Topic

Windows

Timber-lined room with a deep-set window framing a snowy mountain view.

A window is the one part of the enclosure that both loses and gains heat. Even a very good one can lose several times as much as the same area of Passive House wall. Facing the sun, with little shade, it can gain more than it loses over a winter.

Windows also set comfort. Near a cold window, the body radiates heat toward the glass, and cold air runs down it and across the floor; for this reason, older buildings put a radiator under every window. PHI's limit is set for the occupants: the window's inside surface, as felt from about 1.6 feet (0.5 m) in front of it, may be no more than 7.6 °F (4.2 K) below the room's temperature. In a climate like Central Europe's, that takes triple glazing in an insulated frame, and the radiator can go. Colder climates need a better window, milder ones less.

A Passive House window is judged as installed: the glass, the warm-edge spacer, the frame, and the installation. It should align with the insulation and connect to it, sealed airtight inside and wind- and watertight outside. Shading works best outside the glass, where it stops summer sun before the heat gets in (see summer comfort).

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10 courses and sessions

Specialized courses 4

Paid sessions 1

  • Session · Resilience

    Passive House & Resilient Design in the Face of Fire

    Andrew Michler, Hyperlocal Workshop

    1 AIA LU · 1 PHI credit

    Watch free · credit $1.99

Free sessions 5

Writing on windows 1