Climate
Community
Water
Let the ice flowers move from the window to the postcard
Where have the ice flowers gone from our windows and how are these endangered species related to the energy efficiency of our houses, writes Pille Ligi. There are also many practical recommendations for saving energy costs.
How do ice flowers form?
Ice flowers form from water vapor in the air, just like snowflakes. While snowflakes form on dust particles floating high in the clouds, frost flowers form close to the ground - on window panes, blades of grass or any solid surface.
An icy frost appears on the windows when the temperature outside is below freezing and the air in the room is humid. Water vapor from the air condenses on the inner surface of the window, forming beautiful ice flowers. Ice flowers often create complex patterns because the crystal formation is strongly influenced by the surface of the window. Dust, scratches, streaks of soap scum, etc. can alter crystal nucleation and growth. When viewed under a microscope, ice flowers have a similar structure to snowflakes.
The relationship between ice flowers and energy efficiency
There are two main reasons why frost and ice form on windows: excessive humidity and so-called air leaks, or heat loss in this context. Ice flowers were less and less common and appear especially when the house has problems with heat retention and humidity. Otherwise, it is as if there is no problem, but the result of air leakage is heat loss, which increases energy consumption and thus costs. If the humidity level rises, there will be difficulties in heating the rooms. This in turn leads to an increase in heating costs. There are several ways to solve and mitigate the problem, and everyone should find a method that works for them in the following.
Avoid heat loss:
• Stuff and seal cracks and gaps around windows and cover the stuffed window edge with plastic tape. Larger openings can be filled with foam sealant.
• Install insulating films on glass windows and doors, which reduce heat loss in winter and protect against summer heat. Studies show that window film not only reduces condensation, but also heat loss by up to 28%.
• Use foam gaskets behind sockets and switch plates. Inexpensive cut-to-size kits are commercially available that fit snugly around the plug plates. For best results, focus on exterior walls near windows.
• Replace windows with better quality windows. Replace damaged single-glazed windows with, for example, a certified 3-fold glass unit and a 3-fold frame seal structure, thereby minimizing heat loss. In winter, many window manufacturers have products at discounted prices, some even -60%. You can install it in the summer!
• Selective glass should be used on windows and doors and/or the glass should be filled with argon. Selective glass is heat-retaining glass with a thin layer of metal oxide on top, which reflects the room temperature back into the room. Compared to standard glass packages, glass packages containing argon retain heat 25% better.
Reduce humidity:
• The daily activities of a typical family of three generate an average of 12 liters of water vapor every day. You can reduce the formation of water vapor by using a lower shower temperature and/or shortening the washing time. By putting a lid on the pot when cooking, this also helps to prevent water vapor from entering the air and reduces humidity.
• Run exhaust fans to improve air movement while cooking or showering. Make sure the systems vent to the outside, not to the attic, for example. The warm, humid air that collects and condenses under the roof leads to other problems.
• Use a dehumidifier to remove excess moisture from the air. Just as you can switch air source heat pumps to cooling mode, it is possible to purchase a separate dehumidifier. The latter has a good effect on the indoor climate even in apartments with a risk of mold. Use a hygrometer to measure air humidity, it allows you to keep some moisture in the air, otherwise you will get "electricity" with every movement.
• Get an air source heat pump and adjust the settings to drying mode based on the outside temperature. The table of indoor relative humidity levels recommended by National Resources Canada is as follows:
| Outdoor temperature (°C) | Maximum recommended indoor relative humidity level at 20°C |
| -30 °C or below | 15% |
| -30 °C to -24 °C | 20% |
| -24 °C to -18 °C | 25% |
| -18 °C to-12 °C | 35% |
| -12 °C to 0 °C | 40% |
• Add a heat recovery fan to bring in fresh air and recirculate indoor air. Such a solution is helpful in airtight new homes, reducing moisture build-up and helping to save on energy bills.
• Add vents under windows and keep them open from time to time. However, it should be taken into account that in the cold season, the relative humidity in Tallinn is between 78-96%.
