Bill Gates Is Backing a New Window Design for Buildings
Buildings spend a lot of money on heat and much of it is just going out the window — literally.
Windows are an easy way to keep buildings cool — but they could be better at doing the reverse. A company partially backed by Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures believes it has a solution.
LuxWall’s Net Zero Glass works a little like a thermos bottle that vacuum-seals in the warmth of a morning coffee. The Ypsilanti, Michigan-based startup says its design, which consists of two vacuum-insulated coated glass panes, can retain heat four times more effectively than single-pane windows. Breakthrough Energy and Prelude Ventures, both early investors, recently joined Khosla Ventures in a $33 million Series A funding round, led by VC firm 2150, that puts the startup’s valuation at $101 million.