Energy Efficient Windows Melting Houses & Cars

Energy Efficient Windows Melt Vinyl Siding: Boston - Deb Vincequere's home in Worcester, Mass., is a mess because her vinyl siding is melting. "It's so upsetting I could cry. I'm not kidding you. I cry all the time. It's buckling, it's lifting off the house, it's curling up, it's just totally ruined," Vincequere told Team 5.

Carolyn Dillon of Watertown, Mass., is also upset with the way her home looks. "I'm horrified. I think it was almost a $10,000 job," said Dillon, who installed different vinyl siding but experienced the same melting problem. "About 15-16 pieces have dents or rolling areas in them." In both cases, local building inspectors said the damage was caused by sunlight bouncing off double-pane energy efficient windows on nearby homes.

Windows called low-e glass or low-emittance are energy efficient and even required by some building codes. But they can also warp inward and act like a magnifying glass, concentrating too much heat on nearby homes. Gerry Brady from Infrared New England recently studied Vincequere's house. "This looks like someone took a blow torch to it."

Normal vinyl siding begins to be soften and distort at 165 degrees Fahrenheit. "We had temperatures that were 248 degrees Fahrenheit," reported Brady. Both the Vinyl Siding Institute and the National Association of Home Builders acknowledge the problem, but say it is not widespread and the siding and windows are not defective.

A recent study by the association found that a combination of contributing factors must be present before the effect occurs, including concavity in the double glass panes, a low angle of sunlight and close proximity to adjacent homes. Any double-pane window can cause this effect, but the group reported that double pane low-e windows are more likely to cause the problem. "My home is ruined and at no fault of mine whatsoever," said Vincequere.

Vincequere's warranty has expired and Dillon's warranty specifically excludes damage caused by heat or reflection from windows. "I was shocked," said Dillon. Both Vincequere and Dillon told Team 5 they were shocked that no one is warning homeowners melting siding can occur. "They're not doing anything about it and that's what really bothers me," said Vincequere. A state spokesman for the state Board of Building Regulations and Standards told Team 5 Investigates they are researching the problem and their responsibility to homeowners and will discuss both at a meeting next month.

Woman Claims Neighbor’s Energy Efficient Windows Are Melting Her Toyota Prius: A SoCal woman says the energy efficient window installed in a neighbor’s condominium is melting the plastic components on cars parked in her carport. Heather Patron of Studio City was dealing with a mystery regarding her Toyota Prius. “The side view mirrors were melting,” says Patron. “Anything that was plastic on the car was melting.”

Toyota told Patron nothing was wrong with the car. After having the mirrors replaced, she noticed the mirrors on the car parked next to hers were also melting. Patron then observed a powerful beam of light that was reflecting off the window of a next door condominium, casting a concentrated beam over her carport. CBS2’s Randy Paige placed a thermometer in the pathway of the beam on a partially cloudy day. The temperature registered over 120 degrees in less than five minutes. “I’m positive that this window is what is causing the damage to my car,” says Patron.

Patron is not alone. Reports across the country have alleged damages brought on by concentrated sunlight reflected off of energy efficient windows. The National Association of Home Builders is now conducting a study on the matter. “I just don’t feel like it’s fair,” says Patron. “I feel like it needs to be known that this is happening. And a lot of people probably have damage out there, that they aren’t aware that it’s the windows that are causing this.”

The Los Angeles City Department of Building and Safety says even if the window is the source of the damage, there are no code violations involved. The department says it’s not against the law to install a window that reflects sunlight.

Energy-efficient windows intensify fire: South Buffalo, N.Y.  - Firefighters were right around the corner when fire broke out in South Buffalo Tuesday night. They made two searches of a burning Seneca Street house, but learned none of the three residents were inside. Division Chief John Mogavero says improvements to the house actually intensified the fire.

"Energy-efficient windows are fantastic, but the trouble is, not only do they keep the cold out, they keep the heat in. And when you have a fire like this, it keeps the smoke contained, the heat contained, it's an oven effect almost," explained Mogavero. The fire left $75,000 in damage to the house.

Low E Glass - A quick guide (Previous blog).

