The Sears Tower

It has been known that commercial buildings take a lot of energy to keep them going.

The Sears Tower (Chicago) is going to be renamed to the Willis Tower later this summer and is now going to undergo a $350 million “green” retrofit for the 110-story office tower.

The plan calls for a reduction in its electricity consumption by 80 percent and water usage by 40 percent.

To achieve the savings, owner American Landmark Properties and its partners plan to:

- Replace the 1973 tower’s 16,000 tinted single-pane windows and create a “thermal break” between Chicago’s frigid winters and hot summers and the interior.
- Install gas boilers equipped with fuel cells, which generate electricity, heat and cooling.
- Revamp the tower’s 104 elevators and 15 escalators to cut their electricity usage by 40 percent.
- Conserve 24 million gallons of water with new restroom fixtures and “condensation capture.”
- “Harvest daylight” by installing systems that automatically dim lighting based on available natural light.
- Install solar panels to heat water.
- Erect wind turbines on building setbacks, if possible.
- Plant green roofs that will be among the highest in the world to reduce storm runoff and the urban heat island effect.
- Replace granite plazas and walls surrounding the tower with terraced park space, trees, glass storefronts and an interactive digital display.

They feel that will all of these changes that they could qualify for the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.

And not to be outdone …

The Empire State Building

The Empire State Building’s retrofit aims to prevent the release of 105,000 metric tons of CO2 annually—the same amount Washington, D.C puts out in nearly 10 days.

* Window insulation: This would include the refurbishment of glass  windows, using existing glass and sashes to create triple-glazed insulated panels with new components that dramatically reduce both summer heat load and winter heat loss.
* Radiator insulation: Added insulation behind radiators would be used to reduce heat loss and more efficiently heat the building perimeter.
* Tenant lighting improvements: Introduction of improved lighting designs, controls, and plug load occupancy sensors in common areas and tenant spaces to reduce electricity costs and cooling loads.
* Air handler replacements: Replacement of air handling units—devices used to condition and circulate air as part of a heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning system, or HVAC—with variable frequency drive fans to allow increased energy efficiency in operation while improving comfort for individual tenants.
* Chiller/air-conditioning plant retrofit: Reuse of existing chiller shells—chillers are used in AC units to cool and dehumidify air—while removing and replacing “guts” to improve chiller efficiency and controllability, including the introduction of variable frequency drives.
* Whole-building control system upgrade: Upgrade of existing building control system to optimize HVAC operation, as well as to provide more detailed submetering information.
* Ventilation control upgrade: Introduction of demand control ventilation in occupied spaces to improve air quality and reduce energy required to condition outside air.
* Tenant energy management systems: Introduction of individualized, web-based power usage systems for each tenant to allow more efficient management of power usage

These retrofits are to cost about $20 million with the end result of reducing the utilities by 30 – 50 percent.

Do you feel the movement? When our tallest buildings are “going green”, then there is something afoot!

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