Green symbolizes many things -- stacks of crisp Benjamins in a bank vault, a seasick sailor clinging desperately to the memory of land, the cutting gaze of a jaded rival's jealous eyes, or even a business's approach to energy efficiency and environmental awareness.


Locally, Aztech Technologies, Inc. of Ballston Spa has taken this last green theme to the extreme with a new, 24,000-square foot facility. The environmental engineering and geoscience firm moved into its new digs on McCrea Hill Road on Jan. 3, after moving out of its former home at the intersection of routes 50 and 9 in Saratoga Springs.

"It's got about every energy management feature you could imagine," said Fil Fina, a part-time independent engineering consultant who works with Aztech.

From the roof to the floor, the building sports features that reduce energy consumption and energy needs.

The roof and windows, for instance, are both "low emissivity amenities." In the case of the windows, that means "radiant heat doesn't go through the glass," Fina explained. "Heat is reflected during the summertime and kept in during the wintertime."

The roof, made of four inches of polyfoam with a white PVC membrane, operates on the same seasonal principal of retaining heat during the colder months and reflecting it during warmer months.