Failed Windows, Seal Fail & Window Walls

Throw-away Buildings & Thermal Window Failure: How it Happens: Virtually all glass condominium towers feature window wall systems (floor-to-ceiling walls of glass) enclosing the entire facade. Window walls yield spectacular views, but owners who buy a condo unit for the view may not realize that they're relying on a couple of panes of glass separated by less than an inch of insulated space to protect them from the elements. That insulated barrier will degrade over time, even as energy costs increase. On some buildings, five per cent of the thermal windows may have failed before they're even delivered to the construction site. Another 10 - 15 per cent will fail by the 20-year mark as they're exposed to the physics of heat expansion. By the 25 year-mark, a growing number will fail every year. Here's how it happens:

Insulating gas is sealed between glass panes: Insulated glazing technology, commonly known as double glazing, considerably improves the thermal efficiency of the window units used on older buildings. It consists of two and sometimes three panes of glass separated by a system of spacers and seals. It is that separation - not the glass - that provides the window with its primary insulating value.

The space between the panes is often filled with a heavy gas such as Argon or Krypton. Colourless and odorless, inert gasses don't easily allow air to pass through. In fact, Argon gas conducts 67% less heat than regular air, thus helping to keep building interiors cool during the day and warm at night. The seals that trap the gas between the panes of glass are clamped in place by aluminum frames which interlock with the adjacent frames, all of which are attached to the building itself.

Heat expansion damages seals: During the day, the sun's heat causes the exterior surface of the building to expand and contract while the interior surface remains relatively constant. Windows are designed with a certain amount of "give" to help withstand this uneven expansion. But over time, the continual expansion of the glass panes and aluminum frames puts stress on the window seals. The seals begin to break down.

Seals fail and gas escapes: As the window seals deteriorate, the inert gas that is responsible for most of the window's insulating value escapes from the window unit. Because the gas used in thermal windows is colourless and odourless, you won't be able to see that the window seal has failed. Building scientists can detect the failure by shining a laser beam through the window, and measuring the changes to the amount of light that emerges on the other side of the glass.

Although the escaping gas will change the window's thermal rating (from R-4 at the centre of the glass for a middle-of-the-road unit, to R-2.5 (R standing for thermal resistance), the more annoying problem will come as the window unit begins to fog up. Additional methods of analysing the thermal performance of windows are described in Mario D. Gonçalves and Robert Jutras' presentation at the 2007 Symposium on Building Envelope Technology. View Report [954KB .pdf]

Failed windows: The problems will be disguised for many years because the window frames are packed with desiccants - moisture-absorbing crystals. You've seen those tiny envelopes in the box for a new pair of shoes? It's the same principle - they help absorb moisture during shipping and storage. In the case of the window units, the aluminum frames are packed with strips of desiccant (circled left) to absorb water vapour. Desiccant plays a major role in keeping the glazing unit dry for the expected service life of the window unit. However, moisture entering through the seals will eventually overwhelm the desiccant, creating fog in what was once a dry space. You may not even realize your unit now requires more energy to heat and cool if the interior temperature is controlled by a thermostat. But you will certainly notice the foggy glass.

For owners who aren't aware that the expected service life of the window unit is a fraction of the life of the building as a whole, this may also be something of a surprise. For the first few years, the cost of replacing window units one at a time in individual condos will be annoying but not very expensive. However, at the 25-year point, as a growing number of window units fail, or if many of them fail earlier than expected, the condominium corporation will want to consider a complete replacement of the facade. Rising energy costs add pressure to make these changes to reduce the building's energy use.

For further reading on the choices that affect the service life of condominiums, see University of Toronto Professor of Building Science Ted Kesik's paper The Condo Conundrum.[250KB .pdf]

Residents of this Toronto condo at 81 Navy Wharf Court are suing the developer for alleged defects in the window wall system.

Throw-away buildings: Toronto's glass condos - Many of the glass condominium towers filling up the Toronto skyline will fail 15 to 25 years after they’re built, perhaps even earlier, and will need retrofits costing millions of dollars, say some industry experts. Buyers drawn to glass-walled condos because of the price and spectacular views may soon find themselves grappling with major problems including:

• Insulation failures.
• Water leaks.
• Skyrocketing energy and maintenance costs.
• Declining resale potential.

Glass condominiums — known in the industry as window walls — have floor-to-ceiling glass, so essentially the window becomes the wall. Window walls generally span from the top of the concrete slab right to the bottom. One developer calls glass-walled condos “throw-away buildings” because of their short lifespan relative to buildings with walls made of concrete or brick.

“We believe that somewhere between, say, five and 15 [years], many, many of those units will fail,” said David House of Earth Development, which bills itself as a socially responsible property developer. House, who also has experience in the standard development industry, spoke to CBC as part of a special three-part series on the issue that starts Monday at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. on CBC News Toronto.

