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Explain Windows



Explain windows speaks to energy efficient windows, what are window panes. The word window is thought to have originated in an old English expression that means wind eye.

Windows are special components of walls which allow for the simultaneous control of the passage of light, air and sight through walls. At the same time windows can be the most complex, expensive and potentially troublesome parts of a wall. To achieve the desired results, an experienced designer exercises great care and wisdom in the selection of doors and windows and in the specification of their installation.

The earliest windows in buildings were open holes through which smoke could escape and fresh air could enter. Devices were soon added to the holes to allow for greater control such as hanging skins, mats or fabric to regulate to regulate air flow. Shutters were used for shading and to keep out burglars and translucent membranes of oiled paper or cloth and eventually glass to admit light land air and could be controlled independently of each other.

With the addition of woven insect screens windows permitted air movement while keeping mosquitoes and flies out. Further improvements followed over the centuries.

A typical window today is an intricate, sophisticated mechanism with many layers of control. It may include curtains, shade or blind, sash, glazings, insulated airspace, low emissivity and other coatings, insect screen, weather stripping and perhaps a storm sash or shutters.

Windows were formerly made on the construction site by highly skilled carpentars, but today nearly all of them are produced in factories. They may be mass produced or built to specific size and type as required.

The reasons for factory production are higher production efficiency, lower cost and most important better quality. Windows must be made to a very high standard of precision if they are to operate easily and maintain a high degree of weather tight for many years.

In cold climates, a loosely fitted window with single glass and a frame that is highly conductive of heat will greatly increase heating fuel consumption for a building, cause noticeable discomfort to the occupants and condense large quantities of water that will stain and decay materials in and around the windows.

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