A New Standard in Low E Performance

Developed for the particular needs of the UK market and manufactured on Saint-Gobain Glass' coater in Eggborough, SGG Planitherm Total 1.1 incorporates the very latest advancements in off-line glass coating technology to deliver a truly unique product. It is the only low-E glass to be supplied in a single version that can be used in either annealed or toughened form, whilst boasting an optimum centre-pane U-value of 1.1 W/m2K and an exceptionally neutral appearance.

Derek Dragten, Marketing Manager of Saint-Gobain Glass, says: ‘SGG Planitherm Total 1.1 takes low-E glass to the next level and is set to change the face of the market. It offers many of the processing benefits of traditional hard coat products together with the superior performance and aesthetics synonymous with our Planitherm range.'

Derek points out that low-E performance is becoming increasingly important to all sectors of the market, especially in the context of revisions to Part L of the Building Regulations. ‘The neutrality of our low-E coatings remains a key factor in the phenomenal growth of the Planitherm range, but the significant performance advantage that SGG Planitherm Total 1.1 offers is also making a considerable impact'.

Very low U-value

The very low U-value comfortably meets the alternative centre-pane method of compliance for replacement windows in England and Wales (no worse than 1.2 W/m2K) meaning that the thermal performance of a frame need not be taken into account. Where whole window U-values are required, the excellent thermal insulation performance enables a wider range of frame types and designs to meet mandatory maximum and/or area weighted average whole window U-value requirements, affording greater flexibility to architects and fabricators.

Lastly, with the advent of window energy ratings, SGG Planitherm Total 1.1 has been specifically developed with an optimised balance of very low emissivity and high solar gain making it one of the most energy efficient low-E glazing products available under the BFRC rating scheme. Independent simulations show that when incorporated in a typical window with a 30% frame factor, SGG Planitherm Total 1.1 can improve the BFRC energy index by as much as 5 kWh/m2/year when compared to hard coated low-E glazing. This is almost equivalent to the performance improvement seen when changing the outer pane of the double glazed unit from ordinary float to SGG Diamant (low iron glass).

SGG Planitherm Total 1.1 evidently presents the industry with a number of key benefits that set new standards in performance and flexibility and clearly differentiate it from traditional low-E products, helping to give specifiers, processors and fabricators an added edge in an increasingly discerning and competitive market.