Glass is poor thermal insulator. For more thermally efficient windows, wo ‘or more layers of glass can be assem: bled with spaces between. 1. Asingle sheet ofglass conductsheat about 20 times as rapidly as a well- insulated wall. If a second sheet of ila is added with an airspace be- tween the ewo sheets (double glazing), this rapid heat flow is cut in half. fa third sheet of glass and a second air- space are added (tiple glazing), the ‘overall flow is about a thitd of what it was for a single sheet of glass. The thickness ofthe airspace, provided itis Teast 4" (9 mm), makes relatively lit difference in its insulating ability. Mulkiple glazing can be created by adding a removable sheet of glass on the outside fa storm window) or inside ‘ofthe window. In mostcases, however, is more satisfactory to use double or triple glazing units that have beet assembled at the factory. These units haveahermeticseal around thecdge.a fill of dry air besween the panes of sass, and an insert of silica gel crystals in the edge seal to remove any stray ‘moisture from the trapped air. This avoids problems of dust and conden- sation between the panes, as wellasthe need to wash the interior surfaces. 2, The major problem with conve tional multiple glazing units is that they are stil highly conductive of heat when compared with a well-insulated wall, More sheets of glass and more airspaces may be added, but the glaz- ing unit becomes thick and heavy, and. each successive layer that is added 10 the assembly does less than the one before to contribute co its insulati qualities. Therefore, several other paths are often followed to increase the ther mal resistance of multiple glazing MULTIPLE GLAZING ! R=20 (1H0) —-R=0.9 (6.3) 2x6 Stud Wall” Single Glazing Double Glazing Triple Glazing Ret7 (119) R26 (18.2) 1. Thermal Resistances of Various Glazings units. Many manufacturers of glass and windows utlizeoneor more ofthe follossing. a. Inverior glazing sheets of very thin, durable, highly transparent plastic film. These add airspaces while adding litle thickness and almost no weight. , Low-conduetivty ga fills instead of dry air between the panes, using gases such as argon or sulfur hexa fluoride &. Low-emissivity (Low-E) coatings fon inside surfaces of glass. These ‘coatings are usually formulated for use in cold climates, to be highly transparent to solar wavelengths of light and heat, but to reflect the longer infrared wavel characteristic of heat radiate the interior of a building. For usein climates and buildings where sun ‘mer cooling is the primary prob- Tem, other formulas are used (0 produce coatings that reflect most solar heat, . Edge spacer details between the sheets of glass that are less conduc tive of heat than the conventional ‘metal spline. At this writing, the most thermally efficient multiple glazing units, by utilizing combination ofthese devices, achieve an insulating value of R-S (66)—about 40% as good as that of a ‘well-insulated wall. Formore informa tionon the thermal resistance of various types of glazing, see manufacturers’ literature for windows and glazing. When we are evaluating alternative types of windows for their thermal resistances, it is important that we compare test values for entire window units, atherthan for center of glazing Window unit values include the effects ofthe glass, edge seal, and frame, while cemter-of-glazing values relate on the glass itselfBright metallic surfaces and bright white surfaces are very effective in re- Necting the heat of the sun from the exterior of a building. 1. The accompanying table indicates the ability of various surfaces to reflect. solar heat. A whitewashed or white- painted building will remain sub- stantially cooler in summer than a dark-colored building. A roof cover- ing thacis bright white or bright metal vill be very helpful in keepingthesun’s heat out ofa building, especially when WHITE AND BRIGHT SURFACES compared with ablackor dark-colored roof. A curtain wall that has a white or bright metalic finish will not be sub: jectto as great a range of temperatures as a darker one, making it less subject to.extremes of expansion and contrac tion. Very light colors are somewhat effective in reflecting solar heat. Me- ddium to dark colors tend to absorb solar heat rather than reflect it. White ‘or metallic surfaces that have oxidized, chalked, oF grown diny become absorp tive rather than reflective, so regular cleaning and recoating are important, APPROXIMATE PERCENTAGE OF SOLAR RADIATION REFLECTED BY ‘VARIOUS SURFACES Bright Aluminum Bright copper or brass White paine White Concrete ‘White marble Aluminum paint Steel, galvanized, new Stee, galvanized, weathered Concrete, natural gray Red clay tiles Brown, red, green paint Black paint 108 10% 10% 60% 55% 50% 13% 30% 30%Windows that are reflective can turn _away most solar heat before ie enters -abuilding. 