Commercial Secondary Windows
Understand the benefits and the value of AERC certification
ABOUT COMMERCIAL SECONDARY WINDOWS
Commercial secondary windows are retrofit products that attach to the interior or exterior of existing windows and provide an enhanced insulating barrier between the window and the outdoor environment, minimizing the infrared energy that can pass through and reducing air infiltration. Secondary windows offer a significant, cost effective opportunity to address energy performance and comfort in commercial buildings and reduce energy costs. In fact, for mid to large size commercial buildings with low performing (single pane or clear double pane) windows, secondary windows can achieve similar performance to full window replacement for 30-50% less cost.
Commercial secondary windows can solve a host of building energy and comfort issues, including thermal discomfort, exterior noise disruption, sun glare, draftiness, high utility bills, high peak load and HVAC system stress caused by extreme temperatures.
AERC RATINGS & CERTIFICATION
AERC recognized the potential of secondary windows and prioritized the development of a commercial rating and certification program in order to provide the industry with credible data on the energy performance of these products. The commercial secondary windows program adopted similar, rigorous performance metrics used by AERC’s residential program including U-factor, Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC), Visual Transmittance (VT), and Air Leakage. AERC-developed ratings and certification procedures aim to help accelerate awareness and adoption of these products as an energy savings measure by enabling:
- Efficiency organizations and gas and electric utilities to develop energy efficiency programs to offer customer incentives and rebates for purchasing AERC certified secondary window products.
- Simulations of whole building energy performance for projects using AERC ratings as inputs.
- Commercial building owners, ESCOs, facility managers, and architects to use AERC ratings to compare the performance of secondary window products and make purchasing decisions based on energy performance metrics.
WHY CERTIFY?
- With AERC’s third-party commercial product certification program, product performance is clearly communicated, educating a broader audience about the outcomes they can expect with secondary window systems.
- AERC’s commercial product certification boosts credibility with large commercial purchasers who can use AERC testing data to confidently model energy savings.
THE PROVEN BENEFITS OF COMMERCIAL SECONDARY WINDOWS
Commercial secondary windows are an easy-to-install alternative to full window replacement that provides the same benefits for about half the cost. Commercial secondary windows offer owners, operators and occupants a variety of proven benefits, including:
- Improving tenant comfort by reducing cold air/heat transfer and outside noise.
- Supporting occupant health by decreasing infiltration of outdoor air.
- Enriching tenant wellness by reducing glare and increasing access to natural daylight.
- Reducing utility costs by minimizing air leakage.
- Decreasing HVAC peak load and overall building energy use.
COMMERCIAL SECONDARY WINDOWS ARE IDEAL FOR
- Small, medium and large commercial buildings with fixed or operable windows
- Retail, office, hospitality, schools, healthcare, and historic buildings
- Buildings constructed before 1990 without low-e coating on windows
- All-electric buildings with single-pane, clear windows present largest savings opportunity
FACT SHEETS & CASE STUDIES
Is your building subject to high utility bills, drafts, disruption from outside noise, and tenant discomfort? See the fact sheets from BetterBricks to learn about commercial secondary windows and dermine if they’re the right for your building.
- Fact Sheet: Commercial secondary windows: IDEAL BUILDINGS AND APPLICATIONS
- Fact Sheet: Commercial secondary windows: HIGH-PERFORMANCE WINDOWS AT A FRACTION OF THE COST
- Case Studies: Commecial Secondary Windows case studies by BetterBricks