Have you ever worked in an office with an outside facing window and felt the conditions of whatever season was occurring. During the winter months, you may have found yourself wearing extra layers and fidgeting around to stay warm and productive.
Summer months also bring in their own set of problems where occupants find themselves fighting off the need to take a couple of Zzzz’s as the sun’s energy flows through the glass and radiates from the framing system. No matter what the building's internal temperature is, outside conditions can still throw people for a loop if the building fenestration does not hold up to your region’s climate conditions.
This concept of Thermal comfort refers to a person’s perception of whether an environment is too Hot or Too Cold – think Goldie Locks and the 3 Bears…Too Hot, Too Cold, or Just Right. Thermal Comfort is very much a subjective concept that is not measured by any sort of temperature reading but by individuals reporting about being uncomfortable because of the temperature conditions of the space.
Why does this matter?
- What if we could reduce the spread of viruses in schools because children are not straining their immune systems having to regulate their body temperatures so much because of environmental and classroom conditions.
- What if we were able to increase productivity in workers because now they were not worried and having to deal with wild temperature swings within a workspace?
- What if we could save money on heating and electrical bills because we were not having to use as much energy to regulate the temperature of a building?
What can we do about it?
Fenestration technology and product development has evolved quite a bit over the years. From adding additional panes of glass to even injecting insulated glass systems with various inert gasses, window performance continues to improve. With new advanced vinyl products and high-performance fiberglass, achieving thermal comfort is now easier than ever. One of the services that we love to perform for our partners is to offer thermal modeling and design analyses during the planning phases in order to get ahead and show where potential thermal bridging might occur. Research, development, and continuous improvement for our products and services are at the heart of our process – we would love to help!