Window Covering Answers

As the first snows are predicted for this week. I think about all the homes with far too much window, homes with windows that are drafty, or leak heat. I think about all the apartments built in the past with little or no insulation in the walls, windows that haven't been updated since the sixties. I shiver when I think about the surfeit of old, leaky patio doors. Recently I learned that even the most modern of windows only have an R-value of 5 at the most. How discouraging. Not everyone has the means to change their window circumstances. My suggestions for increasing warmth and decreasing energy loss are small methods that may be of use to others. I base these ideas upon observation of what works and what doesn't. Here in Canada we often use transparent plastic to create a dead air space around and in front of the window. Dead air being one of the best insulators. We simply tape that plastic to the frame of the window. Creating an airtight seal. That works but is inconveni

The edge of things is always the most interesting place for me. Not inside. Not outside. But the in between places. The places of transition. The places where choices are made to enter. To leave. To explore. To move towards something new or old. To see something new in something old. It is worth exploring the Hespeler Public Library in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. Here where the new has captured the old, both are better for it.

Every once in awhile I find an article that has some promising design for furthering passive solar housing... this is a new one... enjoy! http://www.britishhomesawards.com/archive/AeroSolarDeckHouse

  Synergistic Building Technologies Insulating shutters for greenhouses may have some applications for residential homes with a view to future energy savings. With the increased interest in "smart home technologies", shutters that operate electronically may be useful for those who live in harsher climates. Synergistic Building Technologies may have several of the answers to better control of energy with window systems. Follow the link below to find new ways of providing a better life for yourself and others. Insulating shutters seem to offer a new way of looking at an old system. This greenhouse offers a giant step forward towards community self sufficiency. This technology could spark an application for homes too. At least I would hope so... homes of all kinds could benefit from such innovative light and heat control. Pocket shutters operated electronically seem like a giant leap forward. Here is the link for synergistic building technologies: http://www.syn

Summer brings its own challenges. Here in Canada our windows, walls, roofs, doorways are all designed to hold the heat and we suffer in the summer from our winterized homes. Some window films can help this but works against us in the winter when passive solar can help to heat the house. Awnings are one answer to providing shade for the home during the hottest months.  Bamboo blinds are another answer.  In the South Asian continent bamboo blinds are sprayed with water in order to provide a type of air conditioning.

 

Image via Wikipedia This house could be heated entirely with a hairdryer. The windows were triple glazed and on some sides of the building there were insulated shutters. All more than 33 years ago in 1978. Sometimes some advances are before their time. Recently a German physicist named Dr. Wolfgang Feist resurrected and improved on the energy saving ideas of the Saskatchewan Conservation House. The Tyee – Step Inside the Real Home of the Future: Passivhaus Related articles What Is a Passivhaus? (matternetwork.com)      The Rise of the Passive House [The Tyee] (jetsongreen.com) Efficiency could cut world energy use over 70 per cent (newscientist.com) Super-efficient Passive House standard draws fans (news.cnet.com) Passive House Going Up in New York (jetsongreen.com) Image via Wikipedia