Environmental benefit

Solar control glass saves energy

Residential and non-residential buildings that use more energy than necessary to stay cool are a major source of unnecessary CO₂ emissions.

In March 2007, EU heads of state and government confirmed the need to save annually around 300 million tonnes of CO₂ from buildings by 2020.

Policy makers could achieve between 5% and 25% of that target by promoting greater use of solar control glass in existing and new buildings in Europe – ensuring that less energy is required to keep the interiors cool.

This technology exists today. The EU and its Member States can use it to help achieve their own targets, by acting to ensure that more solar control glass is installed.

The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive requires all Member States of the EU to improve their building regulations every five years. Encouraging greater use of solar control glass should be a top priority.

The potential for solar control glass to cut CO₂ emissions from buildings has been analysed by the Dutch scientific institute, TNO, in a study that is technically rigorous and conservative. The results are presented in this brochure. The study concludes that between 15 and 85 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions could be avoided annually by the year 2020 if solar control glass were used optimally.