MEEN 30130 L2 U Values Walls Windows 2023

U-Values for Walls and Windows
Before we start
In groups of two:
If you were to buy new windows for your
accommodation, what are the important criteria?
MEEN 30130: James O’Donnell 1

Dr. James O’Donnell (University College Dublin)
Lecture 2 U Values for Windows and Walls

Multilayer 1-D Heat Transfer U Value
• In practice we often encounter plane [Cengel 2007]
components that consist of several

layers of different materials.
• The rate of steady heat transfer

through a two-layer composite wall
can be expressed as follows:
 = DT R
Q total
where the total thermal resistance is:
R total = Rconv,1 + R wall,1 + R wall,2 + Rconv,2
1 L1 L2 1
= + + +
MEEN 30130: James O’Donnell h1A k1A k 2 A h2 A 2
Composite Centre-of-Window U Value

Consider a 0.8m high by 1.5 m wide double-pane
window consisting of two 4 mm thick layers of
glass (k = 0.78 W/mK) separated by a 10 mm
wide stagnant air space (k = 0.026 W/mK).
The window separates the inner space of a

building maintained at 20oC, while the
temperature outdoors is -10oC. Use ASHRAE
guidelines to determine the convection
coefficients for the window surfaces.
Determine:
(1) Thermal resistance R (K/W) of the window.
(2) U value (W/m2K) of the window.
(3) The heat transfer through the window.
(4) Inside pane surface temperature (T1).
 = UADT = DT R
Q total [Cengel 2007]
Rtotal = Rconv,i + Rg,i + Rair + Rg,o + Rconv,o


Resistances
1 1
Ri = Rconv,i = = = 0.1 K / W
hi A 8.3(1.2)
L 0.004
R1 = R3 = Rglass = = = 0.00427 K / W
kA 0.78(1.2)
L 0.01
R2 = Rair = = = 0.3205 K / W
kA 0.026(1.2)
1 1
Ro = Rconv,o = = = 0.0245 K / W
ho A 34(1.2)
Rtotal = Ri + R1 + R2 + R3 + Ro = 0.4535 K / W
Single
Convection Coefficients U Value Glaze
Internal h = 8.3 W/m2K U = 1 RA = 1/ (0.4535)(1.2) = 1.837W / m2K 6.47
W/m2K
External h = 34.0 W/m2K Heat Transfer
Q = UA( DT) = 1.83(1.2)(20 - ( -10)) = 66.14W
Window Area 232.97 W

Q = DT / R = (20 - ( -10)) / 0.4535 = 66.14W
A = 0.8x1.5 = 1.2m2 Inside pane temperature
MEEN 30130: James O’Donnell
 = 20.0 - 66.14(0.1) = 13.39 o C - 3.29o4C
T1 = Ti - QRi
WINDOW HEAT TRANSFER
[www.energystar.com] 5
Combined Convection and Radiation

Heat Transfer Coefficients
Internal Surface
Typical Glass h = 8.29 W/m2K
Low e glass h = 4.20 W/m2K
External Surface
Winter h = 34.0 W/m2K
Summer h = 22.7 W/m2K
MEEN 30130: James O’Donnell [Cengel 2007] 6

WINDOW HEAT TRANSFER U-Values for Walls and Windows
TEMPERATURE GLASS EMISSIVITY
www.pilkington.co.uk
www.pacificglassandwindow.com 7
WINDOW HEAT TRANSFER

Winter & Summer
www.nwhi.com

WINDOW ENERGY
RATING (WER)
Solar heat gain (SHGC) in the form of radiation

[www.bfrc.com]
Solar heat gain coefficient (g)

Value 0 to 1
Transmission heat losses / gains from conduction,

convection and radiation
U-value
Air Leakage
Airflow through the window both designed (ventilation)

and unintentional (infiltration).
Air Infiltration (L50), which measures air leakage through
the window when it is closed.
WER = Solar Gains - (Thermal Losses + Air Leakage)
WER = (25.9g – 11.0U - 0.12*L50) + 74 Dr. James O’Donnell (University College Dublin)
British Fenestration Rating Council

(BFRC) CERTIFICATION - EUROPE
[www.bfrc.com]


WINDOW DESIGN EVOLUTION
1975 2010
[www.passivhaus.de]

Evolving window technologies
Exploring Experience Curves for the Building Envelope: An Investigation for Switzerland for 1970–2020 - Scientific Figure on ResearchGate. Available from:
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Development-of-the-U-values-of-window-glazing-ie-w-o-frames-from-1950-2000-and_fig4_46452640
Factors affecting Window Heat Transfer

