When we heat the air in our homes, the warm air rises straight to
the ceiling. This rising air displaces other warm air near the ceiling,
which then slowly sinks as it cools, travelling down the walls. When
the air travelling down the wall passes a cold window, conduction
occurs causing the warm air to be cooled as it passes the cold pane of
glass. This cooled air can then fall even faster and often causes a
draught effect at the bottom of the windowsill that results in cold
spots being felt within the room. This cycle will continue to pull warm
air against the window establishing a convection current that will cool
your room throughout the day and night. Ecoglaze Secondary Glazing
significantly reduces the rate of heat loss because the insulating
airspace between the two surfaces is less prone to convection and
conduction. An Ecoglaze window will still cool the internal falling air
but the conduction process is greatly reduced. Ecoglaze uses polycarbonate and not glass because of its superior insulating properties. Polycarbonate can prevent the transfer of temperature five times better than glass.
This is why under similar conditions on a cold day glass will be a lot
colder to the touch than polycarbonate.
What are U and R-values ?
They are values used to indicate the energy efficiency of
materials with regards to heat loss. A U-value is the amount of heat
transferred or conducted through a material and an R-value is the
resistance of heat flow through a material. They are essentially two
sides of the coin; one is the inverse of the other. R-values are used
to rate walls and ceilings and are applied to individual materials such
as insulation batts and gypsum board. R-values do not translate well to
windows and other fenestration products. That is why windows are best
measured in U-values because they can rate the energy efficiency of the
combined materials in a building component or the entire assembly
including the airspace.The lower the U-value, the better the insulating performance will be.
Single glazing typically has a U-value of approximately 5.8,
double glazing starts at 3.14 and decreases. Ecoglaze has been
calculated to have a U-Value of 2.7, lower than many types of
double-glazing. This means Ecoglaze can achieve up to 54% less heat
loss through your windows if applied to single glazing.
Ecoglaze works just as effectively in a cooling climate as it does
in a heating climate. It can prevent the heat from coming in on a
scorching hot summers day making your home more comfortable and
reducing the air conditioning costs. Alternatively in winter it will
still let as much of the sun’s energy through the windows but trap and
stop the warm air from escaping on the cold evenings. Depending on the
climate zone and surrounding geographical environment in which you
live, energy savings achieved by Ecoglaze Secondary Glazing will vary.
So not only will Ecoglaze reduce the energy bills within your home, but
another important factor to consider here is the extra comfort and
wellbeing secondary glazing will bring to your living environment.
As mentioned earlier, warm air holds more moisture than cold air.
As the falling warm air in a room cools a dew point can be reached.
This will result in the water vapour condensing into water
droplets and forming on cold surfaces such as glass. This is referred
to as condensation.
This wet, unhealthy environment can encourage the growth of mould
and mildew on the windowsills causing deterioration or rotting. Mould
can then spread and appear on wallpaper, curtains and ceilings. These
sorts of conditions are not only unsightly but can be detrimental to
the health of the occupants living within that environment especially
if this process occurs day after day during winter. Greatly decreasing
the condensation creates a drier and healthier home in which to live.
Ecoglazel Secondary Glazing greatly reduces the volume of
condensation occurring and that’s got to be better than mopping it up
every morning!
Categories
