Ever wonder what makes energy-efficient windows unique? A huge part of it is thanks to the glass value provided by the the low-E coating. It’s the glass component that makes your windows powerful against heat or cold.
Read on as Homecraft Inc., the area’s leading wood window installation company, discusses more.
What Does Low-E Glass Do?
Low emissivity or low-E glass increases the value of your windows by reducing the amount of harmful UV and infrared rays from the sun that enters your home. You can’t tell the difference from a regular window just by looking, since it doesn’t interfere with the light transmittance at all. It serves as a quiet yet highly functional part of an energy-efficient window.
What are the Materials Used in Making Low-E Glass?
There are two types of low-E coatings: the passive type and the solar control type. The passive low-E glass is meant to maximize solar heat gain in a home or building to reduce the need for artificial heating. While the solar control type, on the other hand, is designed to minimize solar heat gain for a cooler home or building interior.
How Can You Measure Its Performance?
You can determine the performance of the glass used in your replacement windows through its U-Value, visible light transmittance, and solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC). These three factors add to the low-E window promise of energy efficiency and thermal balance.
The U-value or U-factor measures how much heat is allowed through your window so you know how well your window helps insulate your home. Visible light transmittance measures the light that passes through the window. And lastly, the solar heat gain coefficient is responsible for determining the solar radiation that passes through a window.
Homecraft Inc., your trusted vinyl windows installer, offers quality window glass from a reputable manufacturer, the Andersen company. We only use the best materials in every window project we work on to give you the best results. Call us today at (302) 798-0302 for more information. Fill out our contact form to get a free project estimate. We serve homeowners in Wilmington and Bear, DE.