No other city in North America is building as many condo towers as Toronto, where they have reshaped the skyline, overshadowed once-prominent buildings such as the Rogers Centre and, in many areas, blocked Lake Ontario from view. About 130 new towers are now under construction.

Not energy-efficient: Glass walls have been popular among developers and consumers alike because they’re cheaper than more traditional materials and make a good first impression. But they aren’t energy-efficient and come with a hidden price that could soar down the road, engineers say.

Floor-to-ceiling glass walls heat up and swell in the summer, freeze and contract in winter, and shift with the wind, engineers say. The insulating argon gas between the panes escapes, the seals are breached and the windows are rendered useless against the city’s weather. Eventually, the glass walls — the skin of these condo high rises — might have to be replaced entirely, with condo owners picking up their share of the multimillion-dollar costs. “Now is about when we should start seeing trouble with 1990s buildings, with the glass starting to get fogged up, the rubber gaskets and sealants starting to fail,” said John Straube, a building science engineer at the University of Waterloo.

Windows tempt buyers: The glass walls that undermine a condo’s durability and energy efficiency are a key part of the attraction when potential buyers first step into those sunlit spaces overlooking the city. “To walk in and see trees, and just to see the city — it’s a wonderful thing,” said Kamela Hurlbut during a recent tour of a condo with her husband, Jason. For first-time buyers like the Hurlbuts, who eventually hope to own a detached house, a condo also seems the only affordable home-ownership option. Their estate agent, Linda Pinizzotto, emphasizes long-term costs as she tries to warn the couple away from glass walls. “As time goes on, what they have to be concerned about are maintenance fees,” Pinizzotto said. “There’s certainly a lot more care and requirements in the building if they have floor-to-ceiling windows.”

Glass-walled condos meet the requirements of the Toronto building code, although the code does not specify how long a building should last. Energy-efficiency is also a fuzzy area, since condos aren’t rated that way. "We don’t have energy-efficiency ratings on condominiums and that’s too bad, because we get them on dishwashers, refrigerators, and they only cost a few hundred dollars,” said Ted Kesik, a professor of building science at the John H. Daniels faculty of architecture, landscape and design at the University of Toronto.

Janice Pynn, president of the Canadian Condo Institute, isn’t sure energy efficiency is a big factor for condo buyers initially — even for buyers who care about not wasting energy. “People talk that they want it, but when it comes down to what it's going to cost them, it doesn't even come into the equation,” says Pynn, whose Simerra Property Management company manages 250 condos across the GTA. “It really is ‘Can I afford to buy this?’ not 'What am I willing to pay to have a green building, or a building in the long term, that will be far more economical, and cost-saving and for the environment?' They're just not asking those questions.”

Toronto may be leading all cities in North America for building condos but its boom could soon turn to crisis. CBC Toronto has produced an investigation into what it calls "throwaway condos" - in reference to the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, which may fail 15 to 25 years after they are built. Given Toronto's massive condo stock, that could equal a lot of failures. In simple terms, the glass window doubles as the outer wall of each unit. While it may make the building look sleek and modern from the outside, what's going on inside is cause for concern - due mostly to Toronto's seasons and temperature changes.

The freeze-thaw cycle that occurs in Toronto (and other Canadian cities who are erecting similar buildings) will eventually cause the sealant in the windows to fail, resulting in more hot & cool air getting into each unit. Condo residents will then have to crank up the heat or air conditioning to keep pace, resulting in higher energy bills. (Check out this graphic that explains how the failure happens). Its not just the higher energy bills that owners will be stuck with - "window-walls" cost a lot more to maintain than traditional building materials in the long run and these owners will be picking up a huge maintenance tab 20-25 years down the road, according to John Straube, a building science consultant and professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and School of Architecture at the University of Waterloo.

"We have a hard time," says Straube, "thinking five years when we buy a laptop, ten years when we buy a car. With these buildings — both the skin and the mechanical systems are going to have to be redone in a 25-year time frame. The concrete structure will be there a long time but in 20, 25 years time, we are going to see a lot of scaffolding on the outside of the buildings as we replace the glazing, sealants and the glass itself." Vancouver has had its own issues with leaky condominiums given its weather but with Toronto taking the lead in condo building and cities with similar climates like Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax and Calgary following suit, condo dwellers can expect energy and maintenance costs to skyrocket, all for the sake of living in a building that has style over substance.

