Big windows can promote rather than detract from energy efficiency in new homes, research conducted in sa国际传媒 shows.听
The use of low-e glass, where e stands for emissivity, reflects infrared light. That helps to keep heat inside a home during winter and outside during the summer.听
The microscopically thin coating does not affect the brightness or clarity of daylight coming into the home, according to research carried out at the 鈥榃ilden Living Lab鈥 in sa国际传媒.听
The lab is a partnership between the Wilden development company, UBC Okanagan, Okanagan College, AuthenTech Homes, and FortisBC.听
鈥淲hen designing energy-efficient homes, conventional wisdom often recommends minimizing window areas,鈥 a Wednesday release states. 鈥淗owever, our researchers have discovered that large windows can be beneficial.
鈥淲ith proper design considerations such as orientation, shading, and the use of e-glass, larger windows can help heat your home in winter and prevent overheating in summer,鈥 the release states.听
This kind of 鈥減assive solar heat鈥, as it is known, can lead to saving in electricity use and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions over time.听
Other features of a low-energy home include an airtight, well-insulated envelope and a high-efficiency HVAC system that is precisely sized to match the homesa国际传媒 residual heating and cooling demands.听
The Wilden Living Lab alliance, created in 2017, aims to advance sustainable building practices using real-life data and practical research gained from tests听in newly-constructed homes.听
"It is inevitable that we keep providing homes for our growing population," said Karin Eger-Blank, CEO of the Wilden Group. "As a real estate developer, we want to contribute to advancing sustainable building practices, so that new homes will operate with less energy and close-to-zero carbon emissions."
- For more information on the big window study, see听听
