These super-insulating windows are as energy-efficient as walls-and could help save the power grid

""Think of it like a thermos bottle in your walls," says LuxWall CEO and founder Scott Thomsen, who worked in the semiconductor and flat-panel display glass industry before taking on the challenge of windows. Energy-efficient windows aren't new. But a radical design from LuxWall, a Michigan-based startup, goes further. Rather than relying on double or triple panes, it uses a vacuum to block heat transfer, the same way your Yeti tumbler can keep a drink ice-cold or steaming hot"

""When we go in and we retrofit a building from R2 to R18, the amount of kilowatt hours that we're saving is dramatic," Thomsen says. "Yes, we save energy efficiency and save costs for the property owner. But we're realizing our biggest benefit is that we're keeping electrons on the grid. ... When you don't send electrons to HVAC units, you're sending electrons to data centers. Our theory is that you can retrofit buildings faster than you can build power plants.""

LuxWall manufactures vacuum-insulated windows that use a vacuum to block heat transfer, functioning like a thermos and achieving R18 insulation comparable to a solid wall. Replacing single-pane windows with these products can reduce building energy use by as much as 45%. Early customers include large building owners such as JPMorgan Chase, and homeowners are beginning adoption. On large projects payback periods range from three to seven years. Utilities including Con Edison and Eversource are offering incentives to encourage installations. Retrofitting buildings from low R-values to R18 reduces HVAC electricity demand and eases stress on the power grid faster than building new generation.

Read at Fast Company