1. Clear glass transmits most of the ‘sunlight that shines upon it, and most “of the solar heat as well. Clear glass [Bidows that are poorly oriented and haded can be major sources of “summertime discomfort and high cool- “ing costs in buildings. Tinted glass can luce the solar heat transmission of idow by a quarter o a half, Reflec- lass, which has a metallic coating ‘one surface, can reflect solar heat re it enters the building and is REFLECTIVE GLAZING ‘extremely effecivein maintaining com- fortable interior temperatures at low cooling cost. 2. When choosing glass, use the “shad ing coefficient” figures from manufac. turers’ catalogs to evaluate the relative abilities of various types of glass to reduce solarheat gain. shading coef ficient of0.35, for example, meansthat the glass will admic only 85% as much solar heat as double-strength clear sglassand halfas much heatas glassthat has a shading coefficient of 0.70. The shading coelficient of reflective glaz- ing depends mosily on the density of | its metallic coating, 8. The detailer should keep in mind some potential problems thatare often associated with reflective glazing: It can reflect the sun into the eyes of pedestrians and motorists. Itcan cause solar overheating problems in adja- cent buildings and outdoor spaces by reflecting sunlight onto surfaces that would not otherwise receive it. And, while reflective glass gives complete privacy to the interior of the building during the day, atnightitappears from, the outside as dark but transparent glass, and theinterior ofthe buildingis fully visible to passersby if the lights are on, 7A bright metal sheet or foil is an ex cellent reflector of radiant heat energy at any wavelength and can be used within a roof or wall assembly as an insulating material. To be effective, however, it must face a clear airspace that is atleast 4" (18 mm) thick, 1. Abright aluminum foilin a wall or roof construction with a 1" (25 mm) airspace on one side has an insulating value of approximately R-2 in conven- tional units, which is R-14 in ST units. If the fol is right on both faces and. hhasairspaces on both sides, its insulat- ing value is approximately twice as reat 2. A bright metal foil sandwiched tightly beeween «wo pieces of building material has no insulating value. A reflective foil used as a facing on an insulating bau has no insulating value ifs installed tightly against the back of the interior wall finish macerial. If the wall finish is furred ou to provide an airspace, however, the foil facing adds considerably to the thermal resi ance of the insulating bat. Similarly, foil-backed gypsum wallboard gains no insulating value from the foil ifthe board is installed tightly against bau of insulation. If the board is spaced away from the insulation on fisting strips, or if there is space behind the board berween the wall studs, the foil becomes effective, REFLECTIVE SURFACE AND AIRSPACE Fall and Two Airspaces |. Metal Foil Used As Insulation Effective Foil \Lpirspace Fail 2. Ineffective Foil and Effective Foil5. A bright foil surface makes an ex: cellent radiant heat barrier berween, rafters in a roof. Several products of this type are commercially available The one shown here isa bright alum- inum foil laminated to a cardboard backing, configured so that itforms an air passage just beneath theroof sheath- ing of a wood light frame building, This s particularly effective in keeping solar heat from being ransmitted from the roof into the rooms below, block- ing as much as 40% of summer heat gain. Theairspace berween the foil and the sheathing serves both as a clear space into which one side of the foil ‘ean reflect and asa ventilated airspace to.carry away solar heat. In winter, he foil acts as additional insulation to retard the hea flow outof the building into the cold outside air. It does this, notonly because foilisa poorabsorber (that is, a good reflector) of radiant ‘energy but also because it is a poor ‘emitter, meaning that it does not ra- diate heat effectively into space. Infact, its rate of absorbance and its rate of ‘emittance are exactly the same, mean- ing that it doesn’t make any difference Controlling Heat Faw: Reflective Surface and Airspace 3, Radiant Barrier in Roof Construction which wayheatistryingtoflowthrough a foil that faces an airspace; the foil w bbe equally effective in blocking. heat flow in either direction, 4, The reflective qualities of a bright metal surface diminish rapidly as the surface becomes dusty ortamished. A foil in a dead, dry airspace will gen- erally stay cleaner and retain its ther- ‘mal effectiveness better than one in a Circulating stream of air, 5. Metal foils are excellent vapor re- tarders and should be installed on the warm side of a wall or roof assembly (see Witrm-side Vapor Retardr, page 60), Ifa foil mustbe used on the cold side, it should be perforated to allow water vapor to pass freely. .“The ability of such massive materials | as concrete, masonry, and earth (0 store large quantities of heat can be harnessed to create buildings that are ceasy to heat and cool. 1. Thethick walls and heavy roof ofan tuninsulated adobe building in adesere climate absorb large quantities of heat during the day, both from the sunand from the hot outdoor air. This heat warms the adobe material layer by layer, starting from the outside and working its way slowly toward the inside, After the sun sets, however, the ‘outside air quickly cools of, the night sky becomes an absorber of heat, and the outside of the adobe structure begins to radiateand convectits stored heat back othe outdoors. Ifthe wall or roof is thick enough, this happens before the heat of the day has traveled all he way through theadobeto the in terior of the building. Much of the stored heat that is advancing through, the walls and roof does a slow U-turn and dissipates to the outdoors during the cold night. The interior ofthe buil- ing scays within a relatively narrow and comfortable range of air tempera- tures, The adobe functions as thermal OUTSIDE-INSULATED THERMAL MASS 1100 AM 4.00 PM. 9:00 PM. |. Heat Flow and Temperatures in a Thick Adobe Wall mass, a large volume of heatabsorbing material thar can be used to moderate interior temperatures. 2, In a hot, humid climate the out door air does not cool off very much at night and uninsulated thermal mass is oflitte use, Uninsulated thermal mass is also useless in awinter climate thatis cold both day and night. It is only effective ina climate that features warm days and cool nights year-round.