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8-High Performance Windows

High-performance windows can achieve lower U-factors through the use of low-emittance coatings, inert gas fills, thermal breaks, and selective transmission films. Low-E coatings are thin metal or oxide layers that reflect radiant heat transfer between window panes. Inert gases like argon or krypton reduce conductive and convective heat transfer compared to air. Thermal breaks in window frames prevent heat from conducting around the glazing. Selective transmission films allow visible light while blocking infrared and ultraviolet wavelengths. The optimal configuration depends on the building application and climate.

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63 views

8-High Performance Windows

High-performance windows can achieve lower U-factors through the use of low-emittance coatings, inert gas fills, thermal breaks, and selective transmission films. Low-E coatings are thin metal or oxide layers that reflect radiant heat transfer between window panes. Inert gases like argon or krypton reduce conductive and convective heat transfer compared to air. Thermal breaks in window frames prevent heat from conducting around the glazing. Selective transmission films allow visible light while blocking infrared and ultraviolet wavelengths. The optimal configuration depends on the building application and climate.

Uploaded by

aomareltayeb
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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High P

Perforrmancce Window
ws
Window co
onfigurattions tha
at use lo
ow-e coa
atings, selective
s
transmission films,
ine
ert gas fills, and thermal
t
breaks can
c lead to highe
er energy performance. The
T
nett effect o
of these measure
es is to reduce
r
th
he U-facctor, and the righ
ht choice
e of
the
ese featu
ures depe
ends on the application.

Win
ndow constru
uctions with air gaps and
d inert gasses to reduce convection
c
b
between
wind
dow panes

Air Gaps and Inert Gase


es
U-vvalues can be decreased by red
ducing the
e convectio
on within the glazing
g unit. The
e simplest way
to do
d this is to
o subdivide the air sp
pace by ad
dding more
e panes. In
nterior pan
nes are ofte
en merely thin
film
ms, since on
nly the outer panes need
n
to be structural materials like glass.
Air between panes can be replacced by den
nser gasess like Argo
on or Kryp
pton, which
h both red
duce
con
nduction and convecction. Filling an encclosed air space witth argon or krypton
n has therrmal
ben
nefits. The
ese less-co
onductive gases greatly redu
uce heat transfer by
b convecctive curre
ents,
producing lo
ower U-facctors. As a result, the inner surface of
o the gla
ass is maintained at
a a
tem
mperature ccloser to that
t
of the
e indoors, with
w
greater comfortt (because
e radiant heat flow to
o or
from
m the wind
dow surfacce is reducced) and less chance
e of conde
ensation on
o the insid
de surface
e. To
preserve this g
gas fill ove
er the life of
o the wind
dow, a veryy reliable ed
dge seal is required.
Som
me constru
uctions fill the space between
n panes with
w
cellula
ar materials or battiing to red
duce
con
nvection, th
hough thesse units are
e no longer transpare
ent, so theyy can no lo
onger be used for vie
ews.

Low
w-Emittancce (low-) Coatings
C
What are Low
w-E Coating
gs
The
e performance of win
ndows and skylights can
c often be
b improve
ed by using Low-Emittance (low
w-E)
coa
ating on the
eir glazing surfaces.
Low
w-E coating
gs are invvisible thin
n layers off metal orr metallic oxide parrticles deposited on the
glazzing surfacce of windows and skylight.
s
Tw
wo approaches to prroviding lo
ow- films are hard-coat
(durable, less expensive,, but less thermally effective)
e
an
nd soft-coa
at (better thermal
t
performance but
more expensivve and sub
bject to deg
gradation by oxidatio
on in the manufactur
m
ring stage).
The
ese coating
gs are typiccally applie
ed to one glass surfa
ace facing into the air
a gap between multtiple
glazzings. A lo
ow- coatin
ng blocks a great de
eal of the radiant tra
ansfer betw
ween the glazing
g
pa
anes,
reducing the overall flo
ow of heatt through the
t window
w and thu
us improvin
ng the U-ffactor. Indeed,
one
e such coa
ating is alm
most as efffective as adding an
nother laye
er of glazin
ng. An imp
portant ad
dded
ben
nefit of the
ese films iss their reduction of UV transm
mission, thu
us reducing fading of
o objects and

The in
ntended use of the window in the buiilding should dicta
ate which surface the
t low-E coating should
s
be applied to. There are quitee a range of config
gurations. Some
manufacturers only put the low-E coating on the #2 surfacee because of the co
oncern in seal failu
ure of the window.

