You can imagine any 110-story tower would have a big impact on the earth, but soon the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere will be eco-friendly. The Sears Tower, which is about to be renamed the Willis Tower for the insurance company that now resides there, will get a $350 million green-over that will reduce energy use by 80 percent and save 24 million gallons of water each year. That’s a pretty impressive improvement considering the skyscraper already meets LEED standards.

The plans include new windows that will control the indoor climate despite the diverse Chicago seasons, gas boilers equipped with fuel cells to generate electricity, new energy efficient elevators and escalators, new water-saving restroom fixtures, a condensation recovery system to recycle water, lighting that dims according to daylight conditions, solar panels to heat water, wind turbines and a green roof. Whew!

Besides being an example of green changes, the building will be home to a Sustainable Technology Learning Center, that can teach others to make green changes, too. The center will help visitors learn how to save money and be more eco-friendly at the same time. With the Empire State Building announcing similar green renovations earlier this year, perhaps this is a new trend in landmark skyscrapers.

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Although it’s lit up the Manhattan skyline with green before, the Empire State Building is about go green in a whole new way; it’s owners have announced plans for an eco-focused renovation that will begin this summer and will be completed in 2013 . The greenovation will add an extra $20 million to the $500 million renovations that are currently being completed on the landmark.

The costs of retrofitting older buildings with more energy efficient features is often a deterrent to building owners, but the savings in annual energy costs  can quickly pay off the renovations and go on to save money. In this case, the Empire State Building is expected to save about $4.4 million in annual energy costs once completed and potentially charge higher rent for the green features.

The shrunken carbon footprint will also be incredibly beneficial—especially in a city where the vast majority of greenhouse gas emissions come from the buildings (and in commercial buildings, specifically from the use of electricity and natural gas). The retrofit is hoped to have the Empire State Building producing 105,000 less metric tons of carbon emissions per year. Much of the focus of the environmental renovation will be on heating and cooling elements. For example, extra insulation will be added to the windows and behind radiators and the chillers will be rebuilt in the basement cooling plant. Click here to read more

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