Analysis of Energy Saving Potential and Optimization of Thermally Broken Fiberglass Window Frames

This paper elaborates on the energy saving potential and development process of fiberglass window frames, with intention for application in cold climates. A method is presented, where different means of improving thermal performance of a window frame are evaluated. Firstly, very simple geometries are considered, as a simple benchmark for various investigations. Further on, the complexity is gradually increased. Various means of diminishing the heat flow are evaluated. Results show that large improvement can be obtained, when cavities are subdivided by vertical walls or filled with insulation. U value of a window frame can be significantly reduced by these means. Performance of an actual fiberglass frame optimized in this work is significantly improved, but still not competitive against state of the art frames. This indicates that more drastic improvements need to be done in order to achieve satisfying results.