POSTER

PRESENTATION

High-Performance Windows: Implications for Thermal

Comfort in Summer and Winter

L D Danny Harvey, Dept. of Geography, University of Toronto, harvey@geog.utoronto.ca

Mark Siddall, Dewjo’c Architects, UK, email: msiddall@dewjoc-newcastle.com

1 Window performance and elimination of perimeter heating units

Windows are normally a source of significant heat loss, prompting the installation of heating
units at the base of the windows so as to maintain a sufficiently warm inner-glazing surface
temperature to prevent cold downdrafts and condensation or undue radiant asymmetry.
However, if the heat loss coefficient (U-value) of a window is sufficiently small, the window
temperature will be warm enough to avoid all three conditions without using perimeter
heating units. The maximum permitted window U-value will be smaller the colder the
coldest expected conditions. Figure 1 shows the window U-value that produces inner
glazing temperatures of 16°C, or 17°C, as a function of the outdoor temperature,
assuming a 20°C indoor air temperature and no incident solar radiation (the results are
based on detailed heat flow calculations). Inasmuch as the three conditions listed above will
be satisfied at these temperatures, these curves can be interpreted is the maximum
permitted U-value, below which perimeter heating units can be eliminated, as a function of
the coldest anticipated outdoor temperature (the design temperature)

3.0

Indoor Air Temperature = 20oC

Maximum Permitted U-Value (W/m/K)

2.5

Effective radiant temperature at o

2.0 Inner
inner surface glazing
at16°C T = 16 C

Effective radiant
Inner T = 17oat
temperature
glazing C
1.5 inner surface at17°C

Perimeter heating
required
1.0

Perimeter heating
0.5 not required

0.0
-40 -30 -20 -10 0 10
Outdoor Design Temperature (oC)

Figure 1. Whole window U-value below which perimeter heating is not needed as a function of the minimum
expected winter outdoor temperature and of the minimum permitted temperature of the innermost glazing
surface. NOTE: Whole window U-value, calculated in accordance with BS EN 10077, but also refined to
include Ψinst. (psi value of installation thermal bridge) in order to accord with PassivHaus Standard.

Nuremberg 2008 1
 POSTER
PRESENTATION

2 Implications for overheating and glazing surface temperatures

Low window U-values can be obtained through the use of multiple glazings, low-
conductivity gas fills, and low-e coatings. The latter tend to have both higher reflectivity and
higher absorptivity in parts of the solar spectrum than uncoated glass, and so will tend to
reduce solar heat gain (which offsets some of the energy savings arising from reduced
infrared heat loss) and/or lead to very high glazing temperatures. Here, we examine inner-
glazing surface temperature and solar heat gain during extreme conditions for unshaded
triple-glazed windows. Our results are based on detailed radiative transfer calculations at
122 different wavelengths, using spectral and angle-of-incidence dependent optical
properties for glass with two different low-e coatings (referred to as T291 and T606, having
solar transmittances of 0.291 and 0.606, respectively) and for uncoated glass (T907),
Figure 2 shows the inner glazing temperature, U-value, and g-value (direct + indirect solar
heat gain as a fraction of solar irradiance) for an unshaded west-facing window at 5 PM on
21 June, 50°N latitude, clear skies, and 40°C outdoor air temperature, and an unshaded
south-facing window in winter at noon with -16°C outdoor temperature. Also given are the
winter U-values and g-values..

80 80
50oN, West window, Summer 5 PM, o
50 N, South window, Winter noon,
Clear Skies, 40oC ambient, Clear Skies, -16oC ambient,
Innermost glazing-surface temperature (oC)

Innermost glazing-surface temperature ( C)

70 2 70 2
810 W/m solar irradiance 841 W/m solar irradiance
o

60 T291T907 60 T291T907
T606T907 T606T907
50 50

40 40

30 30

20 20

10 10

0 0

1.6 0.9

T291T907 0.8 T291T907

1.4
T606T907 T606T907
0.7
1.2
Winter U-value (W/m2/K)

0.6
1.0
0.5
g-value

0.8
0.4
0.6
0.3
0.4
0.2

0.2 0.1

0.0 0.0
None
1 2 3 4 5 65
2& None
1 2 3 4 5 65
2&
Surfaces with low-e coating Surfaces with low-e coating

Figure 2. Inner glazing surface temperature under extreme summer and winter conditions
for triple glazed windows with low-e coatings (T291 or T606) on the glazing surfaces
indicated on x axis label, and for uncoated glass (T907) for the other glazing layers.

2 Nuremberg 2008