Embodied energy is not something that gets discussed much. It is too technical, too academic, too boring. The issue is, you need to understand it. And once you do, the most mundane conversation about windows becomes fascinating.
Here is the non-expert version of how embodied energy works. All manufactured products have embodied energy. They use energy to get to you. That is a no-brainer. What you might not know is that they have it in them before you even take them home. Yes, it is in the packaging – the box, the wrapping, the tape, the bubble wrap. The trucks use energy to transport it to you. The workers who made it used energy to make it.
So, Victorian sash windows have been hanging around for a while. That is a good indicator that they are durable and the work of high craftsmanship. For Sash Window Repair, visit www.sashwindowpreservation.co.uk/services/sash-window-repair/
The wood inside Victorian sash windows was cut down a long time ago and used to make windows. The windows were transported, put together, and installed, then fitted with glass, sills, hardware, and any other treatments that were added.
The internal workings of a sash window are usually kept by using a system of dowels that run up the sides of the sashes. These dowels then lock into the pulley system that runs above them, meaning the sashes can open and close smoothly. The force of the wind and the water can distort the timber, making it difficult to open and close the windows, and when that happens, energy is used to refit them.
But how much energy is used to make a window? For each product, there are three different ways of measuring embodied energy – depending on how much detail you want to go into and how much data is available. There is energy in the materials, in the manufacturing process, and in transportation. The lower the embodied energy, the more sustainable it is.
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