One of the many benefits of having nice, big windows are letting natural light into your home. Sunlight can make your room look more spacious and make the space warm and cheery. With Low-E windows, you can enjoy natural light without having too much of it, make your home feel hot and uncomfortable.
If you are looking for new home windows, you’ve most likely come across the term “Low-E windows.” The “E” in it stands for emittance. This means that the glass is made of a colorless, razor-thin, and non-toxic coat to improve its energy-efficiency performance.
Low-E Glass Technology
Low-e, which started in the ’70s, has been a popular addition to the manufacturing of windows and doors.
Having Low-E technology allows your doors and windows point radiant heat away from your house. This is opposed to, for example, a blacktop window, which has high emittance. This means that it’s not capable of pointing radiant heat away.
Windows and doors with Low-E are construction by applying a Low-e coating to the glass surface. This thin layer is made of metallic oxides that are set between the panes of windows – whether they are single, double, or triple pane.
For added energy efficiency and insulation features, some windows utilize argon gas. This gas is inserted between the glass panes. It’s a feature that helps the Low-E performance of windows and doors to last longer.
The Low-E glass comes in two different types: soft coat and hard coat. Soft coats are attached to the interior layer, which is between the double or triple glass panes.
This type of Low-E glass is proven to be highly effective at reflecting UV-rays and unwanted light away from your home.
Hard coat, on the other hand, is not as energy-efficient as the soft counterpart. The coating is applied during the construction and manufacturing stage before it’s available for sale.
Low-E Windows: The Standard When It Comes to Energy Efficiency
Reduce Your Energy Costs
If you’re an environmentally conscious homeowner, you look for ways you can reduce your energy costs. Low-e windows are created to hinder infrared light from infiltrating the glass surface from the outside.
Also, this type of energy-efficient window can maintain the current heating and cooling settings you have set for your home; you wouldn’t have to adjust your HVAC system continually.
As such, these home windows are the ideal choice if you want to minimize your energy costs.
Get Protection from Harmful UV-Rays
The technology applied to create Low-E windows help stop harmful UV-rays from entering your home. As you know, these destructive waves coming from the sun is detrimental to the skin. It can also gradually fade fabric and wood.
You wouldn’t want to these harmful rays to make their way inside your home. If you have Low-E home windows, you can protect your skin from destructive rays.
You can also make sure that your carpet, couch, drapes, hardwood flooring, and other precious items are protected from sun damage and fading.
You Can Still Have Natural Light Come In
Low-e glass windows can effectively block harmful UV rays and infrared light. However, you can still take advantage of natural light in your home.
These windows don’t block visible light at all. Naturally, it’s not going to be as visible compared to when you have standard glass panes.
Nevertheless, you can have natural light brighten up your room minus the destructive rays – all thanks to Low-E glass technology.
Key Takeaway
While Low-E glass technology is not something visible to us, it’s a critical modern-day innovation in home and living. This technology is an essential aspect of the energy efficiency efforts we want to achieve for the home.