Our skylights offer Solar control glass for an innovative way to regulate heat gain from sunlight while maintaining a pleasant indoor environment. It acts as a shield, selectively filtering out the sun’s harmful rays and reducing the need for excessive air conditioning.
Why should we pay attention to solar control glass? The answer lies in the perfect balance it strikes between harnessing natural light and minimizing heat gain. By employing advanced technologies and clever design features, solar control glass allows us to enjoy bright and sunlit spaces without the uncomfortable heat that often accompanies it.
Here are 4 key benefits to solar control glass:
1.Indoor Comfort:
Elevate your summer experience with skylights featuring solar control glass, designed to create a refreshing oasis indoors. By significantly limiting heat penetration, solar control glass mitigates the impact of scorching sun rays, ensuring a cool and pleasant ambiance beneath your skylights. Bid farewell to uncomfortable temperatures and embrace a serene environment that fosters productivity, relaxation, and overall well-being.
2. Enhanced Energy Efficiency and Cost Savings:
Skylights utilizing solar control glass allows energy efficiency to reach new heights. By curtailing excessive heat gain, this advanced coating lightens the load on the possible need for air conditioning systems, resulting in substantial energy savings. Unleash the full potential of your skylights by harnessing the power of solar control glass, enabling you to enjoy a cool and energy-efficient summer while reducing both your environmental impact and utility expenses.
3. UV Ray Protection:
Shield yourself and your interiors from the detrimental effects of UV radiation with skylight solar control glass. This specialized coating acts as a robust barrier, significantly reducing the transmission of harmful ultraviolet rays. Safeguard your furnishings, artworks, and flooring from fading or discoloration caused by prolonged UV exposure, ensuring their longevity while maintaining a safer and UV-resistant indoor environment.
4. Minimized Glare for Optimal Visual Comfort:
Excessive glare can be a hindrance, particularly during the sun-drenched summer months. Skylight solar control glass combats this issue by selectively filtering intense sunlight, providing a more visually comfortable experience. Whether you’re working on a computer, watching TV, or simply unwinding with a book, skylights with solar control glass enable you to enjoy optimal visibility while minimizing disruptive glare.
We apply a standard low emissivity (low-e) coating to all our glass, resulting in low emissions. This coating helps regulate the amount of heat that can enter or exit the building through the skylight. Depending on our clients’ requirements, we offer a range of options from LT40 to LT70. The LT70 designation signifies 70% opacity of the low-e coating.
When it comes to measuring the infrared radiation (solar heat) allowed into a building, we use the g-value. The g-value ranges from 0 to 1, with 0 representing no solar heat gain and 1 representing the maximum possible solar heat gain. It is calculated by dividing the total solar heat gain by the incident solar radiation received on the surface during a given time. A lower g-value means a lower percentage of solar radiation is allowed through the glass. The g-value can be quoted for the glass alone or for a complete glazed unit. In North America, solar heat gain coefficients (SHGC) are used as the equivalent to g-values. Although they are similar, they should not be directly compared due to differences in how air mass is treated.
Both g-values and SHGC represent a departure from shading coefficients, which measure solar heat gain relative to a standardized sheet of clear float glass. When it comes to large areas of glazing, additional considerations for solar control are necessary to manage internal temperatures. While architecturally impressive, large expanses of glazing require more attention from manufacturers in terms of production and supply. Conversely, smaller, well-placed areas of glazing can provide sufficient illumination and aid temperature control throughout the day.
It’s important to consider not only the solar heat passing through the glass but also the effect of solar absorption. Differential thermal stress caused by uneven heating can lead to cracking. Solar control glass naturally absorbs more heat than other types of glass. During spring and autumn, the lower position of the sun concentrates more solar energy on the glass panes, while the edges cool more quickly due to greater temperature differences between day and night. This creates temperature differentials across the pane. Using toughened or heat-strengthened glass mitigates this issue, as it avoids thermal stress concerns. Most glass manufacturers offer a thermal stress analysis form that can assist in assessing the risk.
By understanding these factors and utilizing solar control glass effectively, we can optimize energy efficiency, regulate temperatures, and create comfortable and safe environments for buildings of various sizes and architectural designs.
To learn more about our sustainability efforts or how you can make your project more energy efficient please get in touch, we’re happy to help.
