Why? Because healthy natural light is the holy grail of light sources and we enjoy the view of the outside world.
BS EN 17037 sets out standards that new workplaces must attain in terms of daylight provision, a quality view out and glare. These factors are fundamentally important for our psychological well-being both in the workplace and at home.
However, lots of windows create all sorts of problems in managing comfort. The radiant temperature has a much greater impact than the air temperature on how the body gains and loses heat to its environment - insulating window film can help here.
Good examples of sources of radiant heat are the sun shining through a window, a wood-burning stove or infra-red heaters. But also so are you, your family & work colleagues. You’re a walking heat source and I will explain why later. Also, explain why insulating window film can help you.
We associate comfort with air temperature, but how could we get it so wrong? Even heating and cooling systems use air temperature to determine comfort.
The air temperature may be set for your comfort, but the experience when you are in close proximity to a large window is a totally different story.
On a bright day, the sun’s radiant heat shining through the window makes us too hot. The variations in the sun’s heat caused by clouds passing across the sky cause fluctuations in the radiant temperature. The human body takes about 10 minutes to adapt to its environment. During this time we tend to be distracted and uncomfortable. Our temperate UK climate means that this is very common. Note that the air temperature has hardly changed.
Conversely, in winter the glazing is the coldest part of the home. Radiators were traditionally positioned beneath windows to compensate. However, the modern building may have patio doors, bi-fold doors, conservatories, glass roofs and even floor-to-ceiling glazing. These areas do not benefit from a compensating heat source. We feel uncomfortable because now our body radiates heat asymmetrically, from the side closest to the window, to the cold surface of the large expanse of the window. We have, in turn, become the radiant heat source for the window. The situation is often confused with being a draft from the window, but it is actually our body losing heat. insulating window film will help reflect the radiant heat back into the room, insulating your home - helping you save money on energy bills. Find out more about insulating window film in this article about 3M Thinsulate CC75.
