An Environmentally-Friendly Design to Reduce Energy Loss by Heat Transfer Through Windows

摘要

With windows as main areas of energy loss in residential environments, a market exists for a product to act a removable barrier which improves heat transfer for cases of extreme temperatures in seasonal weather. Such a product would allow consumers to save money in the long run without permanently losing the use of their windows when the weather is mild and such an apparatus is not needed. This project designs such a product using an assembly of polished aluminum foil for low radiation emissivity, ABS plastic for an insulating material with low conductivity, and an aluminum glass mirror pane which lends aesthetic appeal along with good reflective and insulating properties. Thorough engineering analysis showed improvements of 89.5% to 93.5% in energy loss for varying single pane window cases and 73.1% to 87.5% improvement for double pane windows. For a residential setting with 11 windows set up using this design, this represents yearly energy savings up to $744.19, and all reasonably-constructed models experience a payback period to be profitable within 20 years. This product is to be an early entry into this particular market and aimed toward a middle-income early adopter consumer with all safety concerns both physical and mental judiciously accounted for in its design. Through careful analysis, reliable construction, and consumer-minded values, this product successfully achieves its goal of significant reduction in heat loss while keeping all other relevant concerns of machinability, reliability, safety, and socioeconomic effects at the forefront of design.