The master carpenter and inventor Gunter Ziegelmeier from Bavaria has developed a very special glass pane. Because it is a window and a heater at the same time. He even recently won a prize for his so-called window heater.
Gunter Ziegelmeier from Nördlingen in Bavaria is now running the “Schreinerei Ziegelmeier” in the fifth generation. The family business has existed since 1878. The qualified engineer therefore attaches great importance to tradition, but also to innovation. He put his own stamp on traditional window construction with technical innovations.
Windows and heating at the same time: An alternative to the heat pump?
Gunter Ziegelmeier has further developed the so-called infrared window heating, an idea from the engineer Andreas Häger and the Vestaxx company in Berlin. The result: The surface of the Ziegelmeier carpentry windows becomes warm up to 35 degrees Celsius – similar to heated seats in a car.
The special thing about it: The heat is not lost to the outside because the windows have a triple seal. According to Ziegelmeier, 96 percent of the energy emitted remains in the room in the form of heat.
Meanwhile, the coating on the windows achieves an output of up to 200 watts per square meter. This would make it suitable both as additional heating or even as the only heating source in a low-energy or passive house.
The Ziegelmeier carpentry window heating system can be controlled using smart home-enabled devices. The wood for the frame comes from organic farming. The system represents a sustainable heating system, especially in combination with photovoltaic electricity. Gunter Ziegelmeier was awarded the Bavarian “Federal Prize for Outstanding Innovative Achievements” by the International Crafts Fair in 2024.
What is a window heater?
A so-called window heater is usually based on transparent and conductive coatings that are applied to the glass. These usually consist of conductive metal oxides such as indium tin oxide. They are so thin that they can both transmit light and conduct electricity.
The coatings generate heat as electricity flows through them due to electrical resistance. This is released into the ambient air, so that the room temperature rises. Good window heaters like those from Ziegelmeier carpentry are equipped with a so-called residual current circuit breaker (FI) in order to meet the necessary safety requirements.
Specifically, this means: As soon as something flies against the window, the system switches off automatically. Additional fuses are intended to protect against overheating and excessive voltage.
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Source: https://www.basicthinking.de/blog/2024/05/07/alternative-zur-waermepumpe-diese-fenster-sind-gleichzeitig-eine-heizung/