Glass News For The Enquiring Window Cleaner

Whoa! Scientists have done it again. Researchers from Columbia University, the University of Tsukuba, and Tel-Aviv University have discovered that quantum fluctuations that take place at near-absolute-zero temperatures can cause some forms of glass to turn into goo.

A few years ago the scientists had a pencil-and-paper result about what would happen to glass near absolute zero, but they couldn't believe what they were seeing. So they put it in a computer quantum simulation and as we all know, computers don't lie (well, not yet, anyway). Normally, science and past research tells us that the colder the temperature, the less energy a particle has, and therefore the less it vibrates. That is, the colder the temperature, the more solid the material. However, as the quantum simulations show, within a few degrees of absolute zero, glass turns to goo. And at a few degrees above that the glass is actually stronger than at room temperature instead of being more brittle as you might expect.

It turns out that at room temperature, glass, an amorphous solid, acts and looks like a solid, but when you bring it down to near absolute zero, the smaller particles of glass have the greatest quantum properties and are able to tunnel through each other creating a free-flowing liquid. At a slightly higher temperature, with fewer quantum effects (larger particle size), the glass density was increased and the glass' strength was increased. Check out Wired Science for the full story and a simulation video.

Buy window or I'll put head in vice: Trading standards officers are investigating after pensioners were threatened with DEATH unless they bought double glazing. One OAP was told his head would be put in a vice and he'd be left to bleed to death during a terrifying phone call. Others were warned they faced fines or "green taxes" if they didn't part with their cash for replacement windows. The calls were all made in Leicestershire by a company calling itself Bowater.

Trading standards said it had received at least 12 complaints about the firm - but it is believed there may be many more victims too afraid to come forward. Leicestershire County Council said Bowater appeared to be targeting older residents who were told they qualified for a government grant to have their windows replaced.  But when the homeowner said they weren't interested, the salesman told them their phone call was being recorded and they would be reported to their district council. They were then threatened with a fictitious "green tax" and the cancellation of their single occupancy council tax reduction.

But the intimidation took on an even more sinister edge for at least one pensioner. Paul Shipman, 68, from Broughton Astley, Leics, said: "The salesman started out saying that there were new British standards and I needed new windows but when I showed no interest, he threatened me with a green tax. "When that didn't work, he threatened to put my head in a vice and watch me bleed to death, which I didn't think was a very good sales line. "He was very threatening - in the end, he said he'd come round and kill me."

David Bull, head of Leicestershire County Council's trading standards, said any victims should hang up, then report the call to them. He added: "We are very concerned that this firm is deliberately targeting older people. It is sickening they're being threatened with fictitious taxes or fines, the loss of benefits or even death. "Reputable companies do not pressurise or threaten people. If they are a reputable company, then they should be recording calls." The Glass and Glazing Federation said investigations had revealed there was a company which had traded as Bowater. But it had not used the name since a takeover.

Glass company fined $70,000 in death of worker - TORONTO:  Ely’s Glass Company Limited, a Toronto company that sells and installs windows, was fined $70,000 on Jan. 27 for a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act that caused a worker’s death. On Sept. 9, 2009, a worker from Ely’s Glass was replacing a window in an apartment building in Toronto. To remove the window pane, the worker cut a hole in it from the inside and reached through to pry it out of the window frame. The worker was standing on a ladder, which slipped. The worker fell and their arm hit the sharp edge of the window pane and was cut severely. The worker eventually succumbed to their injuries. An investigation found that the worker was not wearing protective clothing and the sharp edge of glass in the window pane was not covered to protect the worker. Ely’s Glass Company Limited pleaded guilty to failing to ensure a worker was protected from the hazard.

Hilarious Window-Smashing Burglar went Viral in China: Meet China’s “Window smashing” burglar, who smashed the bulletproof glass using a hammer. Did I say bulletproof? Yes and he was apparently extremely determined to crack it open. In the video, he was seen smashing the glass for more than 4 minutes before climbing over to the office area and start stealing.

The Glass Guru, Roseville, Calif., ended its fourth year of franchising in December 2010, adding three new franchises to its growing network of full-service window restoration and replacement shops, according to a Jan. 24 release.The company added a total of 17 new franchises in 2010, growing from 33 to 50 active stores in North America including its first franchise in Canada, in Abbotsford, BC. Also in December, Entrepreneur Magazine ranked The Glass Guru #400 on its Franchise 500 list of the nation’s top franchise companies as well as #90 on Entrepreneur’s list of the top 100 low-cost franchises and #34 on their list of the top 50 new franchises.

