Study: Wood windows cooler than glass

COLLEGE PARK, Md., Aug. 16 (UPI) -- A new study highlights the potential benefits of wood windows in home construction.

Transparent wood is nearly as transparent as glass, and tests show it's a better insulator. It's also stronger and more shatter proof.

Researchers from the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland recently tested transparent wood roofing on small model houses. Compared to a glass roof, the wood allowed a more uniform distribution of light throughout the interior. The wood roofs also allowed less heat inside the model homes.

"It is very transparent, but still allows for a little bit of privacy because it is not completely see-through," researcher Tian Li said in a news release. "We also learned that the channels in the wood transmit light with wavelengths around the range of the wavelengths of visible light, but that it blocks the wavelengths that carry mostly heat."

Researchers published their latest findings in the journal Advanced Energy Materials.

The team of Maryland researchers patented their transparent wood construction method last year. The wood windows are made by bleaching a slice of wood's lignin, the component that provides wood its strength. The bleached wood composite is then soaked in an epoxy that enhances its strength and transparency.

In addition to guarding against overheating, researchers say transparent wood provides high quality lighting.

The direction of light passing through glass is affected by the angle of the sun's rays. The cellular channels of transparent wood focuses light in the same direction regardless of the sun's position.

"This means your cat would not have to get up out of its nice patch of sunlight every few minutes and move over," Li said. "The sunlight would stay in the same place. Also, the room would be more equally lighted at all times."