This blog is sponsored by Blinds Blinds, Inc, Newport
Square, Englewood, FL 941 460-0200.
Expert fit, and measure, help you add beauty, value, and comfort to your
home with VERTICAL & HORIZONTAL BLINDS!
We also have PLANTATION - or TROPICAL STYLE SHUTTERS, in white and natural
colors. WOVEN WOODS & BAMBOO, PANEL
TRACKS, ROLL DOWN SHADES, ROLLER SHADES,...whatever your mood and budget, we
have what you want. We even have two
lines of solar panels that let you save up to 20-40% of your energy bills. Ask about the Sheerweave or Visions lines!
Call right now to schedule your personal, in-home
consultation at 941 460-0200, and then come back and get some inspiration from
today's article! Please email and tell
us your ideas, or your interesting stories of different ways you have created
lovely window treatments for your home!
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Going Beyond LEED
Posted by Neil Gordon on Sun, Nov 14,
2010 @ 06:09 AM
What is
LEED®?
The LEED green building
certification program encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable
green building and development practices through a suite of rating systems that
recognize projects that implement strategies for better environmental and
health performance.
LEED is a third-party certification program and the
nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of
high-performance green buildings. LEED gives building owners and operators the
tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings’
performance. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by
recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health:
sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials
selection and indoor environmental quality.
Who
uses LEED?
Architects, real estate
professionals, facility managers, engineers, interior designers, landscape
architects, construction managers, lenders and government officials all use
LEED to help transform the built environment to sustainability. State and local
governments across the country are adopting LEED for public-owned and
public-funded buildings; there are LEED initiatives in federal agencies,
including the Departments of Defense, Agriculture, Energy, and State; and LEED
projects are in countries worldwide, including Canada, Brazil, Mexico and
India.
LEED
and Window Coverings
LEED also addresses several
applications for the use of Window Coverings. LEED points may be awarded for
Window Coverings in the following areas:
Daylighting LEED NC 2.2 – EA 1.0
Daylighting Shading Systems
work through redirecting the natural light to reduce the usage of artificial
lighting and thereby reduce the energy used for powering electric lights and
energy used cooling the heat generate by the electric lights.
Energy Reduction LEED NC 2.2 – EA 1.0
Energy Reduction LEED NC 2.2 – EA 1.0
Energy reduction through
window coverings may be quantified in two primary categories; reduction of
solar energy entering a space and thereby reducing the amount energy used for
cooling and reduction of thermal energy leaving the space and thereby reducing
the energy required for heating.
Recycled Content LEED NC 2.2 – MR 4.1, 4.2
Recycled content can be
defined as materials used in the production of products that have been
redirected from the waste stream. Usually these materials are associated into
two categories, pre-consumer and post-consumer.
Automation LEED NC 2.2 – EA 1.0
Maximum indoor comfort can be
achieved through building and automation systems which regulate and allow users
discrete management over thermal control and light levels to suit individual
needs or those of groups in shared spaces.
Indoor Environmental
Quality LEED NC 2.2 – EQ 4.2
Volatile organic compounds
(VOCs) are air pollutants produced from off gassing of materials that can cause
respiratory and other health problems. Decorating with Fabric has a full line
of low VOC products that pass the GreenGuard® Air Quality Certified® and
GreenGuard® for Children and Schools SM standards. All GreenGuard Certified
Products have been tested for their chemical emissions performance including
for formaldehyde, volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), respirable particles,
ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, and carbon dioxide.
What
LEED doesn't address:
1. Solar Shade Fabric Performance such as
Fabric Content (PVC Free), Glare Control, Openness of Weave, Color of Fabric.
2. Window covering options for reducing
energy leaving the space.
3. Fabrics and materials used for window
treatments and upholstery.
Solar
Shade Performance
While Solar Shades play a key
role in daylighting concerns with LEED, the USGBC does not address fabric
content, glare control performance, the differences in the openess of the
various weaves available or the color choices of the fabrics.
Fabric Content:
Let's take a look at the back
of the fabric card for Mermet's M-Screen.
Across the top of the chart
are codes: Ts, Rs, As and Tv. These codes are interpreted as:
Ts = Solar Transmittance is the energy that passes through the
fabric
Rs = Solar Reflectance is the percentage of solar energy
reflected
As = Solar Absorption is the amount absorbed by the shade
fabric.
Ts + Rs + As = 100%
Tv = Visual Transmittance is the measure of Glare
Tv = Visual Transmittance is the measure of Glare
Visual Transmittance
The number is a ratio of the
amount of total solar energy which passes through the glass and screen
combined.
M-Screen 5% White/White = 15
This fabric reduces glare by 85%
This fabric reduces glare by 85%
M-Screen 5% Charcoal/Sky = 5
This fabric reduces glare by 95%
This fabric reduces glare by 95%
As you can see, the darker
the color, the better the performance for reducing glare.
Shading Coefficient
Shading Coefficient is the
percentage of solar heat gain through a combination of glass and screen. Light
colors have lower shading coefficients and darker colors have higher shading
coefficients. Lower shading coefficients means lower heat gain and better
thermal performance.
M-Screen 5% White/White = .36
This fabric allows 36% heat gain
This fabric allows 36% heat gain
M-Screen 5% Charcoal/Sky =
.65
This fabric allows 65% heat gain
This fabric allows 65% heat gain
In terms of reducing heat
gain, the lighter the color, the better the performance.
Openness
The most common weaves in
solar shades are 1%, 3%, 5% and 10%. You can also look at it as the 3% open
weave is also 97% closed. To determine which weave is the appropriate
percentage, I usually recommend 1% for areas where light and privacy are needed
such as bathrooms. 3% and 5% are great for intense sun exposure such as south
and west orientations. For northern exposures, 10% is adequate. Eastern facing
windows will get morning sun, so 5% works well.
Fabric Options
We offer a wide range of
fabric options from several weavers such as Verosol, Hunter Douglas Contract,
Draper, Mermet, Rockland and Phifer. In addition we also have several PVC free
fabrics and blackout fabrics.
Drapery & Window Covering
Blog
http://www.dwfcontract.com/Drapery--Window-Covering-Blog/bid/49692/Going-Beyond
LEED ___________________________________________________________
We hope you enjoyed today’s information. Call today, at 941 460-0200 to schedule an FREE-NO OBLIGATION measure and estimate. We offer a complete shop from home service!
We hope you enjoyed today’s information. Call today, at 941 460-0200 to schedule an FREE-NO OBLIGATION measure and estimate. We offer a complete shop from home service!
Feel free to email us at blindsblinds@inbox.com with any
questions. Or just stop by the showroom
at the corner of 776 and Spinnaker, in Englewood, FL - NEWPORT SQUARE -
940 460-0200
