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.

Need more info and analysis about the issues?
CLICK HERE to subscribe to USGlass magazine.