When your window is practically a wall

[Burn-1]

Super insulating vacuum glass

I'm sure it's pretty expensive as a new product but it looks liek it might have some big potential.

 

[Redox]

There's that evacuated tube solar collector we've been looking for!

I gotta wonder out loud how easy this is to break, as the vacuum has to put some serious stress on the glass. I also wonder if this will ever be cost effective. In our area, triple pane glass has not been shown to be worth the extra $ at current fuel costs.

You could also just put in smaller windows. I see these McMansions around here with entire walls made out of expensive windows and cathedral ceilings. They are a nightmare to try to condition.


Chris

 

[Burn-1]

More here from the referring link I showed. The vacuum does place stress on the glass but this is handled by spacers. It appears to have more commercial potential in the beginning stages but as noted, these could be net energy producers since they gain more than they lose.

 

[ericjeeper]

More here from the referring link I showed. The vacuum does place stress on the glass but this is handled by spacers. It appears to have more commercial potential in the beginning stages but as noted, these could be net energy producers since they gain more than they lose.

I totally agree with your quote about these gaining more than they lose. That is a huge misconception with a lot of folks. They think a large south facing wall will help heat their home.. Granted it will during the day. But after the sun goes down all that heat gained is lost at a much faster rate than it was achieved.
So always look for the lowest U factor you can get in a window.Double lo e coatings are also a big plus.
And whoever says the triple panes are not worth the cost must live where the climate is 68 degrees year round. You would not think of building a new home and leaving out the insulation. So why would you leave it out of the windows? Krypton gas is the new choice. Argon is not dense enough to give the optimum performance. Ok my sales pitch is over.LOL

 

[BrownianHeatingTech]

We have triple-pane windows in most of the holes. R-5, I think.

Yeah, the vacuum glass would be some benefit, but I doubt it's cheap enough, and I know that the spacers would not be visually-pleasing...

Joe

 

[ericjeeper]

I still feel a dense gas would be a better long term product. Krypton is what it takes to achieve an R 10.
Argon will only take you as far as an R 7. Then there is the edge spacer, and the soft coat Lo e film applied to both the interior glass and the exterior glass.