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In our last expedition into the window world, we reiterated a pretty important point; that being that the industry of window manufacturing is really, at its core, about one thing an one thing only: the dominion of man over nature. This might be a dramatic interpretation of the situation, but in reality, at the core of our use of windows and doors lies the desire, need and necessity of controlling our indoor climates to provide more comfortable, safe, and livable environments within our homes and workplaces. To control nature in some small way, even if only within the walls of our homes, is the basic need that windows help to address. So, without further ado, we’ll move on to our glossary term for the day, which fortuitously has very much to do with the topic at hand, the topic of energy efficiency and climate control. Light-to-solar-gain ratio is our next term and point of focus. This term is essentially a measurement of a window glazing’s ability to provide light without permitting too much solar heat gain. This ratio, between the visible transmission of light and the solar heat gain coefficient is the perfect term to help convey the idea that windows, in their essence, are about energy efficiency. The desire for a view, coupled with the need to maintain a home environment that is sealed and protected from the elements is the entire motivation behind vinyl windows, aluminum windows, and just about any other variety of window you can think of. Light-to-solar-gain ratio exactly depicts this desire. The more efficient the window, the more effective the window is at doing what a window was made to do. Providing light, providing a view to the outside world, and maintaining an environment suitable to life as we know it are just a few of the tricks that windows have up their sleeves… all in the name of energy preservation and efficiency. If you were to ask that we boil down the entirety of the window manufacturing industry to one point, to a singular thought or idea, what do you think we’d say? Well, if you know us at all, then you’ll know the answer to that question. We’ll give you one guess. Ok, go! We’ll give you a hint; it has to do with energy. Yep, energy efficiency is at the core of everything we do in the window manufacturing industry. Even if you went back hundreds of years to the very first home with windows in it, the motivating factor for installing the great grandparent of the modern window was to control indoor climate, to maximize the efficiency of the home as a controlled environment. This might seem oversimplified to some of you folks out there, but the plain truth of it is that the industry wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for our need for energy efficiency and climate control. You may be saying, I’ve got a barn, and it’s got old windows that can hardly shake a stick at energy efficiency, we’re clearly not concerned with energy efficiency in there. Well, to that we’d have to reply; if you are not concerned with the climate or efficiency of the space, why have any windows at all? The purpose of a window is to separate the indoors from the outdoors, to manufacture a climate where the elements no longer reign supreme. In short, the goal and purpose behind the installation of any window, no matter how big or small, old or new, efficient or inefficient, is to have some control over the climate, to preserve some kind of energy efficiency within a space. So, without beating the horse into the ground, we’ll leave you with the thought that the intention behind every window is to gain a little more control over indoor climates.
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