Five Friday Facts: Greening the Empire State Building

by Justin Manger on September 24th, 2010

New York City’s Empire State Building is in the midst of a five year $550 million renovation that includes many green upgrades
6,500 windows will be replaced with panes that have krypton and argon gases injected between them for insulation
$20 million in green refurbishments will reduce energy use by 38% and save $4.4 million a year (a 4.5 year payback on the investment)
38% of U.S. CO2 emissions come from commercial buildings and homes
The green construction industry is predicted to reach $140 billion by 2013, up from a mere $49 billion in 2008