Passive Solar Home Foundations
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Energy-Efficient Window Frames
The glazing isn't the only part of a window that transfers heat: the sash and frame make up about 25% of an average window's surface area, so choosing energy-efficient materials and designs is important.
Material choices
Traditionally, wooden sashes and frames are the most common, and this still holds true today. In fact, wooden windows are the number-one selling item in construction in the US.
How to Insulate a New Home's Foundations
The foundations are an important part of your home, for the obvious reason that they support everything else. But they are also a major source of energy loss unless they are properly insulated, since they are in constant contact with the cold, often damp surrounding earth.
The situation is made worse by the fact that concrete is an excellent heat conductor. Although this is a benefit in a concrete radiant floor slab, for example, it's a real concern in a home's foundations.
Tips for Buying Energy-Efficient Windows
When you go shopping for windows, it's easy to get confused by all the ratings and figures. Until recently, window manufacturers could rate their products almost any way they wished, which made comparisons a nightmare. Thankfully, they realized this and, in 1989, formed the non-profit National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) to standardize testing and rating for windows, doors and skylights.
How to Insulate an Existing Home's Foundations
The foundations are an important part of your home, for the obvious reason that they support everything else. But they are also a major source of energy loss unless they are properly insulated, since they are in constant contact with the cold, often damp surrounding earth.
The situation is made worse by the fact that concrete is an excellent heat conductor. Although this is a benefit in a concrete radiant floor slab, for example, it's a real concern in a home's foundations.
Quick Tips for Choosing Windows
Window technology has advanced a great deal in recent years, compared to traditional standards. Low-e coatings, double- and triple-glazing and noble gases in air space all help improve energy efficiency.
Basic Physics for Newbie Solar Designers
Physics is the science that defines how the physical world is structured and how each part of it interacts with all the others. Unfortunately, it's an incredibly complicated science because of this. The world is a very complex machine, after all!
As far as solar designers are concerned, there are some very basic laws of physics that must be understood. If you are a newbie in the solar energy field, here's a brief primer for you.
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