Watch "A Day Made of Glass" and take a look at Corning's vision for the future with specialty glass at the heart of it.

U.S. demand for advanced flat glass products is projected to increase 9.1 percent annually to 745 million square feet in 2014, valued at $7.0 billion, according to The Freedonia Group, a Cleveland-based industry market research firm. This growth represents a significant improvement over the 2004-09 period, when advanced flat glass consumption suffered from the combination of a weak economy, crisis in financial markets, the bursting of the housing bubble and a sharp downturn in motor vehicle production. Going forward, a rebound in residential construction and motor vehicle production from low 2009 levels will spark strong growth in demand for advanced flat glass products, according to the firm. These and other trends are presented in Advanced Flat Glass, a new study from The Freedonia Group.

Cleveland: Federal building will get a new glass 'skin' - The new "skin" will be attached about 2.5 feet outside the existing glass. Designs were shown for the first time today. The intent is to reduce energy bills as well as prevent further corroding of the metal panels on the original facade. Employees in the building will continue to occupy the structure throughout the construction The project is expected to be finished in 2014 and is expected to save $600,000 to $700,000 a year on the building's $3.7 million annual heating and cooling bill.

Arrow Shot into Couple's Bedroom: An elderly couple in Burbank got quite a scare when a 2-foot arrow flew through their window and landed above their bed. Priscilla Muller, 79, was using her computer on the evening of Jan. 28 when she heard a loud crash through her bedroom window. She and her husband found broken glass on the floor, but it wasn't until they turned into bed that they found a 2 1/2-foot carbon-fiber arrow lodged in the wall. According to officers, the arrow, which appeared to have been shot from the next door residence, was not shot with malicious intent. It pierced through a fiberglass panel between the two properties before breaking a 3-inch hole in Muller's window. The Mullers, who have lived in their home on the 700 block of North Buena Vista Street since 1985, told the LA Times that they have had trouble sleeping since the incident.

New solar-powered glass road to melt snow on roads: An expert has come up with a novel idea for dealing with snowy roads: replacing them with a glass surface embedded with solar cells that generate power form the sun and store it in batteries for use at night. Scott Brusaw's company, Solar Roadways is waiting for approval on a new 750,000 dollars grant from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) that will help him build a large-scale prototype to test new materials and electronics, and hopefully prove that his invention works. "Think of the rear window of your car," he said. "There would be a heating element [in each cell] similar to that. In the morning, when you go start your car, it pumps out about 15 amps and cranks it up to about 85 degrees to melt whatever snow and ice has accumulated overnight. If you kept the temperature at about 40 degrees you wouldn't have to do that because it would not accumulate."

Regarding the glass material used for the roads, Brusaw said, there are glass research projects where the material is strong enough to stop a bullet or can even be used as a shield against roadside bombs, so his surface could easily withstand the weight of an 18-wheeler. A textured surface would provide traction on par with blacktop. "The thicker you make it, the more you laminate it, the stronger it gets," he said. "The cells will be inside the glass. In our prototype we have the LEDs laying under the glass. We learned we could laminate the LEDs between two pieces. [This makes] the cells more visible to sunlight." Brusaw said keeping the roads clean enough for the solar cells to operate would not be a problem. He suggests using a chemical spray, such as titanium dioxide, which would prevent dirt accumulation and even turn oil deposits into a sandy mix. "Worst case, we can use squeegee trucks to replace snow plows," he said.

Henry House Receives Electronic, Energy-Efficient Windows for High Tech Makeover. Innovative Glass Corporation announced today that they have provided SPD-SmartGlass windows for the government owned Henry House located within Fort Knox in Kentucky. The 1934-built Henry House is a historic home that is now used as VIP Guest Quarters / "Bed & Breakfast" for dignitaries when visiting the area. The completed installation is part of a "net-zero" energy project to demonstrate that energy-efficient smart windows, and several other state-of-the-art technologies, can be cost-effectively included in renovation and retrofit applications to save money. The project, which was funded by the U.S. Army, is a key element of their long-term study to reduce energy consumption to "net zero" -  a term meaning that the building generates as much energy as it uses, for a net power bill of zero.

According to Steve Abadi, Chairman of Innovative Glass Corp, "After an evaluation of other smart window technologies including electrochromics, the Energy Services Team of Harshaw Trane, the Energy Services Provider and systems integrator for the project, selected Innovative Glass to provide SPD-Smart windows that would fit in - both physically and aesthetically - with the old-world historical charm of the existing frames and structure. We then custom-built windows that incorporated our state-of-the-art SPD-SmartGlass for the project." The SPD-SmartGlass windows, constructed with variable-tint SPD film invented by Woodbury, NY based Research Frontiers (Nasdaq: REFR), enable users and facilities managers to instantly and precisely adjust the amount of light, heat, glare and solar energy passing into the home, offering both solar energy control and daylight harvesting benefits.