Flow of heat through a window depends on:
• Conduction of heat through
- the glass
- the air between the panes
- the frames
• Convection associated with the panes
• Transmission of solar (short wave) radiation: 0.1μm and 5.0μm
• Emission of infrared IR (long wave) radiation: 4μm to 30μm
• Infiltration of outside air
Improvement of window U Value can be achieved by:
• Extra layers of glass – double or triple glazing
• Alternative gases between panes – standard is air, but also argon, krypton, xenon
• Vacuum windows – usage not common place, still under development
• Low emissivity coatings – reduces longwave losses and shortwave gains
- standard glass e = 0.84, low-e glass e = 0.2 to 0.04 – reduces overall U value
• Low conductivity frames: aluminum w/wo thermal break, wood/PVC, fibreglass 14
Typical Pane and Frame U Values (W/m2K)

Centre-of-glass
Pane Type Air Argon Low e

Single Glaze (3 mm glass) 5.036 -- --
Double Glaze 2.509 2.39 0.976
Triple Glaze 1.640 -- 0.668
Frames
Single Double Triple
3mm 19mm 34mm
Aluminum 13.5 12.9 12.5
Wood/PVC 3.1 2.9 2.7
Insulated PVC 2.1 1.9 1.8
MEEN 30130: James O’Donnell [Harvey 2007] 15

U Value Basis
Parallel Networks
 = Q
Q  +Q
 = U A DT + U A DT
1 2 1 1 2 2
[Cengel 2007]
 = (U A + U A ) DT
Q 1 1 2 2
 = (U A ) DT = (U A + U A ) DT
Q T T 1 1 2 2
æ A1 A2 ö
UT = ç U1 + U2 ÷
è A T A T ø
Resistance Basis
 = Q
Q  +Q
 = DT / R + DT / R
1 2 1 2
 = DT / R = DT(1/ R + 1/ R )
Q T 1 2
1 1 1 R1R 2
= + RT =
RT R1 R 2 R1 + R 2
Exercise: U-Values for Walls and Windows

A window consists of a double glazed pane with dimensions of 0.8 m x 1.5 m.
If its centre-of-glass U value = 2.5 W/m2K and it is surrounded by a 50 mm PVC frame
with a U value of 2.9 W/m2K, determine the U value for the overall window
æ A1 A2 ö
U = ç U1 + U2 ÷
è A A ø
Glass Area Frame Area

A1 = 0.8x1.5 = 1.2m2 A 2 = 2x0.05x(0.8 + 2x0.05) + 2x0.05x(1.5) = 0.24m2
Total Area
A = A1 + A 2 = 1.2 + 0.24 = 1.44m2
æ 1.2 0.24 ö
U = ç 2.5 + 2.9 ÷ = 2.567 W / m 2
K
è 1.44 1.44 ø

Indicative U Values [Irish Building Regulations 2011]

Walls

In groups of two:
Would you place your insulation inside, in the
middle or on the outside of your walls and why?

Generalised Thermal Resistance Networks

Heat Transfer Parallel-Series Networks [Cengel 2007]
 T1 - T¥
Q=
R total
where
Rtotal = R12 + R3 + Rconv
R1R2
R total = + R3 + Rconv
R1 +R2
L1 L2 L3 1
R1 = ; R2 = ; R3 = ; Rconv =
k1A1 k2A2 k3 A3 hA 3
Parallel-Series Network
Alternative Network Configurations
Isothermal Surfaces Adiabatic Surfaces
[Cengel 2007]

U Values Walls
[www.gypsum.com]

U Values Walls
[www.gypsum.com]
Irish Building Standards 2022 Summary

Irish Building Standards 2022 Summary: New

[Irish Standards Part L 2019] Dr. James O’Donnell (University College Dublin)
Example slides

Parallel-Series Network
Alternative Network Configurations
Isothermal Surfaces Adiabatic Surfaces
[Cengel 2007]

Composite Wall U Value Example

A 3 m high and 5 m wide wall consists of long 16 cm x 22 cm cross section horizontal
bricks (k= 0.72 W/moC) separated by 3 cm thick plaster layers (k = 0.22 W/moC). There
are also 2 cm thick plaster layers on each side of the brick and a 3 cm thick rigid foam
(k=0.026 W/moC) on the inner side of the wall, as shown. The indoor and the outdoor
temperatures are 20oC and -10oC, respectively, and the convection heat transfer
coefficients on the inner and the outer sides are h1=10 W/m2 oC and h2=25 W/m2 oC.
Assuming one-dimensional heat transfer and
disregarding radiation, determine the rate of
heat transfer through the wall.
Analysis: There is a pattern in the construction of this

