ESB's original windows given green twist

One phase of the Empire State Building’s energy-efficient facelift is complete: All 6,514 of its windows have been retrofitted.

Jones Lang LaSalle, the company overseeing the ESB project, estimated that the building could see up to a $400,000 drop in energy bills a year due to the retrofitting. More than 96 percent of the original windows were salvaged for the retrofitting, but were turned into triple-pane units to block out more heat in the summer and reduce heat loss during the winter.

“The decision to retrofit the windows at the Empire State Building rather than replace them was truly innovative, as this approach had never before been attempted,” said Dana Robbins Schneider, vice president of Jones Lang LaSalle’s Energy and Sustainability Services. She said the cost of retrofitting the windows was about 70 percent less than if they had been replaced.

As part of its energy upgrade, the ESB will also add more insulation in the building, replace outdated lighting systems, upgrade its heating and air conditioning control systems and improve ventilation.

The entire project, announced by ESB owner Anthony Malkin in April 2009, could save $4.4 million in energy costs annually.