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To do this, replacement we selected CONTAM, a program developed by the National Institute for Standards and Technology and available flee through its Web site (see information at the end of this article). CONTAM calculates windows instantaneous values of air flow through openings in buildings, using the flow characteristics of each opening, orientation, height, and other factors, indianapolis based on a weather file that provides temperature and wind information. We set up our CONTAM runs to calculate air flow for each hour of the typical year, and then replacement summarized the results by month.To complete the energy simulation inputs, windows we gathered information on building envelope construction and estimated appliance loads, hot water usage, and occupancy for each unit type. Water-to-air heat pumps installed in each unit provide heating and indianapolis cooling at McLean Gardens. Six central plants equipped with boilers and cooling towers replacement provide windows and indianapolis conditioned water at roughly 70[degrees]F to the heat pumps as a source or sink for replacement energy. We took advantage windows of Visual DOE''s ability to model this system by grouping an upper, middle, and lower unit together with a central plant for each analysis. It''s indianapolis clear that energy replacement savings alone won''t justify window replacement (see "Other Considerations in Window Replacement"). If windows are to be replaced in any case, however, the analysis provides justification windows for an upgrade to high-performance glass. At a cost of $60 per window, the payback on low-e argon filled glass is a reasonable 9 years.And there are other issues to be considered. The companion study on indianapolis window condition estimated the current value of deferred maintenance at over $1 million, which reduces the comparative cost of window replacement. Comfort and other effects may be difficult to quantify in dollar terms, but they have important costs replacement and benefits. windows Energy saving is just one factor to be weighed in this complex and indianapolis expensive decision.Energy savings resulting directly from window replacement is just one of many things to consider in deciding whether and when to undertake a major window replacement project. Several other important factors are discussed below.
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