Heated glass can be applied to improve windows’ condensation resistance and indoor thermal comfort in buildings. Although this applied technology has advantages, there are still some concerns in practical applications, such as additional energy consumption and control issues. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a heated window heating (HWH) system in terms of thermal comfort and heating energy performance (HEP). The simulation-based analysis is performed to evaluate the effectiveness of the HWH using a residential building model and to compare it with radiant floor heating (RFH) and hybrid heating (HH) systems (i.e., combined HWH and RFH). This study also investigates the peak and cumulative heating loads using HWH systems with various scenarios of control methods and setpoint temperature. The predicted mean vote (PMV) is used as an indoor thermal comfort index. The ratio of cumulative thermal comfort time to the entire heating period is calculated. The results show that HWH and HH can reduce the heating load by up to 65.60% and 50.95%, respectively, compared to RFH. In addition, the times of thermal comfort can be increased by 12.55% and 6.98% with HWH and HH, respectively. However, considering the social practices of South Korea, HH is more suitable than HWH. Further investigations for HH show that a surface setpoint of 26 °C is proper, considering both heating demands and thermal comfort. In addition, the setpoint temperature should be determined considering HEP and the thermal comfort for HWH, and the optimal setpoint temperature was suggested under specific conditions.

Heat losses through exterior windows and condensation on their surface can cause thermal discomfort inside a building. In addition, the use of low energy-efficient windows tends to increase thermal heat losses, and thus building energy consumption. In this study, we present the performance evaluation of heated glass in a residential building when the system is applied to a building and used as a heating system. In this study, a simulation-based analysis was conducted to evaluate the heating energy consumption based on the insulation standards with different areas and types of heating systems in a residential building. The results of this study reveal that the heated glass used a relatively higher heating energy consumption when compared to those of the other two heating systems, including floor radiant heating and air-source heat pump systems. Although the heated glass exhibited the highest energy consumption, it is expected that the system can be used as an alternative to other systems, such as a floor radiating heating system. This is mainly because the heated glass includes high benefits of indoor thermal comfort and prevents the window surface from forming condensation. In terms of combinations of heating systems, a case that includes radiant floor and heated glass heating systems can be considered as the best option based on the study analysis because the traditionally preferred heating method in Korea is based on a radiant floor heating system.