Choosing Energy Efficient Window Glazing for Your Home
Posted on: 16 December 2015
Window glazing plays a crucial role in ensuring that you are comfortable during all seasons of the year from spring to winter. During winter, the thermal insulation of window glazing helps in keeping heat in, while during summer the reverse happens and the heat is kept out, thus giving you a cool indoor environment. Windows consist of framing and glazing, both components contributing to its overall performance, which is technically known as the U-value. By definition, the U-value measures the amount of heat which passes through a glazed unit such as the windows in watts. When the U-value is lower, your window is considered energy efficient.
This article looks at the considerations you should make when selecting energy efficient window glazing for your home.
Double or Triple Glazing
Double glazing on glass windows makes them energy efficient because they significantly reduce heat gain or heat loss compared to single glazed windows. If you are living in colder climates, triple glazing will give you more thermal insulation benefits.
Secondary Glazing
If you have windows which are glazed, but you want to add a second or third layer, secondary glazing can be an excellent option for you. Secondary glazing adds an extra pane of glass to your existing single glazed windows by building into the existing frame or attaching using magnetic strips. The beauty with secondary glazing is that it is cheaper compared to either double or triple glazing. Secondary glazing is particularly popular in enhancing the energy efficiency of antique windows because it doesn't distort its existing character.
Glazing Films
This is an alternative to secondary glazing where you use transparent and magnetic films to fit onto your existing window frame or glass. The glass may also be treated so as to reduce the magnitude of solar energy loss as it filters through it. Some glass treatments are formulated to reduce the amount of light during summer and heat gain in winter. Some of the commonly used glazing film products include the following:
Toned Glass – This is where a tint is applied to the glass in the course of manufacturing so as to reduce the amount of heat transmission through it.
Reflective Coatings – These can be applied both to new and existing windows and have a higher capacity to stop heat gain than some varieties of toned glass.
When selecting double window glazing, ensure that the gap between the layers of glass is filled with argon gas to give it maximum performance. Depending on your objective, the width of the space between the two pieces of glass can either be wide (noise reduction) or narrow (thermal performance).
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