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Glass
Glazing choices are an important option to consider. Glass can enhance the way your home looks and feels, but it also adds to the warmth and thermal efficiency of your home.
Today's modern, high-performance glass is allowing architects, designers and home owners to create striking home interiors and exteriors that could only have been dreamt about in the past.
Large Low E window spans let you bring the outdoors in by allowing natural light to flood living spaces and affording uninterrupted views of stunning scenery.
Glass sliding doors let you blur the lines between indoor and outdoor living, or simply partition one room from another for privacy.
And glass is revolutionising the way in which interiors are designed. From toughened, ultra-clear glass for modern minimalist bathrooms to colourful laminated or printed decorative glass for kitchen splashbacks and benches, doors, partitions or feature walls.
Double glazing offers year-round thermal advantages. Benefits include significant reduction in UV light and good retention of internal heat. As a bonus, it also dampens sound.
Low-E (the ‘e’ stands for emissivity) glass is a virtually invisible coating incorporated into your double glazing, improving the level of insulation in your home. The Low-E coating is applied to the inside surface of the exterior glass pane, protecting it from the elements.
A thermal spacer reduces heat transfer through the glass edge and improves the seal which is key to genuine double-glazing. A thermal spacer holds the two glass panes of your double-glazed windows and doors apart and creates a seal to hold in the gas fill. This keeps warm and cold areas separated, reducing heat loss around the outside of your glazing.
Inert gases such as argon and krypton can be used as an insulator in double glazing to create an additional barrier to heat loss and heat absorption, improving thermal performance. The efficiency of a gas fill is enhanced when paired with a thermal spacer.
What does Low-E do?
Low-E reflects the warm air in the home back into the house rather than escaping through the glass. This reduces the energy needed to keep the home warm in cooler months. Reduces heat loss by nearly 60% more than standard double glazing.*
*Based on 4mm Solux-E/16 ATS/4mm compared to 4mm/16mm Air/4mm
Low-E lets the sun's visible light pass through but reflects the 'sunheat' back out again. With less heat entering your home, there's less need for air-conditioning to keep it cool (blocks excessive heat) by 34% more than standard double glazing.*
*Based on 4mm Solux-E/16 ATS/4mm compared to 4mm/16mm Air/4mm
Low-E helps protect furnishings in the home from fading by reducing the amount of UV light that enters through the glass.
Want to learn more about our Low-E options?
With recent changes to the H1 building code there is more to consider. Take a look at Viridians brochure to find out how we can ensure your windows meet these requirements.
It’s a good idea to work through your options to find the right glass for your home. With options to reduce UV, minimise heat loss, and increase year-round comfort, your decisions can have a significant impact on the performance of your glazing.
Some factors to consider and discuss with your manufacturer are the orientation and shading of your home, the climate and noise around where you live. There are a variety of performance glass options to suit most requirements.
H1 Window and Glass changes
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) recently announced that the new H1 Building Code changes will make for warmer, drier, healthier and more comfortable homes. To ensure you have the right windows for your home, talk to one of our experienced team members.
