What is low e glass

Low-E, meaning low emissivity, is an extremely thin layer of metallic particles , or more commonly , several layers , applied to the glass that, in simple terms , allows the glass to act like a sieve. What does low-E glass mean? Long wavelengths, or heat, are filtered out, while short wavelengths (the visible light spectrum) are allowed to pass through.

Low-E, or low-emissivity, glass was created to minimize the amount of infrared and ultraviolet light that comes through your glass , without minimizing the amount of light that enters your home. It reduces heat gain or loss by reflecting long-wave infrared energy (heat) and therefore, decreases the U-value and solar heat gain, and in doing so, improves the energy efficiency of the glazing. Low-E glass refers to glass with a low-emissivity coating.

Because of its relative neutrality in appearance and energy efficiency, low-E glass is widely used in residential and commercial buildings and is expected to continue to increase in usage in the coming years. Low-e stands for low emissivity. This glass is an energy efficient way to control the heat being allowed in and out of a home or environment. Low E-glass might be placed between two panes of glass.

Therefore, having low-e glass ultimately can improve the insulation of a home from external temperatures in any climate. To reduce the emissivity of glass, low-e coatings have been developed to minimize the amount of ultraviolet and infrared light that can pass through glass without compromising the amount of visible light that is transmitted. Often this glass has a blue or grey tint to it and is more expensive to produce. The glass enters a vacuum chamber filled with an inert gas which is electrically charged. The E stands for emissivity.

Among other things, sunlight contains visible light, UV light, and infrared (IR) light. Visible light enables us to see things. Other articles from askthebuilder. In other words, if there is a heat source inside your house (or outside!), the glass bounces the heat from that object back away from the glass. A low-e glass window (which stands for low emissivity) is simply a windowpane coated in microscopic layers of metallic oxides.

The coating appears invisible to the naked eye, allowing as much natural light into the house as possible. The benefit of a passive low - e glass coating is that it reduces the dependence on a heating system to keep your home warm. Solar coatings work in an opposite manner, minimizing the amount of solar heat entry and keeping buildings cooler. The “low-e” coatings are microscopically thin, virtually invisible, metal or metallic oxide layers. Glass that is treated with a microscopic Low-E coating has greater insulation capabilities than normal glass because it doesn’t allow the heat from the sun through.

It has a coating that helps block out a substantial portion of ultraviolet (UV) light and infrared (IR) light while allowing the majority of visible light to pass through. These windows are entirely safe and are becoming the standard for energy efficiency in the modern home. By comparison, low - E glass coatings can have an emittance as low as 0. Such glazing would emit only of the energy possible at its temperature, and thus reflect of the incident long-wave, infrared radiation.

Low -emissivity coatings consist of ultra-thin layers of tin dioxide, silver or other metals applied to a pane of glass. Low E Windows Reduce Energy Costs. Emissivity is the ability of a material to radiate energy. This process is done at the glass manufacturing plant, where the specially designed coating is applied to one or more surfaces of an insulated glass unit.

This will allow your interior to enjoy the benefits of more light, without the downsides posed by ultraviolet and infra-red. The coating is invisible to the naked eye. While the coating is thin, it creates a surface that reflects heat and blocks UV light, while allowing light to pass through. However, there are a couple drawbacks to low - e coated glass. Under certain conditions, low - e glass can exhibit a natural grey haze.

In the wintertime, low-e glass lets radiant heat pass through but doesn’t allow it to come back out, which means it can help retain heat within your home. Low - E glass stands for low emissivity. In the summertime, it helps keep some of the heat out.