Tag: energy efficiency

Mapping and Glazing Skylights for Solar Heating

If you’re hoping to gain the benefit of solar heating from your skylight, keep in mind that the earth’s orientation and the location of your home will play a big part in installation and heating efficiency. Skylights are a good source of supplemental heat, especially in moderate or warm climates. However, homes in cold northern climates like Des Plaines and Palatine Illinois that struggle to keep warm in the winter won’t receive the same heating benefits, but they can still be installed for maximum solar efficiency according to Peter.

Installing a skylight requires cutting a hole in the roof. In the coldest seasons, a northern winter home with a skylight will experience more energy loss than heat gain from the skylight. This energy loss can be offset with insulation and energy-efficient glazing, but the added passive heat from a traditional skylight won’t reduce your winter bills if you live in ski country. Any window will add energy loss, but since skylights add dramatic benefits to your home, this alone should not be a consideration to avoid installing a skylight. Installing your northern home’s skylight at an angle to provide the most heat will build on its heating efficiency.

If you live in a moderate or warm area in the northern hemisphere, skylights for solar heating can certainly help your winter heating bill but they must be aligned to transfer the heat based on the earth’s seasonal positioning. According to Window Repair To get the most heat out of a winter sun, a skylight should be installed oriented south, or within twenty degrees east or west of true south. It must also be tilted toward the south, traditionally at an angle of the earth’s latitude plus fifteen degrees. Most roofs are steep enough to accommodate these angles, but if you have a flat or customized roof, prepare yourself for some extra installation requirements if you want maximum heat gain from a winter sun.

The glaze on your skylight has significant influence on your home’s intake of solar heating. A clear glaze maximizes light and heat, but a translucent glaze reduces direct heat from the sun. However, a clear glaze also brings in a stronger glare than a translucent glaze. Any tinted glaze will significantly cut down on light and solar heat and is not recommended if you’re looking to partner with the sun to keep your winter thermostat down. Skylights can easily accommodate shades to cut down on summer heat.

Skylights for solar heating have many special requirements that aren’t considerations for decorative installations. However, positioning and glazing your decorative skylight for passive solar heating will maximize your skylight’s heating efficiency.

Weatherstripping that Works through Rough Winters and Scorching Summers

Weatherizing your windows with weatherstripping is always a cost-effective way to protect your home against energy loss. If your windows are attacked by the extremes of blustering snow, howling winds or sweltering summers, it’s even more important for you to invest in a strong weatherstripping material to protect your home and control your energy bills.

Window weatherstripping choices have grown in selection and sophistication along with the increase in energy costs and environmental concerns. It would be easy to linger at a store aisle full of weatherstripping choices for hours just reading all the packages comparing installation methods, material content and protection values. Hours could also be spent staring at rolls and pieces of aluminum, steel, and vinyl, wondering which are right for you. Your weatherstripping choice will depend on the weather your window is exposed to, the design and structure of your window, how often the window is used, the skill it takes to install, the cost, and your value on window aesthetics.

Metal weatherstripping is the most durable and protective weatherstripping on the market today. Although its price range is higher than vinyl and the easy-on easy-off foam and felt tapes – it is generally not exorbitantly priced unless you are seeking special metals. For older homes adorned for a strict period feel of the past, metal weatherstripping is often recommended for its discrete appearance. If you need the protection of metal, but can’t afford the price, your next best investment would to buy weatherstripping that combines vinyl and metal weatherstripping materials.

Metal weatherstripping, like all other weatherstripping materials, comes in a variety of forms and materials. You can buy metal weatherstripping in bronze, brass, copper, aluminum or stainless steel, in pre-measured strips, or from a roll cut to your specifications. Metal channel stripping is the sturdiest type of weatherstripping, and a long-lasting choice for frequently used windows.

A metal “tension seal” or “spring metal seal” is a v-shaped metal strip used for weatherstripping that is nailed onto window channels. The v-shaped strip is formed with two same-sized metal pieces attached at an angle lengthwise, leaving a v-shaped space between the two joined strips. The window will close down and compress the space to create a seal. The seal is very efficient, but some tend to create a little bit of resistance when opening a window. These metal strips are installed so they are not visible, and therefore won’t interfere with any stringent design schemes. Although they do require some carpentry skills – you must be able to cut the metal with precision, deal with corners, and nail the metal in – you can find single self-sticking spring metal seals.

Although metal weatherstripping is the best performing weatherstripping material for windows, it is not created to be used on every type of window. You will find that some windows may take metal channel stripping on the sides, but will require a vinyl, foam or gasket strip under the sash. A metal tension strip can be installed on the bottom of an upper sash belonging to a double hung window, but a stationary top sash in a single hung window might require vinyl rubber gasket weatherstripping on the sash, and metal tension strips in the side channels. Either way, installing metal weatherstripping wherever you can greatly increases your energy savings.

If you’re looking for a durable window weatherstripping to provide year-round protection in a tough climate, take a closer look at making an investment in metal weatherstripping. Metal weatherstripping for windows won’t break its seal, and it will give you a break on your high energy costs.