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Heat, and Retain Heat with Heated Windows
(Except of course if some bright person comes up with a significant change in window design that entirely eliminates heat loss from windows. And it appears as though someone has.) Radiant Glass Industries, of Denver, Colorado, has developed heated glass windows that both block escaping thermal energy and add warmth a room with radiant heat. The company is now marketing sealed, double-paned insulated glass units it calls Power which use a conductive coating on the inside of the inner pane of glass (the conductive coating inside the sealed unit) to pass a low voltage DC electric current. The warm-to-the-touch pane of glass is no higher than 115 degrees F. The dual-role task of radiantly heating a room and blocking heat's exit route - making a thermal barrier - makes the product 100-percent efficient, according to a study by he National Gas Machinery Laboratory of Kansas State University. The KSU study, testing the window as low as 10 degrees outside temperature, also said that he Power*e (tm)thermal barrier stops 100 percent of conventional building heat loss through the heated windows and that substantially all of the radiant energy from the glass heats the interior space - regardless of the outside temperature. The study went on to say that the heated glass windows can reduce or eliminate the need for other heating systems and that compared to other systems, Power windows did not significantly increase energy consumption and, in fact, may significantly reduce energy consumption. Used in a frame of wood, metal or plastic the glass can be used for windows, glass walls and panels, and glass divider walls for cubicle conditioning in the core of the building, according to the Radiant Glass. Zoned heating - room-by-room - is certainly possible using standard, commercially available, off-the-shelf thermostats. Standard AC 120 volt household current converted to 50 volts DC is used to operate the window units. The glass can handle a maximum current of 15 amps, but typically the windows operate at 200 watts (4 amps times 50 volts DC). Operating on DC current also means that solar-generated electricity can be used directly to heat the glass without conversion to AC. All electrical heating components are sealed within the unit except for electric and control wires that extend from one corner of each sealed unit. A real-world study - power heated windows installed in real houses - would help validate this product, and certainly help market acceptance. A study, too, would help answer some questions: ie, what happens when windows are covered from the inside with curtains, shades or blinds for privacy reasons? Overall, an interesting innovation worth watching. Links: Radiant Glass Industries |
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This you probably know: Most of the heat lost from your house is through the windows. You can buy the most expensive, tight-fitting, double or triple-paned windows you can find, cover them with thick drapes or shades and they'll still lose heat. You can build a new house with windows oriented to use the sun to its best advantage to save energy, but with an existing home heat will exit your house through the windows, even when they're closed.