Do you want to toss 30% of Energy Consumption out of the window?

Windows are thermal sink holes that account for 25-35% loss of heat or air-conditioning from an average sized building, through conduction, convection and radiation, putting a surplus energy load on the building’s Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems. In our series on Energy Conservation, Team StitchWorld reviews In’Flectors, a heat barrier window insulator that saves on energy consumption loss through windows…

Try In’Flectors…

There is a variety of options available, such as shades, shutters, blinds, draperies, mesh window screens and high reflective films to guard the interiors from common heat losses and gains through the windows. But these window shields are mostly unable to satisfactorily achieve either of the four major objectives that these are designed for: controlling sunlight, reducing heat transfer, reducing infiltration and controlling humidity.  In’Flectors, manufactured by In’Flector Italia, and marketed and serviced in India by IIGM, is one such product which fulfils all these objectives.

An In’Flector is a see-through radiant heat barrier window insulator that effectively addresses all the above mentioned issues, and assuming that a facility is air-conditioned, they can save up to 40% on the electricity bills. In’Flector is most effective with single pane glass window. The key to an effective heat insulation output is the product’s patented design which puts to use three useful properties of the insulating material: reflectivity, emissivity, and absorption. The reflective silver side of the In’Flector is made up of aluminium to reflect the solar heat back out through the window. Also, aluminium has a low emissivity (ability to emit energy as thermal radiation) between 0.03 and 0.05, which implies that only 3-5 per cent of the radiant heat is emitted through the aluminium, reflecting the heat back in the direction, the aluminium side it is facing. The reverse side is painted black to absorb the sunrays and radiate heat into the building, thus reducing the amount of heat the heating system is required to generate.

In Summers, these In’Flectors are positioned in such a way that the reflective surface faces outwards, rejecting 72% of radiant heat which reduces the greenhouse effect in the building. The silver side reflects 65% of the solar gain out through the window and hence reduces overheating in the building. The aluminium will stop 92% of the UV rays to enter the building, thereby reducing fading & sun damage; this will result in controlling the glare and improving the visibility in the plant. The windows also provide a cool daylight to the facility along with reducing the load, wear and maintenance of the HVAC units.

In Winters, In’Flector Window Insulators are reversed so that the silver side faces inwards, reflecting the thermal heat back into the building and reducing heat loss through the windows by absorbing the sunrays and transmitting the heat inwards. A 4’ X 4’ window with an In’Flector installed, can produce 2096 BTU’s (British Thermal Unit) of heat per hour in direct sunlight, which is equivalent to a 600 watt electric heater. (The British Thermal Unit is a traditional unit of energy equal to about 1055 joules. It is the amount of energy needed to cool or heat one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit). Moreover, the damaging UV rays are reflected back outside and the In’Flector air barrier reduces the loss of heated air (ex-filtration). This reduces the load, wear and maintenance on the HVAC units, hence saves money.

Installation

These see-through window insulators can be easily retrofitted on the existing windows or fitted into new buildings and are available in options such as vertical blinds, reversible panels and reversible roller blinds.

Compared to double pane glass windows that are usually installed in the buildings to block the heat. In’Flector is a cheap and effective way to reduce the energy consumption of the facilities. With negligible costs of installation, the In’Flectors are available at prices as cheap as US $ 5 per square feet. And as per Table 2, the smartest alternative to install In’Flectors is on a single pane glass window.