Renewable energy specialists, theEnergyCrowd, has reported that while energy efficient double glazing prevents heat loss through windows and doors, it can also result in conservatories and other highly glazed rooms seeing their temperature levels rising to unacceptable levels. However, theEnergyCrowd sees this issue as an opportunity.

theEnergyCrowd has found that by fitting a solar chimney to the side of a house, warm air is able to be extracted and feed it via the loft space into the rest of the house. Because it is glazed, the solar chimney collects additional solar energy and the top of the chimney can reach temperatures of up to 40 degrees Centigrade. The chimney is mounted upright, resulting in a greater degree of incidence from the sun’s rays than from conventional solar panels. The air is circulated around the house by a fan that is thermostatically controlled, this ensuring that the system only draws warm air when the sun is shining.

The UK’s recent “Big Freeze” had effectively doubled the national average household energy consumption, according to Paul Kruger, the engineer who founded theEnergyCrowd, who sees the passive solar energy technology as a potential business opportunity for the secondary glazing industry. The sales of conservatories has fallen dramatically from a high of 230 000 units to 100 000 units per annum.

Paul Kruger went on to explain that with over 39% of non-transport energy being used on domestic space heating, and with the low cost of adding theEnergyCrowd’s technology being relatively low, it would be an ideal way for installers to gain a toehold in the green energy market.

theEnergyCrowd are also going further by developing the technology to keep your conservatory cool during the summer months. Paul Kruger stated that theEnergyCrowd had already tested a simple heat exchanger system during mid-2009 and plan to install a full working model sometime during 2010. It will work by collecting the excess heat and using it to warm the ground around the house and in doing so, help to increase the efficiency of the ground-sourced heat pump system used to provide additional heating to the house during late autumn.

Author:  Thomas Davies

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