Because of recent concerns over the health of the environment and the health of pocketbooks, the federal government has been pushing for weatherizing homes and businesses to prevent the loss of energy.

Windovative Design, a Bellingham-based company expanding to Seattle, is trying to make it easier for businesses located in historical buildings, such as Divine Spine on the third floor of the Old Ballard Firehouse, to do just that.

"The government is starting to realize that this is really important – that conservation is the easiest form of energy renewal," said Van Calvez, owner of Windovative Design.

Up to 40 percent of a typical energy bill can be covering energy lost through single-paned windows, Calvez said.

Derek Strachen from Divine Spine said he wanted to weatherize his windows because he always had an interest in doing something to help the environment and keep energy costs down.

Calvez said weatherizing historic buildings can often be a challenge because people want to keep the old windows and replacement windows are often too expensive.

Exterior storm windows can also be difficult to install on taller buildings, he said.

Windovative Design has a patent pending on interior storm windows, which completely seal off old windows and take little away visually from the original windows.

On March 19, Calvez and his partners installed interior storm windows at Divine Spine. It's the company's first project in Ballard, but Calvez said they are looking to get more in the future.

In addition to combating wasted energy, window weatherizing cuts down on noise and pollution from the street.

"There's more awareness about global warming being a factor," Calvez said. "But, the big thing that actually really matters to people is they want to have comfortable living and working spaces."