Engineering Commons^™

The Benefits Of Using Window Shades, Florida Solar Energy Center, Ross Mccluney

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Windows play an important aesthetic role in our daily lives. At the same time, windows typically add significantly to the cost of heating and cooling buildings. After reviewing the physical principles by which windows add heat to buildings and the standard techniques employed to reduce unwanted heating, this paper focuses on one type of device which is readily available, inexpensive to purchase and operate, and capable of being adjusted to changing conditions on even an hourly basis. The device is the common window shade. This paper develops a simple, but realistic, model for computing the advantage of using reflective interior …