Low-emittance - or Low-E - windows are an increasingly common way to control temperature within the building envelope. Traditionally, windows were accepted as being “energy losers” - they lacked the insulation found in the rest of the building frame, so they were prime locations for heat to escape in winter or for cool air to escape in summer (either being conducted through the glass or slipping through cracks in the window frame).
One of the most immediately appealing ways to conserve energy in your home is through passive solar heating. It is a method completely distinct from the use of solar cells; passive solar designs don’t convert energy - they just make better use of the stuff that’s already there! To take full advantage of the ways you can use the sun to heat your home, it’s best if you can design it from the ground up, so passive solar heating is most useful for buildings in the planning stages. But through moderate re-modeling you can help your existing home make much better use of natural light and heat.
In buildings that use the sun as a heating source, the most important element of design is a southerly exposure, and windows are the most common form.
Are you interested in installing an alternative energy system in your home, but can’t swallow the price of solar panels or wind turbines? Let the federal and state government help pay the bill! New tax credit laws have recently been passed by Congress and state legislatures, including Pennsylvania’s, which help corporate, business, private, non-profit and agriculture sectors, as well as homeowners, to pay for alternative energy systems. This is the government’s way of encouraging individuals and groups to save energy and money by utilizing the growing capabilities of energy systems that don’t depend on an outside power company. By creating your own power and either using it right away, storing it in a battery system, or selling it back to your electric company (see the article on Net Metering) you can keep tons-literally tons-of harmful pollutants from being released into the air, water and soil.
