As the summer approaches, your mind may wander to the coming summer cooling bills and ways to reduce them this year. One of the best ways to lower your energy bills and reduce your carbon footprint is to increase your thermal efficiency, and one of the best ways to do this is to address the issue of thermal losses and gains that occur through your windows. We are Window Products Management, and we can help! We offer fenestration and energy consultations, project design and implementation management and many of the window treatment products that can be used a project to increase your fenestration thermal efficiency. In this week’s blog, we will look at three elements of any window thermal efficiency project
The Window
In cases of older commercial buildings or homes, the window itself can be a problem. Window frames can be ill-fitted for the space they occupy, creating cracks through which air easily leaks. The glass can lack treatment which means the sunlight comes unhindered through the window and heats of the interior of home or office. Many older frames are made of metal which conducts heat into or out of the building. Very old windows, which have a single pane of glass, are a big source of thermal losses or gains. If these problems sound familiar, you have an opportunity to improve the thermal efficiency with some simple actions. The top of the list for fixing these types of issues is to have new windows installed. Double paned windows with low conductivity frames with window treatments will improve your thermal efficiency greatly.
Window Treatments
The next step in managing thermal efficiency is addressing window treatments. In general, there are two main ways window treatments can be utilized: interior and exterior. The amount and quality of sunlight, and it effects on interior heat vary from location to location and from room to room in a home or office building. The window treatment solutions must take these factors into account. For instance, a south facing window will get the brunt of sunlight and allow a great amount of heat into the interior. This is great on a chilly winter morning, but not on a July afternoon. In contrast, a north facing window doesn’t allow the same solar heat into the space, but it can represent a significant heat loss and gain source as the heat passes through the window.
Exterior Treatments
If your building or home allows for exterior treatments, they can be used to easily increase your thermal efficiency. Exterior treatments include retractable awnings, overhead shades, and exterior roller shades. If the sunlight and infrared heat don’t directly reach your window, it won’t be going through it at the same levels. Retractable awnings and shades give you the power to control when you want to let the sunshine in, for example, on a cool winter day.
Interior Treatments
Window Products Management offers a number of interior window treatment products for you to choose from. These are perfect if the location of the window doesn’t allow for an exterior treatment or if style concerns prohibit it. Interior window treatments combine form and function. We offer drapery treatments, which come in many styles, horizontal and vertical blinds, cellular shades and window film.
If you’d like to know more about our consultation and design services or any of our energy efficiency-boosting products, contact us and speak to one of our window treatment experts.
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