Solar gain, please don’t forget the science;

Just Googled ‘how do solar tubes work’. I quote from the very first search result that came up,

‘and if you just loathe the heat that accumulates inside the room, (brand name) is perfect for you because it effectively eliminates heat collection from the sun. It mainly gathers light and blocks the heat…’

Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, in my humble opinion, wrong!

Unfortunately this is not an isolated instance, another solar pipe report,

‘But energy efficiency is an issue with glass, whereas with the (brand name) it’s pretty neutral, there’s no solar gain….’

and that’s from a Marketing Director !

They, as so many in the glazing field have been misled and misinformed as to how the coatings on glazing work that they in turn incorrectly advise.

Plain glass, untreated, is a pretty good conductor of solar energy across its whole spectrum (range of wavelengths). Coatings and tints are added to glazing to absorb or reflect particular wavelengths of solar energy dependant on the proposed use for the glass. Read the rest of this entry »

Ecobuild 2^nd March – 4^th March  2010 Earl’s Court, London.

 De Leeuw Ltd.   Stand No 2053. 

 Understanding a bit about the Sun and Solar Energy, we give you….

‘Passage of the sun, Clifton Suspension Bridge (Bristol, UK) December 17th 2007 to June 21st 2008. Photographer Justin Quinnell, www.pinholephotography.org ‘

3 Windows, 3 Blinds, 1,000 Shading Solutions?

Window 1 has an external roller blind fitted with a screen fabric in black,

Window 2 has an internal roller blind using a ‘metalised’ polyester filter, and

Window 3 has the same filter on a motorised blind between the panes of a sealed unit.

De Leeuw ltd. staff  will be showing how the position, construction and colour (spectral properties) of the shading ‘fabric’ can be as important as the specification of the glazing and how it can be particularly successful  in ‘rescuing’ new build specification ‘oversights’. * Read the rest of this entry »

By Richard Keen

Caused by Thermal Shock ?

I paraphrase a statement from a  leading Architect Practise’s guide document to its staff as to what  should be considered in the specification of shading (paraphrased to prevent identification, retribution and possible punishment – mine ).

‘…with any window blind…approval must be obtained, as the type and colour of the blind may cause heat build up, leading to the failure of the glass due to thermal shock..’ Read the rest of this entry »