This year, the Department of Energy (DOE) said it would invest $3 Million in five different areas to improve energy efficiency in commercial buildings.  Part of this investment includes window films.  According to Windowfilmmag.com:

“Each project team, made up of strategically structured partners, will develop and verify the benefits and trade-offs of multi-system energy efficient technology packages (groups of technologies that improve efficiency across two building systems: envelope, lighting/electrical, plug, process, heating, ventilation, cooling, refrigeration, energy management and information, sensors and controls),” states the release from the DOE.

In turn, commercial building owners will have a better understanding of overall cost-effective energy efficiency solutions.

One of the programs awarded funding, which will be led by the non-profit energy consulting firm Seventhwave, proposes to study the “integration trade-offs, cost and energy optimization” of high performance interior retrofit technologies.

According to the release, key players in Seventhwave’s program are window film providers, Xcel Energy, the state of Illinois and the University of Minnesota.

“Commercial buildings consume almost 20 percent of all energy within the United States,” said David Nemtzow, director of the Building Technologies Office. “Research and development focusing on these innovative technology packages will uncover key interactions between commercial building systems that can improve our nation’s commercial building stock and cut energy bills for American businesses. It’s an excellent partnership among U.S. businesses, universities, and the Department of Energy.”