Demo tiny houses at Brightlands Chemelot Campus for testing of energy efficient windows.
Zeger Vroon1,2, Fallon. Colberts1, Vincent Janssen3, Bram. Tankink3, Daniel Mann2, Stijn van de Berg4, Sam Anders4, Jurgen. Boumans1, Wendy Broers1 and Eric. Hamers1
1Zuyd University of Applied Sciences, Nieuw Eyckholt 300, 6400AN Heerlen, The Netherlands; 2TNO- Brightlands Materials Center, Urmonderbaan 22, 6167RD Geleen, The Netherlands; 3Brightlands Chemelot Campus, Urmonderbaan 22, 6167RD Geleen, The Netherlands; 4Physee, Van Mourik Broekmanweg 4, 2628 XE Delft.
In the WoF (“windows of the future”) project we work on the development of a new generation windows which will reduce the amount of energy in the Built Environment. In order to address climate change the European Union intends to reach climate neutrality by 2050 and aims at a 55 % reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, compared to 1990 levels In the European Union and USA 40 % of all energy was used in the Built Environment. In the winter this energy-use is related to heating of the houses and in the summer this energy-use is due to the cooling of the houses. The most important part in the energy use in houses take place in the building envelop. The building envelop is thermal barrier between in- and outside of a building and plays an very important role in the comfort level, the natural lighting, ventilation and energy use for heating and cooling. The windows are responsible for an important part of the energy loss in building and the number of technical developments on windows is relatively low. Since 1970 two main technical developments have taken place, that are now common in commercial products: the transition from single glass to double glass and the introduction of low-E (low-emissivity) coatings. Low E-coatings are transparent for visible light, but the IR light is kept in the house, so less energy is needed for heating.
New technical developments in the window market are coatings with a switching functionality and windows that generate electricity. In these “so-called” Solar windows a part of the light is brought to the edges of the window, where small PV elements are placed which generate electricity. An additional advantage of generating electricity in the window, it that this electricity can be used for new functions, like electrochromics or blinds inside the window. At the Brightlands Chemelot Campus two identical tiny houses have been built. In this project a new “Smart window” of Physee will be tested and compared with the state-of-the art low E double glass system. In the “so-called” Smart Windows, PV-cells integrated in the spacers, provide power for sensor and sunshading. The sensors provide data to smartly operate the blinds with to goal to reduce the energy losses through the glass.
