Pilkington Activ Suncool™ combines excellent solar control with a range of optical performances to improve the aesthetic appearance, energy efficiency and occupier comfort of a building, as well as self-cleaning properties.

Solar control glass is a hi-tech product developed by the glass industry to allow sunlight to pass through a window or façade while radiating and reflecting away a large degree of the sun’s heat. The indoor space stays bright and much cooler than would be the case if normal glass were used.

Control of the sun's heat can be achieved in a number of ways. The most popular is by using a body tinted glass such at the Pilkington Optifloat ™ Tint range or Pilkington Arctic Blue™ which simply reduce incoming heat transmission.

Tinting the glass is only one method of achieving solar control. Pilkington Optifloat™ tints tend to reduce the light transmission with the solar control. Another option is to use Pilkington Suncool™ coated products and the Pilkington Eclipse Advantage™ range.

Cobalt and nickel, ferrous and ferric iron, cerium and titanium are all used to control transmission of infrared or ultraviolet waves to differing degrees and with differing visual effects. Coatings on the glass are another way of modifying the solar control properties.

In hot conditions or for building with high internal loads, solar control glass is used to minimise solar heat gain. It allows sunlight to pass through a window or façade while radiating and reflecting away a large degree of the sun's heat.

Pilkington Suncool™ is a range of solar control off-line coated products used in insulating glass units. The coating is designed to reflect the short wave solar radiation.

Our solar control products cover the whole range: from the highest performing, off-line coated, solar control and low-emissivity products within the Pilkington Suncool™ range ; through on-line environmental control glasses that combine good performance solar control with low-emissivity such as Pilkington Eclipse Advantage™ and Pilkington ...

Pilkington Solar-E™, clear solar control glass, preventing heat build-up in buildings; The 3R™ clean air process for reducing nitrogen oxide emissions from glass furnaces; Pilkington Activ™ - the world's first self-cleaning glass;

How does solar control glazing work? Glass manages solar heat radiation by three mechanisms: reflectance, transmittance and absorptance. When specifying solar control glazing, the most important parameter to consider is the total solar heat transmittance or g value.