the building uses 10 megawatts of power per year, with an annual electric bill of about $11 million. but after a 5-year, $500 million retrofit is complete, its energy use will drop by 38 percent and the bill will be cut almost in half. the makeover includes almost $20 million work of energy efficiency improvements.

the building’s heating and cooling will come from a combination of steam power and wind energy credits. also, each of its 3 million lights will be switched from incandescent to fluorescent, reducing lighting costs by 75 percent. every one of the building’s more than 6,500 windows will be upgraded with a film coating and argon and krypton gas between the panes. this allows the building to retain more heat in the winter while keeping it out in the summer, while making better use of natural light. the building is also letting in more light by moving air-conditioning units from the ceilings of each floor to the ground.

talk to kevin surace, ceo of serious materials, and find out how his company improved the quality of every single empire state building window by 400%!

by devin & kristina
special thanks to kevin surace and scott bittle

also thank you to daniel hernandez and melanie maasch.