A solution must be found for the ice flowers on the window
It is important to stop the accumulation of ice on the windows. Whether it's your bedroom or kitchen, you need to identify the problem. Is your home too humid? Are there air leaks exacerbating the problem? Are your windows old or damaged and in need of replacement?
By keeping an eye on heat loss and humidity, you save on energy bills and offer your family the best living conditions. By reducing heat losses, you contribute to a very important issue for the Estonian environment - you contribute to reducing carbon-intensive energy production.
What about ice flowers and their beauty? We gave it a digital shape, which you can buy here for yourself or a friend as a souvenir.
Author: Loodushoiu Fond
Related posts
Biodiversity
Climate
Community
Forest
Water
Agriculture
Target: 1% of GDP for Nature – 2024 Mid-Year Summary
The strategic goal of the Loodushoiu Fond (The Nature Fund) is to help Estonia reach a level of funding where at least 1% of GDP is directed toward wildlife management and care —in line with global recommendations by international organizations such as The Nature Conservancy. The planned KEVAD development programme amounts to €1.898 billion per year, yet only €35 million of that is allocated to nature protection. As the area of protected land increases without a proportional rise in support measures to offset the burden on society, we see a growing need to bring private sector funding into nature conservation.
We continue to develop service contracts for the provision of ecosystem services and are mapping potential new funding sources. We have added new nature conservation funding options to our online store, and our donation platform remains active. On the international level, we are introducing the Looduse hoidja™ (Nature Guardian™) platform, which enables foreign individuals and companies to support nature protection in Estonia through local landowners. We also placed a donation box in the Pärnu Department Store to raise co-funding for our white-tailed eagle nest project.
At the COP 16 conference in Cali, Colombia, the EU presented its research on the potential and challenges of biodiversity certification and nature credits, as part of its innovative finance toolbox aimed at broadening funding sources. The goal is to mobilize resources, support companies in setting nature-positive targets, and reward those who protect and restore nature—including farmers, foresters, fishers, and other land and sea managers. The EU’s research includes two pilot projects, one of which involves the Loodushoiu Fond working with private landowners in Estonia.
Biodiversity
Climate
Community
Forest
Water
Agriculture
Science not dogma
Peter Kareiva, chief scientist and vice president of The Nature Conservation, emphasizes that the old ways of protecting nature, which many conservation biologists still practice, try to keep nature separate from people. This is wrong, Kareiva claims. In 2018, he published the book Effective Conservation Science: Data, Not Dogma with Michelle Marvier.
Conservation biology should be an interdisciplinary science, Soulé described in his 1985 essay. In addition to the natural sciences, it should draw on the social sciences and be a mix of art and science, because we often lacked quantitative evidence on what to do in conservation management. Soulé proposed four core values on which conservation biology should be based.
These original four values were: diversity of organisms is good, ecological complexity is good, evolution is good, and biodiversity has intrinsic, or intrinsic value, regardless of its usefulness to humans. These principles have been followed until the early 2000s, when Peter Kareiva questioned the success of conservation biology so far.
As the title suggests, the authors are critical of traditional conservation, which is based on beliefs but rarely supported by empirical observational data. In the introductory chapter, Kareiva and his collaborators explain how conservation abandoned scientific standards to support conservation advocacy.
"Nature protection" in the sense of erecting an imaginary fence around a natural or protected zone is an idea of the 20th century. Although such an approach may be appropriate in some special cases, large-scale implementation does not give meaningful results. This is recognized by both Kareiva, Marvier and their associates. . Michael Jenkins, who has worked for a long time with indigenous people in different regions, adds that the creation of such a protected area is often not ethical either. He emphasizes that traditional rural communities have been part of the landscape for a very long time and maintain this species richness. Similarly, there are certain areas in Estonia where, alongside people and undisturbed by activities, protected species have lived.
Kareiva and Marvier call for the scientific community to address this failure, as the consequences of inaccurate assessment of perceived environmental problems have real impacts on land, water and ocean management. Solutions to such environmental problems cannot be found if they are obscured by baseless beliefs about the source of these problems.
