[Greenbuilding] Plastic interior storm windows [was: polycarbonate panels as porch roof?]

John Salmen terrain at shaw.ca
Thu Jan 16 09:55:38 CST 2014


There are a lot of compromises in meeting social as well as environmental
goals. Keeping people warm has increasingly become a social goal. Putting
disposable films on windows or even recycling glass to that purpose are not
ideal solutions but the only ones available as we struggle to keep the rich
richer and the remaining 99% at least warm.

My favourite projects that we do are increasingly the modest ones. They
simply can't afford to make the best choice of materials environmentally but
that is generally more than offset by the sheer reduction in the materials
and labour used.

John


-----Original Message-----
From: Greenbuilding [mailto:greenbuilding-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org]
On Behalf Of Topher
Sent: January-16-14 6:35 AM
To: archilogic at chaffyahoo.ca; Green Building
Subject: Re: [Greenbuilding] Plastic interior storm windows [was:
polycarbonate panels as porch roof?]

On 1/11/2014 3:37 PM, RT wrote:
> For ... interior storms of Reuben's other query, my preference would 
> be to use diverted-from-the-wastestream glass rather than 
> plast-echhhh! ... especially new plast-eccchhh!.

While I am no fan of plastic, I must disagree with this.  We used to have
storm windows made of glass.  They were single pane, very heavy and no one
liked them.  When Aluminum triple tracks came around after the war, people
flocked to them in droves.  Making a double pane storm window  would be too
heavy for most people to make, move, or change out every season.  In the
workshop I run, we have gone through 1000 linear feet of plastic film this
winter alone,  that is the equivalent of 125 doors out of the transfer
station.  That would require over 10 pick-up trips if our dump even had that
many (it doesn't).  Call it 20 gals of gas (20 miles each way).  We are
already over the entire embodied energy of that much plastic.  Then those
door need to be disassembled, cleaned, the tempered glass needs to be cut,
reassembled, and put in a frame, taken to home where they will used, and
installed.  Most of that could not be done by the elder ladies, or kids that
I get in my workshops.  It just isn't practical; the proof of that is that
NO ONE is making double pane interior storm windows, while I long ago lost
track of how many thousands are being made here in Maine alone.

Thank You Kindly,

Topher Belknap

--
Topher Belknap
Green Fret Consulting
Kermit didn't know the half of it...
http://www.GreenFret.com/
topher at greenfret.com


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