Winter |
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Summer |
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HOME WITH
RADIANCE |
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Winter |
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Summer |
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HOME
WITHOUT RADIANCE |
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These illustrations show how the coating works in
both winter and summer. In winter, about 40% of the radiant energy normally
absorbed by a building's walls is reflected back into the room. In summer, it keeps
about 40% of the radiant energy from the sub from entering the room.
In winter, radiant energy from heating systems, people and
objects is reflected back into the room. This allows heating systems to be turned down a
couple of degrees, while retaining the comfort level of the higher setting. With
conventional wall finishes, wall-paper or ceramic-type coatings, up to 95% of the radiant
energy in a room escapes straight through the wall system. This coating has been
tested to reflect about 40% back into the room.
It can be used on most building materials and applies,
covers, cleans and looks like and high-quality interior latex. But unlike other wall
finishes, it is infused with low-e microscopic particles suspended in a transparent
binder matrix. These enable the coating to act as both an emissive barrier and a
radiant energy reflector.
Initial reaction from
professional contractors has been good, and in March this year, the manufacturer launched
an attic and decking radiant barrier. Created for use on the underside of roofs,
the barrier product works in the same way as the wall finish, but has a lower e value and
will reduce the transmission of radiant energy by up to 20%.
Unlike ceramic coatings, which are typically applied to
exterior surfaces and operate by high-visible, light range reflection in warm climates,
the coating is based on radiant-energy management principles. It operates on
internal surfaces by controlling energy in the invisible range of the spectrum.
When first introduced to the concept, more technically
oriented customers might ask what the R value of the coating is, but, since it controls
radiant heat and R is the measurement of resistance to convective heat, the wall finish
has no R value. Instead, the coating has an e value, and the lower this value, the
better the product is at managing radiant energy, and ultimately, saving money.
The Bavarian Center for Applied Energy Research in
Website Calculates Energy Savings |
| The Radiance website at www.radiancecomfort.com is designed to help
customers calculate potential energy savings by choosing their locations, as well as the
building type that is most similar to their home or office. The calculator combines the typical climate conditions with building
specifications to pinpoint the anticipated annual cost reductions.
Assumptions are made on each building type, and
users can compare such variables as square footage, wall and roofing materials, degree of
insulation, furnace and air-conditioning efficiency, and typical gas and electrical costs.
Pull-down menus offer 82 U.S. locations, plus
several Canadian cities. Five building types are represented.
These graphs illustrate the estimated energy
savings by building type, comparing a Miami home and a Chicago warehouse. A
computer module is available on this company's website to calculate a building's specific
potential energy savings. |
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