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Title Zero Energy Windows
Creator/Author Arasteh, Dariush ; Selkowitz, Steve ; Apte, Josh ; LaFrance, Marc
Publication Date2006 May 17
OSTI IdentifierOSTI ID: 898951
Report Number(s)LBNL--60049
DOE Contract NumberDE-AC02-05CH11231
Other Number(s)R&D Project: 677635; Other: BnR: BT0304030; TRN: US200706%%454
Resource TypeConference
Resource RelationConference: 2006 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency inBuildings, Pacific Grove, CA, August 13-18, 2006
Research OrgErnest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley NationalLaboratory, Berkeley, CA (US)
Sponsoring OrgUSDOE. Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency andRenewable Energy. Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for TechnologyDevelopment. Office of the Building Technologies Program
Subject32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION; CLIMATES; COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS; DAYLIGHTING; ENERGY CONSUMPTION; ENERGY DEMAND; ENERGY EFFICIENCY; HEATING; LIGHTING REQUIREMENTS; MARKET; OCCUPANTS; TRANSFORMATIONS; WINDOWS
Description/Abstract Windows in the U.S. consume 30 percent of building heating and cooling energy, representing an annual impact of 4.1 quadrillion BTU (quads) of primary energy. Windows have an even larger impact on peak energy demand and on occupant comfort. An additional 1 quad of lighting energy could be saved if buildings employed effective daylighting strategies. The ENERGY STAR{reg_sign} program has made standard windows significantly more efficient. However, even if all windows in the stock were replaced with today's efficient products, window energy consumption would still be approximately 2 quads. However, windows can be ''net energy gainers'' or ''zero-energy'' products. Highly insulating products in heating applications can admit more useful solar gain than the conductive energy lost through them. Dynamic glazings can modulate solar gains to minimize cooling energy needs and, in commercial buildings, allow daylighting to offset lighting requirements. The needed solutions vary with building type and climate. Developing this next generation of zero-energy windows will provide products for both existing buildings undergoing window replacements and products which are expected to be contributors to zero-energy buildings. This paper defines the requirements for zero-energy windows. The technical potentials in terms of national energy savings and the research and development (R&D) status of the following technologies are presented: (1) Highly insulating systems with U-factors of 0.1 Btu/hr-ft{sup 2}-F; (2) Dynamic windows: glazings that modulate transmittance (i.e., change from clear to tinted and/or reflective) in response to climate conditions; and (3) Integrated facades for commercial buildings to control/ redirect daylight. Market transformation policies to promote these technologies as they emerge into the marketplace are then described.
Country of PublicationUnited States
LanguageEnglish
System Entry Date2007 Apr 16
Document Discussions

NPR Story: DOE-Pioneers Energy-Efficient Windows:

I heard an exciting broadcast on National Public Radio (NPR) about DOE-tested and marketed energy-saving window technology from the 1970's (see NPR broadcast link below). Considering our current energy crisis and the move across most areas of our lives for more energy-efficient technologies and products, I was happy to find this article "Zero Energy Windows" about DOE and Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory's current research. One of the authors of this article, Steve Selkowitz, was interviewed in the NPR broadcast. It is amazing how Selkowitz and his colleagues' research and development on something so everyday as windows has saved people all over the world in money and in energy. These "zero-energy" "net energy gaining" windows are exciting!

As you see these gigantic skyscrapers being built, you wonder how all of those floor to ceiling windows can be practical? From reading this "Zero Energy Windows" article you can see why a building of glass is practical and even helpful to the occupants and owners in terms of energy-saving technologies. The article also mentions that these windows help with lighting issues, which is something you naturally think a window would help with some-though we still seem to need our fluorescents--but not on the scale possible with the zero-energy windows. The dynamic glazings spoken of in this article coupled with the low-emissivity technology developed at DOE in the 1970's show the amazing advances of the past thirty years.

You can hear the NPR broadcast on “Energy Saving Windows a Legacy of ‘70’s Oil Crisis”, by Richard Harris, (originally aired Oct. 15, 2008) at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95309739.
    posted by er.dom - Nov 6, 2008 9:38 AM

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