Sep 26 2008
A greener, more cost effective solution to heat loss through windows -- using electricity -- is among the features on the latest edition of ElectricTV.net. A joint production of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), ElectricTV.net is the only web TV program dedicated to reporting the latest developments in the electrical construction and information systems industries.
Known as Power*e Glass, developed by Radiant Glass Industries of Colorado and installed by NECA-IBEW teams, the product looks like a traditional double-pane glass window. Between the panes, however, is a conductive coating, over which a safe, low-voltage DC electric current is run, raising the temperature of the inside of the glass pane - and that of the room - and thereby significantly stopping heat loss.
According to a study by Kansas State University, a room loses 20 to 50 percent of its heat through the window, meaning traditional HVAC heating is only 75 percent efficient at its best, and 50 percent at its worst. In contrast, the study found that Power*e Glass is 85 percent efficient. Recent installations have reduced building owner's energy costs by 40 percent.
Also on this edition of ElectricTV.net are an interview with Alli Owens, teen racing phenom and driver of the ElectrifyingCareers.com car; highlights from LIGHTfair International, the world's largest annual commercial lighting trade show; and a spotlight on "The Carolina Initiative," a joint NECA-IBEW program that's boosting market share.
To view, visit http://electrictv.net/eWindows.aspx.