Wausau debuts new, online Green Product Selection Tool to assist with energy modeling and savings

Today’s energy-efficient windows can help to dramatically lower building’s heating and cooling costs, while increasing occupants’ comfort and minimizing window surface condensation issues. But, choosing the most efficient window design for a commercial building can be difficult,” says Steve Fronek, Wausau’s vice president of technical services.



He adds, “Product information typically offers window properties such as U-Factor, Solar Heat Gain Coefficient and Condensation Resistance. However, the relative importance of these properties depends on site-specific and building-specific conditions.”



Wausau Window and Wall Systems® Green Product Selection Tool allows users to choose from eight cities to view performance data between a set of Wausau products for either new construction or renovation projects. Visitor can gather performance information on:

* Annual energy

* Peak demand

* Carbon emissions

* Daylight

* Glare

* Condensation

* Cost savings



To generate these results, users choose from pull-down menus for the windows’ orientation, window-to-wall ratio, framing system, glass product and whether to rank or compare the performance information:

* A ranking will order the performance results of a selected design condition, compared to a generic double clear window (for new construction) or a generic single clear window (for replacement). The results also show a simple, color-coded spectrum of “worst to best” snapshot of all the performance data.

* A comparison presents four design scenarios to examine and compare the performance between those scenarios. The four scenarios are accompanied by bar graphs and explanations.

Using cost savings estimates generated by these comparisons, users can apply their project-specific, financial parameters to analyze payback time or rate of return.



Wausau’s Green Product Selection Tool was developed by John Carmody and Kerry Haglund, both researchers at the Center for Sustainable Building Research (CSBR) at the University of Minnesota. All simulations are done using COMFEN2 software by staff at CSBR and by the staff at the Windows and Daylighting Group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.



Future additions are anticipated to include more geographic locations and building types, such as educational and health care facilities.



To access Wausau’s Green Product Selection Tool, please visit www.WausauWindow.com, choose the “Support Resources” menu in the top-center menu bar and then click on “Energy Modeling Tool.”



Nationally recognized for its innovative expertise, Wausau Window and Wall Systems is an industry leader in engineering window and curtainwall systems for commercial and institutional construction applications. For more than 50 years, Wausau has worked closely with architects, building owners and contractors to realize their vision for aesthetic beauty, sustainability and lasting value, while striving to maintain the highest level of customer service, communication and overall satisfaction. Wausau is a part of Apogee Enterprises, Inc., a publicly held, U.S. corporation.

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