New Jersey office building looks to improve ENERGY STAR rating with RbB window retrofitting system

Like many aging office buildings across the country, Kevon Office Center was constructed without the energy-efficient insulating window technologies that are available today.Kaiserman Co., owners of the property, decided to update the building’s 651 clear, single-pane windows, which were originally installed in 1971, with the revolutionary RbB window retrofitting system.

Developed by J.E. Berkowitz, LP, the RbB system converts low-performing, single-pane windows into energy-saving, triple-glazed insulated glass units (IGUs). In addition to making older commercial buildings more energy efficient, the RbB system is less expensive and less disruptive than conventional “rip-out and replace” window upgrading systems because it uses the single-pane glass from existing window units.

Updating an aging commercial building with better-insulating windows is one way to significantly cut a facility’s energy use and operating costs. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that drafty, inefficient windows account for as much as 25 percent of a typical building’s heating load in cold climates and 50 percent of the cooling load in warm climates.

The EPA’s ENERGY STAR certification recognizes buildings that meet strict energy performance standards set by the EPA and that use less energy, are less expensive to operate, and emit fewer greenhouse gasses than other buildings of their size and type. To qualify for an ENERGY STAR, a building must score 75 points or more on the EPA’s 1-to-100 energy performance scale, which certifies that the facility performs in the top 25 percent of similar buildings nationwide.

“Kevon Office Center received a 90 on the energy performance scale,” said Homer Robinson, president and CEO of Kaiserman Company. “We are proud of this achievement and are committed to enhancing the building further. The installation of the RbB system will certainly improve the building’s energy efficiency and lower our energy costs, which will help it earn a higher ENERGY STAR rating.”

Arthur Berkowitz, president of J.E. Berkowitz, said simulations using sophisticated energy-modeling software showed that the RbB system could enable Kevon Office Center to lower its annual energy costs by up to 26 percent.

Kevon Office Center represents the second major installation of the RbB system by Kaiserman Company. Last year, the company installed the RbB system at 400 Market Street, a 12-story office building in Philadelphia which served as part of a U.S. Department of Energy-sponsored study that is now nearing completion.

“We are awaiting results from a year-long energy study to show the actual reduction in energy use at 400 Market Street, but we’ve noticed a significant reduction in heating and cooling costs, and have received positive feedback from tenants on improved indoor comfort and reduced street noise,” said Robinson. “We expect similar results after updating Kevon Office Center with the RbB system.”

For more information about the RbB system, please visit www.jeberkowitz.com/Renovate.

About JEB

JE Berkowitz, LP is a leading architectural glass fabricator. Founded in 1920, the ISO 9001 certified company serves customers for the domestic and overseas architectural markets. Products include Tempered Glass, Insulating Glass, Spandrel Glass, Silk-Screened Glass, Glass Doors and Entrances, Laminated Glass, and Point Supported Canopy and Wall Systems. The family-owned glass business is located in Pedricktown,, N.J., with over 200,000 square feet of plant space and 250 employees. For more information, visit www.jeberkowitz.com.