 
Edgetech Unveils New Innovation at Glass Expo
Midwest; Collaborates with JE Berkowitz
March 18, 2010
by Tara Taffera
JE Berkowitz and Lauren International companies have collaborated
to create a new product for the commercial market to be used in
replacement applications. Edgetech IG unveiled the product for the
first time at Glass Expo Midwest 2010, held in Schaumburg, Ill,
this week.
RENOVATE®, which includes Edgetech's Super Spacer® TriSeal,
provides a cost-effective retrofitting solution for commercial glazing,
according to the companies.
The new product provides a solution for building owners who want
to replace windows but are apprehensive about the time, expense
and inconvenience of doing a complete tear-out and replacement.
In collaboration with Lauren International's Edgetech I.G., Lauren
Manufacturing and Lauren Plastics, JE Berkowitz (JEB) has spun off
a new division called RENOVATE® by BERKOWITZ (RbB) to offer
a new, a patent-pending technology that uses existing single-pane
units to create an energy-efficient, triple-pane system without
the investment of a full replacement. The RENOVATE system can contribute
7 to 31 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®)
points and is manufactured by JEB to be retrofitted over existing
glass from the interior of the building for minimal disruption of
tenants.
"It's the perfect product at the perfect time," said Ed
Berkowitz, chairman of JE Berkowitz. "RENOVATE is up to 35
percent less expensive than a complete tear-out of window systems
and is more thermally efficient. This is due in part to custom components
supplied to us by Edgetech and other Lauren International affiliates."
USGNN.com/USGlass magazine spoke to Brian Kress, commercial
technical specialist for Edgetech I.G. at Glass Expo Midwest '10
to learn more about the product.
Kress says this is a perfect time for this product given the tax
credit and all the interest being placed on energy-efficient buildings.
"We're taking an existing single-pane window and through this
new product making it super efficient while also blending it with
the existing façade," says Kress. "We're also glazing
it from the inside so there is no disruption of the elements."
He adds that not is this only an energy-efficient solution but a
cost effective one as well.
"This was designed to go in at 25 percent less of the original
cost," he adds.
Kress says the product is perfect for larger cities such as Chicago,
Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., many of which have older buildings.
RENOVATE is designed specifically for commercial retrofitting applications,
including office buildings, schools, hospitals and government buildings,
that have single-pane, non-operating windows.
The companies also point out that, according to a recent study,
inefficient windows account for up to 35 percent of energy wasted
in buildings and up to 10 percent total carbon emissions in the
U.S. annually. RENOVATE's technology enables building owners and
maintenance professionals to make superior upgrades to improve energy-efficiency
at lowered costs and reduced landfill waste because existing windows
are incorporated into the system.
JEB's certified dealer/installer network for RENOVATE goes through
a rigorous two-day training and a certified installer is always
present onsite to ensure the overall quality and long-term performance
of the system.
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