The SPD-Smart windows in the Henry House at Fort Knox use Hitachi Chemical's newest SPD "light" film which has a dynamic light transmission range from 65% in the clear state down to a room-darkening 3% light transmission. The light transmission for their SPD-Smart window is instantly and precisely adjustable to any level between dark and clear, and had better performance than any other technology considered for the project. In addition to the dynamic light range, the windows also block 99% of harmful and fabric-fading U.V. rays.

Klingshield's Titanium and Platinum coated window films contain an invisible layer of metal which acts as a shield and in turn, weakens or restricts the broadcast of wireless data signals. By radically reducing such broadcasts, data hackers are limited to snooping and gaining unauthorized access to sensitive corporate and government data." We often hear of incredible stories- how hackers drive by with sophisticated detection equipment looking for networks ripe for picking" said Leon Levy CEO of Klingshield. "Once found, these hackers often break into such networks which typically contain vast amounts of information" added Levy. "By applying Klingshield's reflective window films, signals are limited and naturally the amount of networks to be snooped by white collar criminals radically reduces.

Military personal and police have been the early adopters of this window film technology for cyber crime prevention because of the vulnerable position these departments find themselves in. Banks and Financial Institutions are forerunners in the research and development within the data security arena and have recently began deploying window film in various branch sites within their organizations. "In a recent Johannesburg installation we managed to restrict all Wi-Fi signals from escaping a of 4 story building" said Levy. Another advantage of this cyber crime deterrent is the aesthetic appearance of the reflective Klingshield window film range. These products are hardly noticeable from the inside and have excellent optical clarity; however from the outside additional benefits include privacy from prying eyes as well as creating a cooler interior temperature by blocking the sun rays.

Man Eats Glass Champagne Flutes and Household Lightbulbs: First there was the woman who eats couches, now there's Josh, a Wooster, Ohio man who is hooked on eating glass household products. His story aired on TLC's My Strange Addiction, and, like most, we watched with an odd hybrid of shock and sadness. In the four years since he's been doing this, Josh has consumed more than 250 lightbulbs and 100 Champagne flutes, explaining that "it was kind of scary at first." "It's not like I feel anything, it doesn't hurt when I eat glass or anything," he adds, later admitting to having cut his lips and the corners of his mouth a few times. He's also gotten glass shards stuck in his gums.

AcoustiVision turns your car's rear window into subwoofer: Premium, high-tech sound systems often demand lots of vehicle space, especially those delivering powerful bass. Consequently, many car owners choose to make do without them. Magna International just found a solution that could change their lives. It's called AcoustiVision and it turns the rear window into a subwoofer. How does it work? Pretty simple: from the stereo, the subwoofer feed goes into an amplifier in the trunk which boosts it from 12 volts to 200. The voltage goes into a pair of exciters at the base of the rear window to generate sound. The glass has a sealant that allows it to vibrate up and down with the throbbing bass.

It's a whole new way of generating sound that not only saves precious vehicle space but also offers noise cancellation and weight reduction benefits. Music lovers will finally be able to enjoy quality sound without sacrificing comfort, practicality and performance. "It's like sitting inside a subwoofer box," says product director Greg Rizzo. And you can't hear it outside the vehicle. Nice! Don't get too excited yet, though, as AcoustiVision is still a good ways from making it to your local electronics store. While the technology has been in development for about four years and now performs as desired, mass production is scheduled for the 2015 model year only. In the meantime, Magna will manufacture the necessary parts in high volumes and secure contracts from automakers.

What makes an energy-efficient window? To counter the low heat-retaining efficiency of glass window panes, revolutionary technologies have led to the perfecting of highly energy-efficient windows. The improvements include low emittance coating, the use of inert gases between the panes, low-conductivity spacers, and improved window frames.

Low emittance coating is a thin, invisible metallic coating which is applied directly to the surface of the window glazing. It reduces heat loss by reflection, transmitting most of the solar spectrum rays towards the interior. The coating also prevents the penetration of heat emitted by objects outside the structure and blocks most of the ultraviolet rays that discolour carpets and fabrics. By filling the space between the panes of a window with inert gas, thermal transmittance (heat loss) by conduction and by convection is reduced.

