Windows are the biggest openings in your home. They allow sunlight to enter throughout the day and often they can cause a room to turn warm in a manner of hours thanks to the sunlight that comes through. This in turn causes your AC to work overtime to keep the temperature balanced resulting in wasted energy.
Your windows can have a huge effect on the overall temperature in your home. They are the way the sun's rays enter your home and can cause temperatures to rise drastically. Heat can also escape right out of the window pane in the winter, wasting money on your energy bill.
Glass has a low thermal conductivity, but is also transparent. So the sun light enters though the transparent window, turns in to heat, and then cannot leave outside. Trapped, the heat accumulates at the air close to the windows, and that is what you feel.
First, during colder months, double pane large windows more effectively keep warm air in a residence and prevent the entry of colder air into a home. During warmer months, double pane windows have the opposite effect. They keep cooler air inside a residence and prevent hot air from entering into the premises.
How is heat lost through windows? Around 18% of the total heat within a house is lost through the windows. This heat loss through windows is caused by radiation through glazing, convection and conducted through the window frame.
Cracks in Walls, Windows and Doors
Around 38% of heat loss in your home comes from cracks in your walls, windows and doors (often invisible to the naked eye). In fact, a ⅛ inch gap under a 36-inch wide door will let as much cold air into your home as a 2.4 inch hole through your wall.
Some rooms may be hotter than others if they have more windows in the room, particularly those exposed to direct sunlight. Also, since heat rises, rooms on the upper floors of a multi-level home are likely to be warmer than those below.
So, if one room is always warmer than the rest of your home, the return air vents in the room could be blocked or damaged. When this occurs, cool air is blocked from coming through those vents in your floor or ceiling, resulting in a less comfortable space.
First, check for these common problems: Dirty air filter—A dirty filter restricts airflow, not letting your home get enough cool air. Closed vents—Closed vents in rooms can cause them to be hotter than other rooms. Open windows—Your conditioned air can flow out of open windows, leaving uneven temperatures in your home.
Block the heat
Stopping heat getting into your house in the first place means spending less on cooling. Shade windows and walls using external coverings, like blinds, awnings or large potted plants. Plant deciduous trees that cast shade over your home in summer, but still let the sun shine through in winter.
The rule you should go by is whether it is hotter outside than inside. If the temperature is higher outside than it is inside, you should keep your windows and curtains closed. This will shut the heat out, and help to keep your home cool.
That's right - new windows can keep your house cooler, with several additional bonuses. If you decide to replace your windows, you will have to make several decisions about the type of windows. For example, you may opt to replace the whole window -pane and frame- or perhaps just the window glass.
Heat gain and heat loss through windows are responsible for 25%–30% of residential heating and cooling energy use. If you are selecting windows for new construction or to replace existing windows, it's important to choose the most efficient windows you can afford that work best in your climate.
If it's safe to do so, open doors and windows as much as you can to bring in fresh, outdoor air. While it's better to open them widely, even having a window cracked open slightly can help. If you can, open multiple doors and windows to allow more fresh air to move inside.
Heat intake during these nights comes from things like wind blowing into windows or cracks beneath doors (wind speeds increase significantly at night), warm air passing by your skin (air temperatures are typically higher nearer to the ground), and hot objects within rooms like lights, electronics, appliances (some ...
Check Insulation, Windows and Doors
If one room is staying hot while the rest of your house cools down, it might be that a window or door in that room isn't airtight. Make sure all the windows are fully shut, then check the sills for a crack or opening that's letting air through.
Forty-eight percent of thermal gain comes through windows. To prevent radiation intrusion, block sunlight by planting trees and installing awnings and screens. Inside the home, add shutters, blinds and curtains, or add tinted film. About 19 percent of thermal gain intrudes through windows, doors and ceilings.
Heat gain occurs when heat enters your home either by radiating in through materials such as glass or by being conducted in through surfaces such as the walls and roof. Windows are responsible for around 48 percent of your home's heat gain, but you can reduce this by hanging drapes or heat-reflective blinds.
So no matter how long you'll be away, the setting that's best for home maintenance is 85 degrees in the summer and 50 degrees in the winter. You might be tempted by a few dollars more in energy savings, but it's simply not worth the risk of doing expensive damage throughout your entire home.
Around 10 per cent of the heat in our homes is lost through the window with that figure rising if you have single panes. It may not sound like that much but when you add up losses through doors, floors, walls and the roof every bit counts.
The most accurate thermographic inspection device is a thermal imaging camera, which produces a 2-dimensional thermal picture of an area showing heat leakage. Spot radiometers and thermal line scanners do not provide the necessary detail for a complete home energy assessment.