Whether you’re designing a residential space like a home or a commercial space for an office building, one of the biggest goals when it comes to building or designing a space is ensuring that it’s spacious and properly insulated. As a result, proper insulation is essential in ensuring there’s energy efficiency and cost-saving in your project.
Insulated windows minimize the chance of heat transfer and help you save energy. This, in turn, saves money on utility bills, which can save you quite a few hundred bucks down the line.
However, when it comes to choosing insulated windows, most designers and builders find themselves overwhelmed with all the available options.
In this blog, we’re going to discuss what you need to know about thermally broken aluminum windows, and how they can make the right impression while saving you money in the long run.
What Are Thermal Windows and Why Do We Need Them?
Thermal windows are designed to be energy-efficient. Their objective is to reduce the chances of heat transfer from one end of the window to another and ensure slow transfer and passage of heat between window panes. These windows usually have around two to three glass panes. They are filled with non-toxic gases during the manufacturing process. Some of these gases can also prevent UV heat from the sun from seeping in through the windowpanes.
All of the panes, gas, and glass work to ensure that heat can’t escape from the building and stays inside. During winters, these windows prevent heat from heating systems from escaping through panes. Similarly, they ensure that cold air doesn’t seep inside.
However, if you think that means these windows will trap heat in the summer, that’s not the case. During summer, thermal windows actually work to prevent the outside warm and humid air from entering your space. In short, thermally broken windows maintain the indoor temperature, ensuring your HVAC system doesn’t work harder.
This is why the more windows you have in a building, the more chances you have of losing energy through drafts. Have you ever stood near a window during the winter and felt a chill or felt sweaty during summers? This is exactly what happens when heat or cool air escapes through glass panes.
Now why is that important?
This is because heat gain and loss through badly-insulated windows account for up to 25-30 percent of residential heating and cooling use. The more heating or cooling a building loses, the higher the utility bills will be.
What Is Thermal Insulation?
Thermal insulation reduces heat transfer between materials in thermal contact or in range of radiative influence. A good way to measure thermal radiation is via thermal conductivity.
Thermal conductivity is a process through which you can measure any material’s ability to transfer or conduct heat. According to the second law of thermodynamics, heat always flows down to lower temperatures from higher temperatures.
You can measure thermal conductivity from multiple methods like the guarded hot plate, hot wire, laser flash, etc. Low thermal-conductive materials are typically used for thermal insulation.
How Does Heat Transfer and Why It’s Important?
It’s vital for you to understand how heat is transferred from outside of a building and learn why thermal insulation is necessary.
If the temperature inside the building is different from the outside, warm air will seep in and mix with the colder air. But why does that happen?
If there’s contact between two varying temperatures, energy from the hotter object will transfer to the colder object. This happens until both objects are at the same temperature.
Heat can transfer from objects through the processes of conduction, radiation, and convection.
Now, what does that mean?
Conduction is a process that consists of heat passing through solid material. Heat conducts in space through the roof, walls, and windows. Radiation is when heat passes in the form of invisible and non-invisible light. For example, heat radiates into your home through sunlight. Non-invisible low-wavelength radiation allows heat to pass through and make cold objects warm. This radiation can easily enter your project building if you don’t opt for thermal windows.
Finally, convection is a process through which heat transfers from the walls and ceilings. This happens because it’s natural for hot air to rise. When it does, it takes the heat from the walls and circulates it inside a building. So how do thermally broken windows help?
Well, here’s how they work.
Why Are Thermal Windows a Good Investment?
The drafts and openings in a building’s windows and doors are the biggest culprits when it comes to energy loss. This loss usually translates into high utility bills. In fact, according to Energy Star, most homeowners can save up to 15 percent on heating and cooling costs with proper insulation. This is vital as heating and cooling account for around 11 percent of total energy costs. It’s the same case when it comes to the energy costs of commercial spaces.
However, that’s not all, as properly-insulated homes are worth a higher market value. This is because insulation is a great selling point for buyers as their HVAC systems will last longer and cost less. Additionally, there would be better air quality in the building with little to no chance of energy loss down the line. As a result, most builders and developers insulate their buildings whether they’re commercial or residential.
Other Benefits of Thermal Windows Compared to Other Windows
Controlled Temperature
The most obvious benefit of installing thermal windows is that they prevent hot or cold air from seeping in as compared to single-pane windows. Additionally, they also lower condensation which mostly occurs during winter when the warm air from inside a building settles on the glass.
Less Noise
Traditional windows do absolutely nothing to prevent noise from entering buildings. This can be annoying for businesses and homeowners alike.
This is why thermal windows are the right fit if your building is located in a busy neighborhood or in the heart of the city. That’s because the air and gases between the panes prevent any noise from entering the building. Some thermal windows manufacturers also incorporate argon or krypton gas to boost their noise reduction qualities.
Easy Maintenance
Unlike traditional windows, these windows don’t require as much maintenance. Though they have two panes, they are just as easy, if not easier, to maintain as single-pane windows.
If you’re looking to buy thermal break aluminum windows for your project, reach out to one of the best suppliers.
Consider our services at Oridow to buy aluminum windows in bulk.
At Oridow, we strive to provide top-quality window and door solutions for your projects. We are a renowned aluminum doors and windows manufacturer in Fuzhou, China. We offer a variety of top-quality products, like thermal break aluminum windows, aluminum sliding doors, aluminum French doors, aluminum bi-fold doors, and more.
Visit our website now or contact us to learn more about our products and services.
