Serious Materials: Keeping Energy From Going Out the Window

If you use the right windows in a single-family residence, “You can save tens of thousands of dollars in energy cost over the life of a building,� said Steve Weiss, VP of Marketing at Serious Materials, a developer of eco-friendly building materials.

The startup recently acquired Alpen Windows, an energy-conscious window manufacturer. “After you’ve taken care of walls, insulation and ducts – you’re left with windows, which is why we acquired Alpen,� said Kevin Surace, the firm’s CEO. “The R value of most windows is terrible, the best is R3. The [Department of Energy] has been trying to raise the R value of windows for years but the only people who talk about R value is us and Alpen Windows. That’s why we bought them.�

You can use the best drywall and insulation on the market and still end up losing all of your heat through your windows through �especially bad frames,� according to Weiss. Serious Materials looks to improve the abysmal performance of today’s windows “at the low end to R5 and eventually to R11.�

R value is a metric signifying a material’s ability to resist the flow of heat. The higher the number – the higher the resistance and the greater the insulation level. The unit is used by Energy Star, a joint effort of the US DOE and EPA, aimed at saving energy through efficiency.

CEO Kevin Surace enthusiastically rattled off some statistics:

• Nine percent of global energy goes to passenger cars, but 52 percent is tied to buildings, and 12 percent of global energy usage goes to inefficient building materials.

Serious is well-funded by NEA, Foundation and Rustic Canyon. Unlike many of the VC-funded start-up firms we cover, the company is already generating significant revenue.