surfface finishe
es in rooms.
Low
w-E Coating
g Configura
ations and Heat Tran
nsfer
Low
w-E coating
g glass wo
orks like a thermal mirror
m
with the low-E material on
o the bacck of the pane
p
thatt reflects th
he heat rad
diation. Th
he surface that
t
is trea
ated by the
e low-E coa
ating mate
erial is seleccted
based on the climate.
In multi-pane
m
windows, thermal ra
adiation fro
om warmer pane to other
o
pane
e is the ma
ain mechan
nism
of heat
h
flow. By applyin
ng low-emmitance material
m
to the interio
or or exterrior pane, depending
g on
side
e that heatt is meant to
t be kept,, a significa
ant amoun
nt of radian
nt heat tran
nsfer is blocked.
Three commo
on types off low- coatings are:

1) High-tran
nsmission low- : In heating--dominated climatess where you
y
want to
t block heat
h
radiation from
m inside, th
he low-E coating
c
sho
ould be de
eposited on the oute
er surface of the inte
erior
pan
ne of glass (surface #3).
# This is good
g
for passive
p
sola
ar heating applications, where a low U-fa
actor
is combined
c
with a hig
gh SHGC. In this casse the coa
ating trapss outgoing
g infrared radiation that
otherwise wou
uld be lostt. Summer overheatin
ng can be avoided
a
wiith external shading devices.
d
2. Selective-t
S
transmission low- : Where winter
w
heating and summer coo
oling are bo
oth importtant,
requiring low U-factor and
a low SH
HGC, but with
w a relattively high VT for dayy lighting. The coatin
ng is
on the outer glazing,
g
where it blo
ocks incoming infrare
ed radiation
n, which ass heat is th
hen conveccted
awa
ay by outdoor air.
3. Low-trans
L
mission lo
ow- : In cooling
c
dominated climates, wh
here the sun is the enemy,
e
low
w Ufacttor, low SH
HGC, and evven low VT
T seem warranted. Ag
gain the lo
ow-E coatin
ng is placed
d on the outer
glazzing, where it rejectss more of the solar gain. With
h a tinted exterior
e
glazing, even lower SH
HGC
and
d VLT could
d result.
Notte that the exact placcement of the
t low-E material
m
is not as crittical as usin
ng low-E materials
m
in
n the
firstt place.
The
e following table show
ws the U-vvalues for various
v
gla
azing consttructions. As
A it can be
e seen, add
ding
low
w-E coating
g improves the U-Factor (see Gllazing Prop
perties) of the window which re
esults in be
etter
performance.
Glazing Type
e

U-value
W/m
m2 K

BTU//(h ft2)

Sing
gle pane

4.8

0.85

Dou
uble pane, air filled

2.5

0.49

Dou
uble pane, low-E

2.1

0.37

Trip
ple pane

2.1

0.37

Trip
ple pane, lo
ow-E

1.4

0.25

Therm
mally-broken windo
ow frame

The
ermal breaks
U-vvalues can also be red
duced by reducing
r
the conducctivity of th
he materialls in the glazing unit.. As
men
ntioned ab
bove, densser gases like Argon
n conduct less heat than air. More sig
gnificantly, the
window frame
e should no
ot conductt heat arou
und the gla
ass.
Mettal framing
g should be
b "thermally broke
en" to separate interrior metal elements from exte
erior
elem
ments. Wo
ood or fibe
erglass con
nducts mucch less hea
at than mettal window
w frames. The
T framing of
windows and other gla
azing can cause so much heat loss thatt a unit's overall U--value mayy be
dou
uble or trip
ple the "ce
enter of gllass" U-vallue. Thus it is important to usse U-value
es that incllude
fram
ming.

Specctrally selecttive windowss can block certain


c
wavelengths of lig
ght

Sele
ective Tran
nsmission Films
F
You
u can also
o control which
w
wavelengths of
o light th
hat you tra
ansmit into
o the spacce. "Spectrally
sele
ective" win
ndows allow
w visible liight in while blockin
ng most otther wavelengths, su
uch as infra
ared
and
d/or ultraviiolet. Theyy have a high Tvis without
w
a high total liight transm
mission. Ultraviolet
U
l
light
can fade and otherwise
e deteriorate interior finishes and furnish
hings. Infra
ared light is heat, an
nd is
ofte
en undesira
able in warrm climate
es.

Spectrally selective windows can block certain wavelengths of light


These films admit most of the incoming solar radiation in both the visible and near-infrared (short)
wavelengths. Warm objects within a room emit far-infrared (long-wave) radiation. This long-wave
radiation is reflected back into the room by the selective film.
These selective films typically are available as separate sheets that can be inserted between sheets
of glazing as a window is fabricated. As a separate sheet, a selective film could also be applied to
existing windowsfor instance, between storm windows and the ordinary windows they protect.

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