Environmental Studies Program
Date of this Version
Fall 2015
Citation
Environmental Studies Undergraduate Student Thesis, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, 2015
Abstract
Shading windows has been shown to reduce energy costs by reducing temperatures inside of buildings. Previous studies focused on office buildings and shades that respond to changing light levels, and found that automatic window shades are more effective at reducing temperature than manual shades. Few studies have been done on the effectiveness of reducing temperature with window shades controlled by motion detectors, however, motion detectors have been found to reduce energy consumption from lighting systems. To see if motion detectors are also effective at reducing temperature when used with window shades, this study focused on a cheap, easy to install automatic window shade that uses a motion detector to open only when the room is occupied. It was found that the window shade with a motion detector had no effect on the temperature of the room. However, there was a strong correlation found between the temperature of the room and the inside temperature of the house, possibly due to inadequate isolation of the experimental room during testing. Further study is recommended that addresses this issue before the effectiveness of the window shade is determined.
Comments
Copyright @ 2015 Ben Eigbrett