products Promising to Enhance Natural Lighting

It is hard to top the sun as a light source for houses and office buildings. Natural light is free, and people tend to like it.

The trouble is that sunlight can cast glare on computer screens and roast people sitting near windows. If they yank down the blinds, everyone else loses the view and natural glow.

Entrepreneurs have been trying to find technological solutions to this dilemma for decades. Despite their modest success in selling that technology, companies including 3M Co. and Alcoa Inc. keep trying, offering “daylighting” products that deflect sunlight toward the ceiling so it can gently illuminate a larger portion of a building’s interior.

3M is promoting a new “daylight-redirecting” film applied to the upper portions of windows. Alcoa has an updated “light shelf,” reflective panels affixed to walls or window frames to reroute sunbeams deeper into buildings. These are some of the latest in a long line of products introduced by firms promising to enhance natural lighting.

“It’s a great challenge,” said Gordon Gill, a Chicago architect. “Everybody wants the daylight; nobody wants the glare, and you only want the heat when it’s cold outside.”

One aim of daylighting products—to save electricity—has become less urgent as lighting costs have dropped. Russ Leslie, associate director of the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., estimated that the energy used by electric lighting in a typical building has halved over the past decade, partly because of more efficient fixtures and the use of sensors to switch off lights when they aren’t needed.

Read the rest of the article in The Wall Street Journal HERE

Window Film Fits Into Green Building Trends To Look Out For in 2015

This is a great article that discusses green building trends and window films place in these trends. Window films fit right in under the Passive Construction category with standard window films reducing the need for heat, air conditioning and even lighting with the use of daylighting films.

Green Building Trends To Look Out For in 2015

By Karla Lant at www.digitaljournal.com

It’s a fact: green building is not a craze or a fad, but the future of construction. And this is true for both new construction and renovation/retrofitting.

This shouldn’t surprise anyone; as “Green Multifamily & Single Family Homes: Growth in a Recovering Market,” a recent report from the World Green Building Council explains, research shows that consumers are willing to spend more to get green homes. Since green homes provide healthier living environments, better resale potential, and lower utility costs, who can blame them?

So what are the hottest green building trends we will see this year? According to the World Green Building Council, here’s what to expect.

Net Zero Energy Homes
The focus on energy efficiency is going to be more and more important, and this will prompt a rise in demand for net zero energy homes. Alternative energy sources for homes like photovoltaic cells are going to receive a lot of attention in 2015. In recent years more net zero homes have been built, and as these projects prove their feasibility, more clients demand them. The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy also certifies these homes so consumers know what they’re getting, making the buying process more secure.

Healthful Homes
Efficiency isn’t everything; consumers also want beauty and health from their homes. Many green building materials can give them all three features. This means that there is a high demand for green building materials that support healthful households. Natural building materials like stone countertops and local lumber for flooring and cabinetry are aesthetically appealing and have no negative health impact; these materials are already high demand and we will see this demand remain strong. And demand for features such as living roofs covered in greenery to protect the home from runoff problems and radiation will also increase.

Affordable Green Construction
Year by year green building is becoming more attainable for everyone. In 2014 we saw a burst of interest in “micro” homes and reuse of pallets, crates, and other items to make very small living spaces for low prices. This year the trend will continue, but modified, as we see more green modular homes, pre-designed for efficiency and affordability. We will also see a continued rise in retrofitting of existing housing stock, making more housing affordable for more people.

Passive Construction
Passive homes rely less on AC and heat, instead regulating temperature naturally based on their design; this is possible when well-insulated homes are designed to make the most of natural light, shade, and wind. Landscaping design also plays an important role in this kind of construction. The passive construction trend is already booming in the EU, and although the trend will be slower to pick up here in North America, we will start to see it gain favor here in 2015 — probably in commercial buildings first.

Designing for Drought
As the southwestern United States, especially California, continue to experience serious drought conditions, we will see more conscious water conservation in the designs of 2015. This will include more use of xeriscape where appropriate, composting toilets, low-flow toilets, graywater recycling systems, stormwater runoff reduction systems, and water-saving indoor fixtures.
This is an exciting time for construction, and for retrofitting or building a new home. Green building trends offer some amazing opportunities to ensure a healthful, efficient home, and this year we’ll see even more options than we have in the past.

A “Net-Zero” Walgreens Store & 3M Daylight Redirecting Film are a Perfect Match

Find out how 3M Window Film provided a cost-effective, low-maintenance solution to reduce visible glare, extend daylight zone and fit with the overall design of the company’s first net-zero project.You can read the entire case study by clicking HERE

Window Film Most Cost-Effective Energy Conservation Solution, Study Finds

by Zachary Shahan of cleantechnica.com

International Window Film Association (IWFA) — yeah, I didn’t realize that existed — reported last week that “a comprehensive analysis of window film found it to be the most cost-effective energy saving choice for Californians when used in retrofit applications on homes and buildings.” Interesting.

Energy & Financial Savings

The paypack period for window film was identified to be less than two years, with up to 70% return on investment (ROI). Of course, construction details, location, and window film used have an effect on the matter and can alter the energy savings and ROI.

Window Film’s Benefits

How does wind film help? Window film reduces solar heat gain while still letting in light. As a result, it lowers residents’ and businesses’ air conditioning and lighting costs. Window film also helps to cut out glare and UV exposure.

Combine window film with some white roofs and energy-efficient appliances you’ll have a pretty rockin’ electricity bill!

The Window Film Analysis

The analysis, conducted by ConSol, “compared installing window film on existing structures in the state to other traditional energy saving techniques such as updating HVAC systems, air sealing and caulking, and adding R-38 ceiling insulation, and found that window film came out ahead.”

“With over 70 percent of the buildings and homes in the California market having been constructed before 1980, window film has to be high on the list for every building retrofit project across the state,” said Mike Hodgson, president of ConSol.

The full report can be read on the IWFA site if you’re interested in more details.