The new low-conductivity spacers are a considerable improvement as far as energy efficiency is concerned. Generally speaking, they can increase the efficiency of a low emittance window filled with argon by 20 percent. The effectiveness of the techniques and the materials used varies considerably and consumers should always rely on the Energy Rating (ER) number.

A frame made from efficient materials will reduce heat loss by conduction to a minimum. Thanks to stronger materials, frames and sashes are now much thinner. This creates a larger surface area of glazing, which in turn increases solar heat gains. Take note that frames manufactured from a blend of materials draw benefits from the synergy of each of their strengths. Good energy efficiency in a frame translates into a high ER number.

Boost your windows efficiency, deal with condensation: Condensation that appears on interior panes is usually the result of too much humidity inside the house and cold temperatures outside. The colder it is outside, the colder the glazing becomes. The colder the glazing, the less humid the air inside the house needs to be for condensation to form. Condensation showing up on the interior pane of a storm window is a consequence of warm, humid air leaking past the prime window and getting trapped in the space between the prime window and the storm window. Draperies and shades often generate condensation problems by shielding the glazing from the home’s warmth, thus allowing the glass to grow cold, while also fitting loosely enough that humid air can infiltrate between the shade and glazing.

On top of all this, windows that are uncovered during the nighttime hours are huge heat sinks to the outside. While a modern double-pane insulated glass window, equipped with low-E glass film and filled with argon gas between the panes, can yield an R factor of about R-4 (R-factor is a measure of resistance to heat flow; high numbers indicate greater resistance, and thus greater efficiency), the rest of even an average insulated exterior wall might measure R-17 or more. Drapes and shades increase a window’s R-factor, but they can create the aforementioned condensation issues. So what to do? Well, there are several solutions available that can not only boost window R-factors, but also reduce or eliminate condensation. While the commercial products designed for this purpose are not inexpensive, they could very well pay off over time in energy savings in both winter and summer. Homemade “movable” insulation shutters or panels, because of their lower cost, could produce a quicker payback.

First, exterior storm windows create an additional, insulating dead air space between the prime window and the exterior environment, making the interior pane warmer and less prone to form condensation. Window Quilt, manufactures insulated, quilted fabric rolling shades. A key to the product’s success is that the shades seal against the window’s top, bottom, and sides. This design virtually eliminates the problem of warm, humid air reaching the cold window. That, in turn, should eliminate condensation formation. Window Quilts cost about $14 per square foot of opening covered.

Installing interior storm windows is another way to tackle both energy efficiency and condensation problems. Rpluswindow sells, for about $14.50 per square foot, a polycarbonate plastic double-pane interior storm window. The storms are made to fit each opening exactly, and are ringed with a rubber gasket material that creates an airtight seal. The manufacturer claims homeowners can save between 15-40 percent on energy bills with the use of its product.

One feature of both Window Quilts and R+ interior storm windows is that they are installed from the inside. This could be important in a historic home. Too, in homes built before 1978, because the existing window is not replaced, no potential lead paint issues arise. Lastly, since the first “oil crisis” hit this country in the 1970’s, homeowners have been experimenting with homemade insulated interior and exterior shutters, and other types of movable insulative panels. They usually consist of a rigid foam core, a durable skin of some kind (often thin plywood), and some sort of gasketing material around the perimeter that creates an airtight seal.

Condensation is a problem at this time of year and it can damage your decor. It happens when warm air inside the room meets the cold windowpane and forms droplets of water. With double and secondary glazing, condensation can get between the panes, which isn’t good for the window frames, especially if they’re made of wood.

To help to protect wooden frames, wipe off the condensation every morning – from both the glass and the frames – and open the windows. Even if you can only open them for a short time before going to work, this will clear the condensation quicker than not doing it.

With wooden frames, keep an eye out for damaged and deteriorating paintwork. If you spot chipped, cracked or bubbling paint, sand and clean the area, apply a little wood filler to blend the bare and painted wood, sand and clean when dry, and paint over with quick-drying wood primer/undercoat and then topcoat. Keeping the paintwork in good condition will help to protect the frames from the moisture.

Walls also get condensation on them, particularly in bay windows, in the kitchen, because of the steam generated by cooking, and in the bathroom, when you shower or bath. Having efficient extractor fans is important – if you don’t have any, get a qualified electrician to fit them in your kitchen and bathroom – and, again, open the windows whenever possible.