wall that repeats itself every 25 cm distance in the
vertical direction. There is no variation in the horizontal
direction. Therefore, we consider a 1 m-deep and
0.25 m high portion of the wall, since it is representative
of the entire wall.
kfoam = k1 = 0.026 W/mK
kbrick = k4 = 0.72 W/mK
kplaster = k2=k3=k5 = 0.22 W/mK
h1 = 10 W/m2K
29
h2 MEEN 30130:
= James O’Donnell
25 W/m2K
1 1
Ri = Rconv,i = = = 0.4 K / W Convection_int
hi A 10(0.25x1.0)
L 0.03
R1 = R foam = = = 4.62 K / W Foam
kA 0.026(0.25x1.0)
L 0.02
R2 = R6 = = = 0.36 K / W Plaster_ext
kA 0.22(0.25 x1.0)
L 0.16 Plaster_int
R3 = R5 = = = 48.48 K / W
kA 0.22(0.015 x1.0)
L 0.16
R 4 = Rbrick = = = 1.01 K / W Brick
kA 0.72(0.22x1.0)
1 1 Convection_ext
Ro = Rconv,2 = = = 0.16 K / W
h2 A 25(0.25x1.0)
Parallel resistances – mid section

-1
1 1 1 1 æ 1 1 1 ö
= + + Rmi d =ç + + ÷ = 0.97 K / W
Rmi d R3 R 4 R5 è 48.48 1.01 48.48 ø
Overall Resistance U-Values for Walls and Windows
RT = Ri + R1 + R2 + Rmid + R6 + Ro
RT = 0.4 + 4.62 + 0.36 + 0.97 + 0.36 + 0.16 = 6.8 7 K / W

U Value
U = 1/ ART = 1/ (0.25x1.0)6.87 = 0.582W / m2K
Heat Transfer
 = DT / R = 30 / 6.87 = 4.37W per 0.25m2
Q T
Heat Transfer on a unit area basis
 =Q
Q  / A = 4.37 / 0.25 = 17.5W / m2
T T
 = UA DT = 0.582(1.0)30 = 17.46W / m2
Q T
Heat Transfer – complete wall

Q = 17.46x15 = 263 W

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U-Values for Walls and Windows

MEEN 30130: James O’Donnell 1

Lecture 2 U Values for Windows and Walls

components that consist of several

• The rate of steady heat transfer

where the total thermal resistance is:

R total = Rconv,1 + R wall,1 + R wall,2 + Rconv,2

Composite Centre-of-Window U Value

The window separates the inner space of a

Rtotal = Rconv,i + Rg,i + Rair + Rg,o + Rconv,o

Composite Centre-of-Window U Value

WINDOW HEAT TRANSFER

Combined Convection and Radiation

Typical Glass h = 8.29 W/m2K

Low e glass h = 4.20 W/m2K

Winter h = 34.0 W/m2K

Summer h = 22.7 W/m2K

MEEN 30130: James O’Donnell [Cengel 2007] 6

TEMPERATURE GLASS EMISSIVITY

WINDOW HEAT TRANSFER

MEEN 30130: James O’Donnell 8

Solar heat gain (SHGC) in the form of radiation

Solar heat gain coefficient (g)

Transmission heat losses / gains from conduction,

Airflow through the window both designed (ventilation)

British Fenestration Rating Council

MEEN 30130: James O’Donnell 10

MEEN 30130: James O’Donnell 11

WINDOW DESIGN EVOLUTION

MEEN 30130: James O’Donnell 12

Evolving window technologies

Factors affecting Window Heat Transfer

Typical Pane and Frame U Values (W/m2K)

Pane Type Air Argon Low e

Wood/PVC 3.1 2.9 2.7

Insulated PVC 2.1 1.9 1.8

MEEN 30130: James O’Donnell [Harvey 2007] 15

Composite Centre-of-Window U Value

Glass Area Frame Area

MEEN 30130: James O’Donnell 17

Indicative U Values [Irish Building Regulations 2011]

MEEN 30130: James O’Donnell 18

MEEN 30130: James O’Donnell 19

MEEN 30130: James O’Donnell 20

Generalised Thermal Resistance Networks

Rtotal = R12 + R3 + Rconv

MEEN 30130: James O’Donnell 22

MEEN 30130: James O’Donnell 23

MEEN 30130: James O’Donnell 25

Irish Building Standards 2022 Summary: New

MEEN 30130: James O’Donnell 26

MEEN 30130: James O’Donnell 27

MEEN 30130: James O’Donnell 28

Composite Wall U Value Example

Analysis: There is a pattern in the construction of this

Parallel resistances – mid section

RT = 0.4 + 4.62 + 0.36 + 0.97 + 0.36 + 0.16 = 6.8 7 K / W

Heat Transfer on a unit area basis

Heat Transfer – complete wall

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