We’ve looked at a lot when it comes to vinyl windows and aluminum windows. After looking at the high level overviews of things like storm windows, patio doors, and aluminum windows, we honed in to more specialized topics and began to unearth the history of glass making, window making, and the progression of aluminum windows or vinyl windows as they began to be used in homes. In covering issues of fenestration and the sealed nature of our modern homes, we plumbed the depths of aluminum window and vinyl window knowledge and learned a lot about heat retention and climate control. We’ve certainly covered a lot, and guess what? There’s more!
A lot of organic materials, like as fabric, carpet, wall paper, paper, art, wood, and paints can fade when exposed to sunlight and ultraviolet radiation. The kind of aluminum window or vinyl window in a home can greatly influence the intensity and type of ultraviolet radiation that makes it into the house. There are a several kinds of light, or radiation, that are transmitted in sunlight. The most damaging of these are ultraviolet rays. These rays are high in energy and are therefore more likely to damage chemical bonds and deteriorate or degrade organic materials.
Typical window glass has been found to block ultraviolet light below 300 nm (technical jargon) but easily transmits radiation from 300-380 nm (I know, more jargon). Coatings on glass can have a great impact on the amount of ultraviolet light that passes through a vinyl window, aluminum window, or patio door. Some coatings can reduce the UV radiation by up to 75 percent. There are also ultraviolet absorbers which are sometimes used by incorporating them into very thin plastic films which is applied to the surface of the vinyl window or aluminum window. By this method, ultraviolet radiation transmission can be dropped to lower than 1 percent. With the high energy UV light pretty much out of the picture, fading in organic materials can be greatly reduced. By reducing these kinds of light, the energy efficiency of vinyl windows and aluminum windows can greatly increase along while reducing fading.