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Highlands Today

County Building Going Green

Window Coverings Should Save Money In Courthouse

Kathy Waters/Highlands Today

ABOVE: Ewald Probst, energy consultant for Highlands County, compares temperatures of a window with the Winsulator technology versus a door without it on Wednesday at the Highlands County Courthouse. The courthouse is the first building in Central Florida to use the Winsulator technology, which will help reduce the power bill for the building.

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By MANDY SHEETS | Highlands Today

Published: January 19, 2008

SEBRING — What do the Highlands County Courthouse and NASA Kennedy Space Center have in common?
Both buildings are now cooler, thanks to Winsulators.
The clear, acrylic interior window attachment uses magnets to fasten to the inside of windows and keeps the heat trapped outside, much like a double-pane window.
Winsulators have been added to all 94 windows in the historic courthouse, with hopes of reducing the electricity bill.
"Installing new windows would have been cost prohibitive," said Edward VerVane, inventor of the Winsulator. "The change also would have taken away from the historic look of the building. The Winsulator creates a 'green' facility that is friendlier for the environment."
The courthouse is the first building in Central Florida to incorporate the technology, which VerVane invented in 1993.
David Flowers, facilities management director for the county, said he hopes to see a 10 to 15 percent reduction on the courthouse's $300,000 per year electricity bill. The cost of the windows, $52,000, will take about two years to recover.
Because the courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the facade of the building cannot be changed, which the Winsulator allows for.
"I'm glad we were able to do this with a building that was never meant to be energy efficient," Flowers said. "We didn't want to change the appearance of the building, so this is a great solution … I love the fact that we have something that reduces energy but is not intrusive."
Ewald Probst, energy consultant for the county, demonstrated the efficiency of the Winsulator using a handheld thermometer. A glass door without the Winsulator recorded a temperature of 93 degrees, and the window with the Winsulator was 76 degrees.
"Even though the sun is hitting both the window and the door the same, the Winsulator keeps the heat on the outside," Probst said.
Probst said because the Winsulator keeps heat trapped outside, the air conditioning has to run less to keep the building at a comfortable temperature.
In addition to financial savings, VerVane said the Winsulator has residual benefits as well.
The window attachment reduces noise level by 60 percent.
Priscilla Michalak, director of the civil division, said she can notice a noise difference. People congregate outside her window, and she can no longer hear their conversations.
VerVane said the Winsulator also allows for natural light, which improves employee's comfort levels.
VerVane said the price of Winsulators range on size and scope of the project, but buyers often see a return on the investment within less than three years.
They can be installed in historic homes and VerVane said he has even developed a self-installation kit for small projects.
For more information about the product, visit the company's Web site at www.winsulator.com.

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