In Window Solar Heater: 6 Year Update
Update to the in-window air heater/insulator that I built in the winter of 2015.
This device is installed in a spare bedroom in the house that's used for packing and shipping orders for the business. It faces southwest and gets about 4-5 hours of decent sunlight in the afternoon. However, that means for 19-20 hours per day, it's shaded or dark. Being a single pane of glass, that's a significant heat loss, due to the R1 rating of that window.
This heat panel serves to capture incoming solar heat by moving room air through the panel and blowing that out into the room. That's controlled by a small solar panel outside that turns a relay on and off to control the 2 fans. This double wall polycarbonate panel along with the 2 air gaps between it and the window add up to around an R4 insulating value.
In effect, this device functions like a thermal diode. It passes heat from outside into the room quite readily while slowing heat loss to the outside. On cold winter days, you can feel a cold draft coming down off the uninsulated glass side while the insulated side is at room temperature with no draft. The window sill under the glass side will usually be about half way between the room and outside temperature.
I leave this "heater" in the window year round and simply switch the fans off in the summer months. The panel blocks a majority of the incoming heat due to the labyrinth shape of the air passages behind it. That limits any convective air flow and most of the heat radiates back out through the glass. It works as well as raising and lowering the shades in the room without having to do that. The panel also helps to block the view into my neighbor's bedroom window.
At some point, I'll likely have the old windows in the house replaced with double pane insulated versions. Right now, with running the business out of the house, it's inconvenient to shut down operations for a few days while a window crew works on that job. Also, hoping the local gas utility might come along with a rebate program for window replacement like they've done in the past with blown in wall and attic insulation.
To summarize, this "heater" doesn't capture any more heat than would have come though the window alone. It does, however, significantly reduce the heat loss to the outside compared to the single pane of glass. I've been quite happy with how it works and it's been in place every day since it was installed back in 2015:
https://youtu.be/sO-PAfpgFv8
More to come...
Subscribe for more content like this
Comment, rate, share & click the bell icon
And as always, thanks for watching
Intro/Outro:
Louisiana Fairytale by Austin Rogers
https://web.archive.org/web/20170402222425/http://drfiddle.com/show_tune.php?id=94
-
4:26
JessesTimberRevival
1 year agoUpdate on Solar Air Window Heater in Winter, Central Alberta, Canada
11 -
2:50
Joel Lagace
7 months ago $0.01 earnedRevolutionary Windows Harnessing Thermal Energy for Winter Heat
671 -
3:38
JessesTimberRevival
1 year ago$40 Dollar Solar Air Heater That Will Cost You Nothing To Run!
22 -
27:35
chris53Mt
10 months agoUpdate for my small window solar.
2 -
7:18
Top Homeowner
11 months agoThe Truth About Solar Warranties: What Every Homeowner Should Know
11 -
3:07
SalivateMetal
7 years agoSolar Home Update: 1+ Year Later
-
2:57
SolarBlaster
6 years agoHow to save money with solar attic ventilation
28 -
18:19
The Do It Yourself World
7 years agoRemoving Free Solar Heating Panels From Old House
21 -
19:04
Wild Rose Haven Homesteading
7 months agoMidea 12,000 BTU #Smart U Inverter Window AC how I recentered the bracket 🙄 +2 window install mods😲
4 -
25:42
TheDoItYourselfWorld
9 years agoTemporary Solar Power And New Windows In My Tiny Home S5
3