Modern double-glazed windows are superior to conventional windows in almost all characteristics. This happens because their creators are working to improve every design element, including improving energy-saving characteristics.
It has been established that a significant proportion of heat loss during the heating season occurs through glass, so the desire to make them “warmer” is completely logical.
A little physics
To more accurately explain the concept of “energy-saving glass,” which is sometimes also called “low-e glass,” you need to brush up on your high school physics course.
If we evaluate the ability of window glass to absorb (lose) heat on a scale from 0 to 1, then the value will be equal to 0.9 - this is the emissivity coefficient. Its physical meaning is that 90% of the heat will be given off, that is, window glass retains heat very poorly. Energy-saving glass has an emissivity coefficient of about 0.17, therefore, it cools 5.3 tenths times slower.
To achieve this result, a thin layer, invisible to the human eye, is sprayed onto the surface of the glass, which significantly changes the ability to hold the glass. The energy-saving layer has important properties:
retains long-wave heat rays indoors, maintaining indoor temperature;
allows short-wave sunlight to enter the room, providing normal illumination.
You can visually determine whether there is an energy-saving coating on the glass using a simple experiment. If the flame of a candle or lighter, reflected in the glass, gives a double reflection, one of which is yellow and the second slightly reddish, then there is a special film on the glass.
A little technology
Today there are two types of energy-saving glass on the market - K-glass with hard coating (K-Glass) and E-glass (Low-E). The main difference is in the production technology, and for the consumer of the final product there is no fundamental difference between them.
The use of energy-saving glass allows you to obtain the following advantages:
the room becomes significantly warmer during the heating season, and cooler in the summer;
you can refuse to install multi-chamber double-glazed windows, which gives noticeable savings;
The double-glazed window is lighter, which extends the service life of the fittings.
We hope that from this article you have gained enough information regarding energy-saving glass. If you need any additional information, please contact our managers.