Historic Window Preservation
As you know, we think historic windows are really important. Historic windows are the eyes of a building. The size of the pane, the profile of the muntin, and the joinery provide clues to date windows, tell a building’s history, and are an important part of the beauty of historic buildings. Yet, historic windows are disappearing at an alarming rate, often because property owners think they can only get energy savings with replacement windows.
We understand that owners of historic properties often struggle with energy efficiency issues. We offer a Vermont-made product that will help save energy. Our EcoSmart Insulating Shades have been tested and have received a rating of R-4 so that the combination of historic window, a storm window, and an EcoSmart Shade will yield R5.5+. Clearly this is a significant improvement over a storm window and historic window combination as well as an improvement over thermo-pane replacement windows which generally yield an R value of R2.5-R3. Unlike replacement windows, the combination of storm, historic window, and EcoSmart Shades offer the potential for solar gain during the day.
Email us at preservation@gordonswd.com or call us for information on how we can make your historic window energy efficient.
The Middlebury Town Hall Theater is Middlebury, VT was recently restored to its former grandeur and is now used for concerts, theater productions, gallery shows, classes and other community events. The old windows were preserved and 34 EcoSmart Insulating Shades were installed. All shades are motorized and "hide" during the day in a recessed area on top of the window. Energy Saving side tracks also are "invisible", hidden in the window frame. Lowered, the shades are completely black out and provide a high level of window insulation.
Middlebury College also used EcoSmart Insulating Shades for this boardroom in their historic Chapel. They kept their historic windows and framing, and were able to have an energy efficient solution, without sacrificing the look and feel of the historic building.
Helpful links for more information
- Insulating Window Shade Evaluation: Quantifying the Benefits of Double Honeycomb Shades with Air-Sealing Side Tracks from CARB, the Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings
- Window Treatments that Reduce Heat Loss from CARB
- Energy Savings Study – the REFSEN study on the insulating fabric used to make EcoSmart Cellular shades. It predicts an energy saving of $16 per sq ft of window over 10 years for a typical newly constructed Vermont home using standard Thermo Pane windows and state of the art HVAC
- Energy Savings with EcoSmart Shades
- National Trust for Historic Preservation: Position Statement: Weatherizing Existing Windows
- National Trust for Historic Preservation: Weatherization Tips & Strategies for using for keeping the original windows.
- Tips for Vermonters on Historic Preservation. This section is designed as a "primer" for getting started with a preservation project.
- Indepenent Testing from Energy Balance, Inc.
- Effects of Cellular Shades on Cold Infiltration and Gas Consumption a study by the Harvard Real Estate Services Sustainability Team