How it works
Low-e glass reduces the heat loss of the building by:
- Reflecting the energy emitted by room heaters and surfaces back into the room (long wave radiation)
- Allowing high transmission of the solar radiation (short wave radiation) through the glass to benefit from passive solar heat gain through the glass.
During the winter, low-emissivity glass can reduce heat loss while allowing high levels of valuable free solar gain to heat buildings with no significant loss in natural light.
In the summer, however, it can become uncomfortably hot. To maximize energy efficiency all year round, the ideal glazing solution often combines solar control and thermal insulation.
Thermal Insulation
Heat loss is normally measured by the thermal transmittance or U-value, usually expressed in W/m2K. In its most basic terms, the lower the U-value, the greater the thermal insulation, however, the amount of free heat energy from the sun, the solar gain or g-value can also have a big impact.
Our Range
A solution for any energy-efficient requirement:
- high-quality standard float glass Pilkington Optifloat™
- on-line low-e Pilkington Energy Advantage™
- revolutionary vacuum glazing Pilkington Spacia™
The ideal glazing solution often balances both solar and low-emissivity performance in an insulating glass unit:
- by using a single glass which provides both solar control and low-emissivity on one pane of an insulating glass unit,
- by using both a solar control glass and a separate low-emissivity glass within an insulating glass unit.