A total glazing package, glazing combinations to improve insulation and solar gain

The race to develop energy efficient windows under the Window Energy Ratings scheme (WERs) is well and truly under way. Clearly, for a window to achieve a commercially viable ‘A’ rating requires the use of innovative high performance materials throughout.

Unsurprisingly, the choice of low-E glass will greatly affect the overall WERs performance. Independent simulations show that for a window with a 30% frame factor*, changing the inner pane from a traditional hard coated low-E glass to SGG Planitherm Total 1.1 will improve the energy index by more than 5kWh/m2 per year. Furthermore, using SGG Diamant (low-iron glass) instead of ordinary float glass for the outer pane can increase the energy index by another 5.5kWh/m2 per year and these considerable improvements become even more pronounced as the glazing area increases through innovative frame design.

A higher rating

Given that the rating categories A to D are defined by intervals of only 10 kWh/m2/year, it stands to reason that a window’s rating could be raised to a higher category by simply using SGG Planitherm Total 1.1. This is because the critical balance of a very low U-value and high solar gain makes SGG Planitherm Total 1.1 the most energy efficient low-E glazing product available under the BFRC energy rating scheme, says Saint Gobain. This significant performance advantage is likely to evolve as continued product innovation leads to the launch of new Planitherm products, incorporating further improvements to balance U-value and solar gain.

Now available Saint-Gobain Glass, SGG Planitherm Total 1.1 is a truly innovative product set to revolutionise the UK low-E market.

New planitherm products will incorporate further improvements to balance u-value and solar gain

‘Its unique coating is the most durable of its kind and it is the world’s first ‘single stock’ high performance low-E glass’ said Derek Dragten, Marketing Manager, Saint-Gobain Glass.

‘In addition to its superior thermal performance and appearance, SGG Planitherm Total 1.1 is clearly also the low-E product of choice to achieve the highest possible window energy ratings’.

* i.e. 70% of the window’s sighted surface area is glass.