Kevin Surace is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Serious Materials, a company selected by the World Economic Forum as a Technology Pioneer. Serious Materials is tackling global warming with high tech building materials that include super insulating products.

Source: Ralph Cunningham, FAIA, Cunningham/Quill Architects
Graphic By Frank Pompa, USA TODAY

Advantages of Fiberglass Windows

Fiberglass framed windows and doors are high performance products that are more energy efficient, longer lasting, stronger, more aesthetically appealing and environmentally friendlier than typical wood, aluminum or vinyl windows.
What is Fiberglass?
Fiberglass is a composite structural material that consists of fiber reinforcements (typically glass) that are bound together in a resin matrix.
Fiberglass has a high strength-to-weight ratio, resists warping and is resistant to environmental and chemical corrosion. It insulates from heat, cold and electricity, withstands temperatures from -40 to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and can cost-efficiently be made into complex shapes.

The unique properties of fiberglass include:

• Coefficient of thermal expansion similar to glass
• Low thermal conductivity
• Dimensional stability
• High strength
• Rot resistant
• Chemically inert
• Easily paintable and re-paintable with minimum preparation
• Low environmental impact – made of readily available silica sand
• Future recyclable capability

Over the past 10 years, fiberglass has been used more and more in residential and light commercial construction. It is becoming the preferred material for window frames and door panels. According to Ducker Worldwide, fiberglass
framed windows has been the fastest growing segment of the residential window industry for the past several years

Fiberglass has earned a reputation as a smart choice for green building products because of its energy-efficiency characteristics.

This is significant because buildings consume 30% of all of our nation’s energy and 50% of all electrical energy. Using fiberglass products, including window and door frames, can help reduce the world’s energy consumption.

Fiberglass is a natural insulator because it does not conduct heat and cold, and it doesn’t expand or contract. Most window and door frame components have an interface of different materials: glass on wood, glass on aluminum or glass on vinyl.

With fiberglass, the components are identical which means there is minimal expansion and contraction and if there is any, the components expand and contract as a unit.

Because Fiberglass windows and doors insulate extremely well , their high R-values and low U-factors will save energy for decades.

Filling the fiberglass frames with sustainable foam insulation and glazing the windows with high efficiency insulating glass creates an incredibly high-performing window.

 To be a “truly green” the fiberglass product must be sustainable as well.

The embodied energy in fiberglass is less than other common building materials such as PVC (vinyl) and aluminum.

Fiberglass is made from silica sand, an abundant natural resource that is readily available almost everywhere.

Fiberglass also contributes to long product life and low life cycle costs. These attributes are critical when creating a sustainable product.

Fiberglass products can contribute to National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) credit programs.

These programs assess building projects based on building practices, and overall  environmental impact and give special consideration those that follow Green Building Practices.

Benefits of Fiberglass Windows:
Using fiberglass for window frame material is preferable to other window frame materials like wood, aluminum and vinyl, because fiberglass:

• Performs well in humidity extremes and hot and cold environments
• Has high condensation resistance which helps keep humidity within a proper range and limits the growth of mold and mildew
• Very low coefficient of thermal expansion and contraction (CTE)
  – Since fiberglass is mostly glass, it expands and contracts at about the same rate as plate glass
  – Aluminum expands and contracts 3 times as much as fiberglass and vinyl moves over 7 times as much
• Stress on seals, caulks and joints is minimized, contributing to higher efficiency windows
• Tight seals maintain the resistance to air leakage and water penetration
  – Seal failure can increase the risk of water damage or mold and shorten the life of the product
• About 3 times stronger than aluminum and 9 times stronger than vinyl windows
  – Strength decreases the limitation on glass size making large picture windows possible and energy efficient
• Unlike wood framed windows, fiberglass does not rot or warp
• Does not require a “thermal break” found in most aluminum windows
• Does not require the stiffeners that many vinyl frames need
• Easier to install
  – Frames stay square and do not twist or warp, a common problem during the installation of other types of windows
• Practically maintenance free
• Takes paint easily with excellent adhesion
• Available in a large selection of colors

SeriousWindows

SeriousWindowsTM fiberglass products meet the needs of designers, builders and owners who want to go beyond the limitations inherently found in metal, plastic or wood window systems. Serious Windows and Doors set a new standard in energy efficiency, increasing indoor comfort and saving you money with beautifully designed premium products.

Serious Materials, the parent company of Serious Windows has announced that they have signed a contract to change the windows on the Empire State Building. Serious Windows  makes the Most energy  efficient windows available, and have won many awards, Including Sustainable Industries Top 10 Green Building Products 2009. By  changing the windows on the Empire State Building, the owner Tony Malkin, expects to save 40 % of the Total energy  in the building and have the windows pay for themselves in 3 years .

Keven Surace, CEO  of Serious Materials, and Inc Magazine Entrepreneur of the year, recently made the announcement in Washington DC.  Here are some of his comments ;

Energy efficiency in buildings is not just on paper, it is real, and it is happening right now.

I want to share some details on something that we have not talked about publicly until this very minute.

An iconic project we are fortunate to be involved in is the Empire State Building. I was with Tony Malkin last week, owner of the Empire State Building. He has just launched a ground-breaking energy efficiency retrofit of this great American icon. The changes he is making will save 40 percent of the total energy in the building without any government assistance, and he estimates it will pay for itself with the energy savings in only three years. Three years! But as Tony says, “I am not just saving money; I am making money because more tenants want to come here now.”

And because of his vision, we were able to do something no one has ever done before. We wanted to replace all 6,500 dual pane R-2 windows with our super-insulating, high tech R-8 windows. However, Tony cringed at the waste of having to throw away all that glass from the old windows, which are just a dozen years old. The full count: 26,000 panes of glass.

So, we thought outside the box, and invented a way to build a micro-factory on the fifth floor of the Empire State Building, and manufacture new windows that are 4x more energy efficient on site. We invented a way of removing the existing glass, un-glazing it, cleaning it, placing new spacers, suspended film, sealing, injecting gas and curing it – all on the fifth floor. And do it only at night so no one is distracted in his or her office. All existing 6,500 windows will be transformed to a super-insulating R-8 from an R-2.  And here is the best part: we are re-using all the old glass. 100 percent. No wasted energy, no waste in shipping, and no wasted glass; totally sustainable.

Now that is American innovation.

Invent, manufacture, install.

Kevin Surace, CEO Serious Materials

Joe Yosso , Serious windows dealer  Portland  Oregon

With all the emphasis on going “Green” window manufacturers are  touting how energy Efficient their products are. Every Manufacturer is saying their product is “green”

HOWEVER only one product…SERIOUS WINDOWS is the winner of the

2009  top ten Green Building Products Award  by Sustainable Industries

as well as the 2009 Green Products award from Building Products Magazine.

Sustainable  Industries  said this about Serious Windows when they gave them the award :

Serious Windows are so efficient they have the potential to allow for the elimination of a building’s heating system, allowing waste heat from building appliances to serve as the main heat source in some applications. The windows have a full-frame R value of at least five and up to 11, which can cut a building’s energy bills by up to 50 percent per month.

http://www.sustainableindustries.com/breakingnews/49012336.html

Northwest Energy Savers is your  Serious windows Dealer , in Portland as well as Seattle.

If you are considering replacing  your windows, or are building a new home you should get a quote on Serious Windows.  www.nwseriouswindows.com

Green Builders, Passive house Builders, Serious windows are your best choice.