Replacing the west windows of our school/office building (Speculation)

MOST OF THE WINDOWS in our school building were replaced under a state security grant in 2024. In order to meet the state standards, those new windows were of course much more energy-efficient than the original ones. 

Yet two large window bays that face an internal alley were left untouched. They are located in the hallway above the western door, and in the art studio. These windows were a less-obvious security risk because they don’t have direct access from the outside world, and Mishkon needed to be cautious about being able to secure reimbursement for its advance expenditures under the grant. 

Below the jump, this post records the dimensions of these older windows, reviews their condition, and examines the prospects for their eventual replacement.… 

Window dimensions

Hallway:  6’ wide x 3’ high.

Art studio:  

• Each of the four adjacent window wells is 47” wide by 62” high.
• Each well has two openable casement panels, about 22” wide by 48” high.

Condition

As shown in a 2024 post, the exterior of these 1960's-era windows are now in merely fair condition. The glazing putty is dried out, cracked, and missing in places, while the white paint on the steel frames has degraded, allowing the metal to rust. 

• Given the poor condition of the existing windows, the cost of restoring them to good condition seems too high to justify the expense, relative to replacement. (In Nov 2024, while Fleming was having the wall repaired and repainted for the sake of reducing water intrusion, he got a quote for $2.8K just for repainting the frames and putty, not including the initial step of engaging a glazing contractor to replace the putty.)
• Meanwhile their single glazing and lack of weatherstripping is leading to higher utility costs for daily HVAC. Hence new windows would save money in the ongoing operating budget. 

Although these windows’ panels are made of wire mesh glass, this feature should not be considered protective. (See HERE.)

Prospects for replacement

1. Amatzia Feinberg is seeking a ballpark cost estimate for budgeting purposes. 
2. For help with funding, LADWP subsidies/rebates are said to be available. Someone needs to look into that.
3. Given that future energy savings would offset the cost of purchase, it would help to get an estimate of the $$ value of those quantifiable savings, and to have technical support to develop a return-on-investment (ROI) and payback model that the costs/benefits could be plugged into. Adamah has a sophisticated energy audit program that includes these services.
4. If it could be established that the window retrofit would pay for itself in a decently short period, presumably we would strive to get it done sooner.
5. Matching grants and no-interest loans are potentially available from Adamah.
6. Cindy is on the lookout for another funding opportunity via a state or federal security grant. 
7. Someone then needs to calculate how much cash we need up front in order to replace these windows.