Home Benefits of Low-E Glass
“Low-E glass” and “Low-E coatings” are probably terms you’ve frequently heard or come across when researching your options for glass windows and their replacements. These are popular innovations used in constructing houses and buildings, but what are they, and what can they do?
“Low-E” is an abbreviation of low emissivity. Low-E glass and coatings help block out a significant amount of ultraviolet (UV) light and infrared (IR) light while allowing more visible light to pass through a structure. Knowing how much UV and IR light goes through your home is important because of their effects on you and your home.
As we all know, UV light is known for its role in causing skin cancer, but that’s not the only reason for us to be cautious of it. It can also contribute to the bleaching, fading, and damage of various materials in your home. Furniture, carpets, draperies, artwork, and other possessions can be severely damaged by UV radiation from sunlight, which will cause them to fade. UV accounts for an estimated 60% of fading damage to fabrics and furnishings. IR light and heat energy are closely related; the heat we all feel from the sun is infrared light heat. Without getting too scientific, just know that controlling IR light means controlling the passage of heat through your windows.
UV and IR protection solutions such as lined draperies and curtains, shutters, tinted or reflective glass, or dark “stick-on” films can reduce bleaching and fading. However, these solutions prevent light from passing freely into your home, negating the value of having glass doors and windows in the first place.
Wonders for your home
Low-E glass has a coating of silver oxide sprayed onto the glass’s surface. The coating is applied between panes, making the glass scratch-resistant. Also, Low-E glass does a few wonders for you and your home:
- It reflects emissive heat. Emissive heat is the heat generated once the light hits any surface (i.e., when sunlight hits concrete on the road or on glass). When the heat hits Low-E glass, approximately 70% of it bounces back in the direction that it came from. Effectively, in the summer, heat can bounce back out and away from your glass, keeping your home cooler, and during winter, the heat produced inside a house bounces off glass surfaces and back inside the house, keeping it warm. By reflecting the heat, temperatures within your home can be better controlled and maintained.
- It protects the inside of your home from UV and IR radiation. Blocking UV and IR radiation helps prevent fading that can damage fabrics within your home, including carpets, window treatments, and furniture.
- It allows natural light in. Low-E glass still allows a significant portion of light from outside, allowing you to enjoy natural light in your home and the views outside unobscured.
- It helps with energy efficiency. In hot weather, it can reflect heat away from your home, helping to maintain coolness. Conversely, it can reflect or absorb heat into your home in cooler months, keeping it warmer.
Innovations in your windows
Low-E glass and coatings help you block out UV and IR radiation while still allowing most of the visible light through your window. A Low-E coating is microscopically thin and applied during the manufacturing process. The Low-E coating is bonded to the glass so precisely you’ll hardly notice it. But you must know that one can’t apply the coating after your windows have been purchased and installed. So if you want Low-E glass windows, you need to buy Low-E glass windows. Thankfully, some real estate companies like Ayala Land utilize Low-E windows in their properties.
High-performance Low-E glass and coatings provide more protection from UV radiation, reducing more than 70% of the damaging UV rays compared to clear glass. Their UV protection helps reduce one of the common factors of fading in your furniture, carpets, and curtains. The Low-E glass and its spectrally selective coating allow more visible light into your home while filtering out unwanted UV and IR radiation. Low-E glass and coatings help you and your home become UV-and-IR-protected and comfortable amidst the heat while avoiding expensive electricity bills.
We hope you found this blog post Low E-Glass And What It Can Do For Your Home useful. Be sure to check out our post Comprehensive Guide to Selecting The Right Warehouse Floor Coating for more great tips!
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