We all know that water flows down hill. If you want water to move up hill you have to “do some work” to get it there. If you do not want water to flow down hill you have to “do some work” to stop it like building a dam. “Doing some work” is like paying your energy bill because it causes some discomfort.
One of the first facts you need to know is heat flows from a hot area to a cold area naturally.
Heat moves in three ways
The first way heat moves is through radiation. Everybody knows if we expose ourselves directly to solar radiation, we will feel the heat from the sun flowing right to us. The sun is extremely hot, so the heat flows straight to earth. When you get sunburnt, this means you are the result of solar radiation.
The second method of movement is conduction. This is when heat moves through a solid object.The handle of a frying pan which is made from iron can get very hot by conduction. Most of us insulate our house walls and our attic, so the process of conduction through the structure of the building slows down.
The last method for heat movement is convection. Convention is when heat moves through either water or air which has been heated.
An instance of Convection that most of the people use in order to heat the houses is a kind of forced furnace of air. This furnace heats up the air that is actually pushed all throughout the house with the help of a blower in order to heat up the home place. This warm air movement is a fine example of the Convection method. The heat is simply carried from the furnace to the entire home through the air.
Convection can also work against us. An example is warm air flowing up a chimney that conveys heat out of a house in the winter.
We force the movement of warm air in the wrong direction by actually taking the heat out of our living places and then placing them in the hotter outdoors. This takes up a lot more of energy because we are trying to accomplish something that is against nature.
Energy saving items
All heat flows into our living quarters when the external weather is hotter in comparison to the heat indoors. To slow this process down we shield and insulate our homes. This is just like building a dam to prevent water flowing down any hill.
All heat flows into our living spaces when the weather outside is hotter compared to the heat indoors. To slow this process down we insulate and shield our homes. This is just like constructing a dam to stop water flowing down a hill.
When I say shielding, I mean radiant barriers and shade trees, basically like a special type of paint or aluminium foil. This type of shielding can either reflect radiant energy back to where it came from or block the sun; this prevents the sun’s rays heating our homes. Windows which are designed as solar screens work this way. Radiant barrier materials which are reflective act like a mirror deflect or reflect radiant heat away from your living space. Reflective windows or films work this way.
In the winter we want solar radiation to hit our homes because it’s cold outside. For a natural way of seasonal shading you can plant trees that give summer shade.
Another way heat travels is through materials which is the conduction method. When heat moves though materials such as floors, walls, ceilings and roofs, the insulation acts like a speed bump. If you have more insulation, the heat will move more slowly. Insulation materials have a number r rating on them; this indicates how well they perform when resisting the conductive flow of heat. Obviously the higher the R, the more it prevents the flow of heat. If you want more information on this subject read my article titles…
We like convective heat transfer when warm air moves from the furnace through the house. We also like it when warm air moves from the house to the cold coil of the air conditioner. We do not like convection when it helps heat escape up the chimney, around windows, or under doors
Saving energy means having high efficiency equipment to move heat only to where we want it to go. It also means doing the best possible job of blocking or slowing down the movement of heat where we do not want it to go.
Improving your home’s weather sealing, radiation shielding and insulation are a few of the best methods you can do to reduce those energy bills.
Want to find out more about heat transfer visit heat transfer oil suppliers, then visit Paul Smith’s site on how to choose the best heat transfer fluid suppliers for your needs.
