Climate Change and Commercial Construction
The Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman has said the U.S. government, “…is basically an insurance company with an army.” So much of the government’s work involves insuring its citizens—think Social Security—that much of its funding does go to those programs—and the military, of course. However, the Federal government is also a major, if not the largest, property owner and landlord.
Our national government occupies 2.8 billion-sq.ft. of building space in the U.S. and U.S. territories, of which 2.5 billion-sq.ft. are owned and otherwise managed and 286 million square feet are leased. And, according to government agencies, there are many federally owned buildings that are unused or under used. At the same time, there are about 5.9 million commercial buildings in the U.S., and the total square footage of office space is steadily increasing. Those figures are important when you see other numbers, such as the U.S. Dept. of Energy report that, as of 2021, all buildings in the U.S. consume 39.1% of U.S. energy, 75% of electricity, and account for 16% of carbon emissions.
And while the government pushes emission reduction programs for all segments of the country, including their own buildings, in an era keenly focused on climate change, research into how to cut energy use and emissions in buildings is a growing industry on its own. One focus has been the use of energy-inefficient windows, amounting to an ongoing energy leak of unsustainable proportions. Our communities and environment demand build structures that reduce CO2 emissions and rate as high performance as possible.
But creating a comfortable indoor environment that provides adequate light and temperature control uses most of this energy. Buildings that effectively insulate from moisture and wind while allowing fresh air and natural light through windows create the most beneficial environment for occupants.
At the same time, standard commercial windows and curtain walls are the most significant thermal leak in office buildings, accounting for up to 25-30% of heating and cooling energy use. Until now, upfront costs have prevented builders from selecting energy-efficient fenestration options.
Todd Frederick of FreMarq Innovations has developed new technology that enhances curtain wall efficiency and increases return on investment for building owners — for the same or lower upfront costs as less efficient options. In fact, FreMarq Innovations is pioneering the efforts to reduce carbon emissions and energy waste with the only patented technology to eliminate the most significant source of energy loss in commercial buildings — inefficient windows.
Aligning with global goals, FreMarq’s retrofit system gives building owners a way to upgrade existing low- to mid-rise curtain wall installations, bringing them up to or beyond current energy codes. A building’s existing envelope can be modified to outperform even the highest-performing competitive new construction products at potentially half the replacement cost.
For new constructions, their Zero•Net curtain wall systems incorporate FreMarq’s FortMax patented and cost-effective thermal barrier to provide industry-leading performance. When combined with standard 1-inch double IGU (insulated glass unit), designers can achieve U-values that traditional framing systems can only obtain with expensive triple pane IGUs.
The number of new commercial properties is rising, while many older units are being left unoccupied due to their inefficiency. The way forward is to utilize the available green and energy-efficient technologies in new construction and retrofit the older facilities to make them competitive in the market, increasing supply in the process.
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