Heat management in the thermal field

When heat becomes counter-productive...

According to one study*, an office exposed to a temperature of 25°C to 30°C leads to a 2 % loss in productivity. This figure can be as high as 10 % when the temperature exceeds 30°C.

In the United States, SBS (Sick Building Syndrome), which is considered to be a barometer of the quality of life in a building, takes into account the temperature, as well as the quality of the air and its replacement, in addition to the quality of the ambiances.

* in "Creating the productive workplace" - E & FN Spon. 2000

The solar factor determines the percentage of solar energy entering a room through the blinds and the glazing.

It is called g tot according to the EN 14501 standard (transmittance of solar energy) or SHGC according to the US terminology in the ASHRAE 74–73 standard (formerly known as the Shading Coefficient, Sc).
It is expressed by an index of 0 to 1. 

The closer the fabric's index is to 0, the more efficient it is in terms of protecting against the heat.

• External blinds offer better thermal protection than internal blinds because the solar radiation, which is partly absorbed (As) by the fabric before reaching the glazing, is reflected outwards.

Dark colours protect better against the heat than light colours because they absorb more solar energy (lower Ts).

• Conversely, light colours are more efficient indoors. They absorb less heat (lower As) and reflect it more (Rs) than dark colours.

Modulight® solar protection fabrics limit greenhouse effect phenomena in a room.

Find out about the Ts, Rs, and As values and about the solar factor (gtot) values for these fabrics in the brochures for the Modulight® collection by Mermet.

Depending on the colour used, these fabrics offer numerous advantages :

• Protection against heat.
• Reductions of up to 60 % or more of the air conditioning cost for a room if they are positioned outside. They therefore facilitate energy savings.
• They contribute to the greenhouse gases reduction campaign.
• When they are fitted in external blinds, Sunscreen® fabrics enable air conditioning needs to be reduced by one quarter to one third.

Thanks to their “natural” screen effect, blinds fitted with Modulight® fabrics reduce the abrupt effects of air conditioning and thereby improve thermal comfort.

The Heat Protection (HP) index for the Modulight® Rapid' Selection qualifies the fabrics' heat protection performance.