Annual thermal evaluation of a double pane window using glazing available in the Mexican market

The annual thermal evaluation of a double pane window (DPW) is presented; the DPW is modeled using three different types of panes commercially available in Mexico. Hourly climatic data of the coldest and the warmest day of each month of 2016 were used to model the behavior of the DPW in a warm region of Mexico (Chetumal, Q. Roo). The simulations were carried out using an in-house code based on the finite volume method. To carry out the annual thermal analysis of the DPW, four cases were defined; Case C1: corresponds to single clear glazing window (reference case); Case C2: clear glass + air gap + clear glass; Case C3: clear glass + air gap + reflective glass and Case C4: clear glass + air gap + Low-ε glass. Results showed that case C3 reduces the heat flux to the inside about 72.6% regarding case C1. Besides respect to case C1, cases C2 and C4 showed an energy saving of 12 and 28.6% respectively. On the other hand, case C3 resulted to be the best option for energy savings, where a saving of $30.73 USD a year was computed with respect to case C1, with an approximate cost recovery period of 3.5 years. Hence, the use of a reflective pane in a DPW is highly recommended for warm weather conditions in Mexico.