Dynamic Glass Feasibility Study

Transcription

1 Dynamic Glass Feasibility Study An analysis of the long term economic benefits of dynamic glass Pelin Akman, Nick McNeill, & Alexis Wright

2 Project Focus 2

3 3

4 According to the U.S. Department of Energy, 25% to 35% of energy wasted in buildings is due to inefficient windows 4

5 Dynamic Glass 5

6 But wait! Dynamic glass! Compared to standard low-e glazing, View Dynamic Glass can reduce the building's cooling peak load by up to 23 percent - passing cost savings to owners. Use of View Dynamic Glass reduces electricity consumption by an average of 20 percent. 6

7 How it works 7

8 Other Benefits of Dynamic Glass 8

9 Case Studies 9

10 Overstock Headquarters Salt Lake City, UT 230,000 sf Office 30,000 sf Dynamic Glass Downsizing of cooling system by 21% Our annual payroll is $100 million, if we can do something that makes people 2% more efficient, then that is worth $2 million. - Patrick Byrne, Overstock CEO 10

11 Siemens Wind Turbine Facility Hutchinson, KS 300,000 sf Facility 4,900 sf Dynamic Glass LEED Gold Lower initial cost than conventional louvers We explored several [static] options...all of these options detracted from the design and sustainability goals of the project. - Randall Vaughn, architect, Gray Construction 11

12 DPR Construction Headquarters San Francisco, CA 720 sf Dynamic Glass Skylight Net-Zero Energy Building 99% reduction in energy costs View Dynamic Glass is one of the critical elements modulating the amount of light entering the space and controlling the heat gain, - Ted Van Der Linden, Director of Sustainability at DPR Construction 12

13 Overview of Investigation Details 13

14 Learning Tools Cost Benefit Analysis Expert Input Analyzing long term cost benefits from energy savings Investigating cost benefits and human factor benefits Survey Input Understanding human factor benefits 14

15 Cost Benefit Analysis Looks at 400K sq ft, 20 story building Takes energy consumption data from View case study (dynamic & normal glass) which may have innate biases Balances increased upfront costs of dynamic glass with upfront savings in HVAC systems, elimination of blind costs, long term energy savings 15

16 Dynamic vs Normal Glass Cost of Ownership Window & Blind Cost: Function of window surface area using industry avg s Regular Glass: $100/sqft Blinds: $5/sqft Dynamic Glass: $150/sqft Upfront HVAC Cost: Function of floorspace using industry averages and peach cooling needs $23/sqft for normal window build Dynamic glass reduces peak energy consumption by 25%, reducing HVAC cost to $17/sqft Electricity Costs for HVAC and Lighting using avg US electricity cost: $21.40/MBTU and View energy estimates Normal Glass Electricity Usage: 11,575 MBTU Dynamic Glass Electricity Usage: 10,423 MBTU Breakeven point: 3.5 years using a 10% discount rate to account for the time value of money. Long term savings are minimal: save approximately 25K per year in energy expenditure Should be taken as a ballpark estimate 16

17 Increased Worker Productivity Key value proposition for dynamic glass is increased worker productivity as a result of superior lighting and views Several studies looking at environment and productivity correlations Windows and Office: A Study of Office Worker Performance and the Indoor Environment Suggests 2-5% increase in efficacy in a call center Difficult to separate variables Glare reduced performance on 60% of mental function assessment tests Impact of Office Design on Employees Productivity: A Case study of Banking Operations Lighting quality has the greatest positive correlation out of factors (furniture, spatial relations, noise, and temperature) Subjective data for increased performance Example of Impact: 20 stories*(50 workers/story)*($50k/worker)*2% increase = $10M Value Add 17

18 Experts and Surveys 18

19 Experts When pitching dynamic glass how do you balance these two major value propositions: energy savings and increased worker productivity? What other value propositions do you find most impressive? When going to colder locations such as New York, how do you sell people on a longer payback period with regards to energy savings? How did you collect data related to increased worker productivity? Did you send surveys and if so, what factors did you collect? I feel like this is a difficult metric to capture and I am very curious about how you demonstrate this value add of dynamic glass. Have you gotten a lot of positive feedback from customers? 19

20 Experts The prime factor which affects the productivity of employees is lighting in the office...therefore, it is recommended to have proper and adequate artificial as well as natural light to improve the office design for better performance. Lights are the largest user of electricity in office buildings (39 percent), and managing lighting well can pay big dividends. HVAC systems account for 28 percent of electricity and 86 percent of natural gas consumed by office buildings. 20

21 Survey How much do you feel that sunlight improves your work environment and productivity? How much does the sun interfere with your ability to work in your office? How often does solar glare bother you? Would you enjoy having an uninterrupted view out of your office window? i.e. no blinds, curtains, etc. How do you feel about blinds? Do you feel your current windows do an adequate job of keeping the room temperature comfortable? (keeping the heat from the sun out) Did you know that dynamic glass existed? 21

22 Results & Impact 22

23 Resistance to Dynamic Glass Short-term management mindset Higher upfront cost Relatively new technology recently introduced to the market 23

24 Works Cited ows