how will new 'energy efficient' windows effect the light my chids receive?

[mardoll]

i grow using a shelving unit in front of a large window in my house. we just moved here in april and are getting new windows installed in october to replace the circa 1965 single panes we already have. to get the tax credit and energy savings, we are getting E3 coated windows. i know that the outside temperatures won't penetrate the windows the same way, but i am curious if any one has had the same situation and noticed if the light intensity was any lower afterwards? i am wondering if i will even need my sheer curtains any more.

thanks in advance for any help.

[Ray]

While the Low-E coatings will reduce the intensity of the light, they - fortunately - do not appreciable alter then spectrum of light passing through.

I recommend contacting your vendor for specific reduction data - or get a light meter and test it!

[mardoll]

thank you . i do need to contact the company directly. the sales person was certainly surprised by the question and had no certain answer.

i would love a light meter, i have a cheap one and i have no frame of reference to know if its accurate or not. so i've been trying to figure out if my camera has a light meter, but i dont think it does. i am terrified of my orchids getting burned. before we moved to our new house, my very first phal received a bad sunburn. it was sitting on a kitchen counter approximately 10 feet away from seven 5 ft tall windows that had sheer curtains drawn- (south western exposure). weeks before the sunburn it was in a more shaded location and not growing much of anything. it perked up in the sunnier room where the blinds were always open and grew two new leaves and started to spike and bud. i moved it as soon as i saw the tender new growth bright red, it crippled the happily developing blooms, and the spike quickly turned yellow and shriveled. never thought they would get sunburn so far away from the windows. i guess as the setting sun moved southwards it became more hot light. but now it has made me paranoid of giving them too much bright light, and therefore makes it harder to give them adequate light to bloom.

my husband has informed me though that as our collection grows he doesn't mind if we look into growing under lights if it will inspire the plants make more happy flowers for us. =D

thank you again. your input is always valued in any thread.

[Ray]

You can still use your light meter.

Measure the light levels they are getting now - check it at several times of day to see how it varies - and then measure it again with the new windows. What the specific numbers are doesn't matter, just how the two sets differ.