SJI Announces Change in Project Timing

South Jersey Industries announced that the opening date for its joint-venture project to construct and operate a thermal energy project to serve the Echelon Resort on the Las Vegas strip would be later than anticipated. Earlier today Boyd Gaming announced that, while remaining fully committed to the Echelon project, it was delaying construction on the project for nine to 12 months. The Boyd Gaming release attributed the delay to “a difficult environment... 

Solarfin Shading System

Solarfin, from Colt International in the United Kingdom, is a controllable fin shading system that installs horizontally or vertically on a building’s facade. The louvers follow the sun’s path—they can pivot 120 degrees—optimizing daylighting, minimizing heat gain, and overcoming the potential for too much or too little shading that comes with fixed systems.

High-Performance Wood Windows

The custom-engineered Zo-e-shield glazing system is available on select windows and doors from Weather Shield. Its Value R6 windows are triple-glazed and argon-filled, with two low-e surfaces and low-conductive warm-edge spacers.

Solar Tracking Skylights

Solar Tracking Skylights are self-contained, photovoltaic-powered active daylighting systems for low-slope roofs. A dome-protected array of mirrors tracks the sun across the sky to boost daylighting intensity and duration, especially during early-morning and late-afternoon hours when the sun is low.

SunEye Solar Access Design Tool

The SunEye from Solmetric is a hand-held design tool for field-assessing solar access using digital optics and an onboard computer—taking the guesswork out of siting passive solar buildings and solar devices. The sophisticated but easy-to-use unit actually shows obstructions by time of day and month and allows the user to simulate removing (or adding) trees or structures to assess the solar impact.

LightLouver Daylighting System

The low-profile LightLouver Daylighting System combines daylighting and solar control by using highly reflective fixed louvers to redirect incoming sunlight from any angle onto a room’s ceiling, providing uniform ambient light. Installed like lightshelves (above the vision glass on tall windows), a one-foot-tall section will reflect daylight about 14 feet into a room.

Roller Shade Fabrics

Hunter Douglas Contract offers manual and motorized roller shade systems with their GreenScreen line of non-offgassing, PVC-free fabrics for commercial buildings. The flame-resistant, polyurethane-coated polyester is available in five degrees of openness, from blackout to 25 percent, with optional metallic finishes for reduced solar gain. Custom colors and openness factors can be specified.

SunRise 850, 1050, and 1250

SunRise solar-powered attic ventilation fans come in three models, named according to the cubic feet per minute (cfm) of airflow they can produce: the SunRise 850, SunRise 1050, and SunRise 1250. The 850 cfm unit has an 11-watt solar panel built into the cover; the other two require 15 and 20 watts, respectively.

Phoenix Solar Water Heater

The Phoenix Solar Water Heater incorporates a heat exchanger for solar collectors or other alternative heat sources, along with a backup gas burner that operates at 97 percent thermal efficiency. The solar heat exchanger is located at the bottom of the tank, while the gas burner is in the middle—keeping water at the bottom of the tank cooler and maximizing the efficiency of the solar collectors.

Lo/Mit-II Low-e Paint

Lo/Mit-II is a silicone-emulsion heat-reflecting paint for interior use offering an emissivity of 0.21 to 0.26, depending on the substrate. This type of coating is typically applied to the underside of roof sheathing and is particularly helpful when retrofitting poorly insulated ceilings.