Facelifts for Buildings Can Save Energy

"Reskinning" buildings -- or adding a new facade -- is taking off in Canada and Europe.

1 minute read

February 19, 2011, 11:00 AM PST

By Tim Halbur


Solve Climate News talks to Ron Dembo, founder of the Toronto-based "carbon software company" Zerofootprint, who claims to have created the term "reskinning" for this process:

"Dembo said that the role of buildings in global warming is too big to ignore, especially in major cities, where they account for 60 to 80 percent of greenhouse gases. "Buildings were built inadequately and they leak heat or cold," he told SolveClimate News. "They have insufficient skins or exteriors.""

Reporter Robert Gluck writes:

"At its heart, reskinning solves a fundamental conundrum with aging buildings: the lack of a "thermal break" between interior and exterior walls to prevent heat from leaking out or coming in during summer months."

Friday, February 18, 2011 in Solve Climate News

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