Not ventilating a room that suffers from condensation can lead to mould on your walls, particularly behind curtains, beds, sofas, sideboards, etc. Scrub it off with a mould-cleaning liquid or spray and wait several weeks to see if the problem reoccurs. If the mould has marked the walls, give them a fresh coat of paint, but only if you’re sure you’ve cracked the cause of the problem.

Smarter Homes, Windows & Window Cleaning Apparel

'Smart' electrochromic and gasochromic windows latest in green innovations: For the past few years, a seminar on new and innovative green building products has been a staple at Construct Canada. This year was no exception as BuildGreen Solutions partner Rodney Wilts updated architects, engineers and contractors on the some of the “great” green products that have crossed his desk in the past 12 months. “This (presentation) is a bit of a hodge-podge of things that we look at in the green building world,” said Wilts, whose firm works with architects, developers and other organizations to implement sustainable practices in the built environment. 

BuildGreen has managed more than 40 LEED projects in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. Wilts, whose firm is part of the Windmill Developments family of companies, said windows “are getting serious” as manufacturers compete to build the most energy-efficient products. Soon to hit the market, he said, are “smart” electrochromic and gasochromic windows. “We’re seeing leaps and bounds in quality window manufacturing,” Wilts said.

Other green products include a device that monitors energy consumption over a period of time and automatically kills “vampire” power and building-integrated photovoltaic systems. On the materials side, “torrified” wood appears to be catching on “like wildfire,” Wilts said. A chemical-free process is used to heat up the wood, making it less susceptible to mould, rot and fungi. Other green materials include an environemtally friendly drywall product. Wilts, whose firm is based in Ottawa, said clients also are demonstrating increased interest in indoor air quality. One such item that is on the market is a proprietary drywall product that cleans the air, reacts with volatile organic compounds and makes them inert and is highly mould-resistant. “It is no longer enough to be less bad,” Wilts said.

Living walls also are catching on in a big way, he said, noting that a five-storey, plant-covered Biowall has been incorporated into the Algonquin Centre for Construction Excellence in Ottawa. This system helps control humidity while also cleaning the air. Water efficiency is also gaining increased attention, Wilts said. He cited introduction of a greywater reuse system that is suitable for either commercial or residential projects, a dual-flush toilet that has an integrated sink for immediate greywater reuse and a 0.8 gallon per flush, high-efficiency toilet. In his presentation, Wilts also touched on various developments on the green building front, including LEED Canada and the Living Building Challenge, which he described as “LEED on steroids.”

Clothing to harness renewable energy: Silvr Lining, a California based fashion company, has created the Go Collection of clothing with integrated solar power supplies suitable for charging personal communication devices (PCDs), such as cell phones and smart phones, and personal digital assistants (PDAs), such as MP3(4) players. This "wearable" power virtually eliminates the need to recharge at wall sockets. The power supply hardware is easily installed in GO garments in less than one minute, and un‐installed for cleaning just as quickly. The GO Integrated Solar Power System is comprised of 6‐inch by 8‐inch solar panels designed to fit pockets in the front of the garments. As these pockets contain windows to allow the sun's rays to impinge on the active side of each panel, the pockets are referred to as "frames". There are two frames in the GO Utility Vest, four in the GO Director's Jacket, two in the GO Myer's Topper, and two in the GO Cargo Pant that can accommodate panels.

 

The GO Solar Power System contains a power regulator and energy reservoir connected in between the solar panel and the device under charge (DUC). Its function is to efficiently capture the electrical power generated by the solar panel, to store that energy in the reservoir, and to provide the DUC with a highly stable voltage and current at its output compliant with the requirements of the mobile device. The system features "Power Tracking" to condition the energy making the most efficient use of the sun. The output voltage and current are automatically controlled by the regulator to the precise levels required by the DUC.

Simple indicator lights show the status of the system. GO power supplies can also be used separately as carry‐anywhere charging systems for hiking and picnicking, and can be left on the dashboard of the car or placed in the window of the office for complete internal recharging. Silvr Lining also offers the "Booster Panel", a stand‐alone panel about twice as large as the Small Panel. When connected, the Booster Panel would cut in half the charging time of either the reservoir of the Small Panel or a DUC connected to the Small Panel.

The solar panels are constructed of rugged, flexible, and non‐flammable materials able to withstand the sun's radiation, hot and cold temperatures, and wet and dry conditions. Cable assemblies, including cables, connectors, and receptacles, and electronics enclosure are also waterproof. Additional adaptors are also available. More.