Insulated window glazing refers to windows with two or more panes of glass. They are also called double-glazed, triple-glazed, and—sometimes more generally—storm windows. To insulate the window, the glass panes are spaced apart and hermetically sealed to form a single-glazed unit with an air space between each pane of glass. The glass layers and the [...]
Posts from ‘April, 2009’
Low-Emissivity Window Glazing or Glass
Low-emissivity (Low-E) coatings on glazing or glass control heat transfer through windows with insulated glazing. Windows manufactured with Low-E coatings typically cost about 10%–15% more than regular windows, but they reduce energy loss by as much as 30%–50%. A Low-E coating is a microscopically thin, virtually invisible, metal or metallic oxide layer deposited directly on [...]
Passive Solar Window Design in Cooling-Dominated Climates
In cooling climates, particularly effective strategies include preferential use of north-facing windows and generously shaded south-facing windows. Windows with low SHGCs are more effective at reducing cooling loads. The following types of glazing help reduce solar heat gain, lowering a window’s SHGC: * Low-E * Tinted * Reflective * Spectrally Selective. Most of these glazing [...]
Passive Solar Window Design in Heating-Dominated Climates
In heating-dominated climates, major glazing areas should generally face south to collect solar heat during the winter when the sun is low in the sky. In the summer, when the sun is high overhead, overhangs or other shading devices (e.g., awnings) prevent excessive heat gain. To be effective, south-facing windows usually must have a solar [...]
Passive Solar Window Design
Windows are an important element in passive solar home designs, which can reduce heating, cooling, and lighting needs in a house. Passive solar design strategies vary by building location and regional climate. The basic techniques involving windows remain the same—select, orient, and size glass to control solar heat gain along with different glazings usually selected [...]
Five Elements of Passive Solar Home Design
The following five elements constitute a complete passive solar home design. Each performs a separate function, but all five must work together for the design to be successful. Aperture (Collector) The large glass (window) area through which sunlight enters the building. Typically, the aperture(s) should face within 30 degrees of true south and should not [...]
How a Passive Solar Home Design Works
To understand how a passive solar home design works, you need to understand how heat moves and how it can be stored. As a fundamental law, heat moves from warmer materials to cooler ones until there is no longer a temperature difference between the two. To distribute heat throughout the living space, a passive solar [...]
What is Passive Solar Home Design?
Your home’s windows, walls, and floors can be designed to collect, store, and distribute solar energy in the form of heat in the winter and reject solar heat in the summer. This is called passive solar design or climatic design. Unlike active solar heating systems, passive solar design doesn’t involve the use of mechanical and [...]