Lo-e windows

The coating is even thinner than human hair! The Low-E coatings keep the temperature in your home consistent by reflecting the interior temperatures back inside. Are you unsure which type of Low-E glass is best for you?

At Stanek Windows, we use only the best glass when manufacturing our windows. This triple-pane glass is filled with two layers of argon gas, as well as two layers of soft-coat Low-E. Maximize your comfort and lower your heating and cooling costs this season with energy-efficient replacement windows from Stanek.

When heat or light energy is absorbed by a surface, such as glass, it's either reflected off the surface, or radiated through the surface. A material's ability to radiate energy is known as emissivity. What does that have to do with your windows? If you've ever been i n a greenhouse, you probably already know the answer to that question. Radiating energy is one of the leading causes of heat transfer in window glass.

When heat energy—either from the sun or from your HVAC—strikes a low-e window pane, it is reflected back into the space it came from instead of being transferred through the window.

The secr et to the remarkable insulating qualities of low-e windows is the thin metallic coating on the surface of the glass.

Low-e windows often appear tinted, but low-e glass is not the same as tinted glass. These layers turn the glass into something like a filter, or a sieve.

You see, different types of energy have diffe rent wavelengths. Infrared, for example, has a long wavelength, while the visible light spectrum has a relatively short wavelength. Different metals will "filter out" different wavelengths, so by adding thin layers of various metals onto the surface of the glass, it's possible to choose what types of energy get through.

If you want to filter out long wavelengths infrared, i. Most low-e glass also limits the a mount of ultraviolet radiation that is allowed to pass through, which is beneficial both for the health of those who live in the home, as well as for the longevity of your furnishings. Several different metals are used to create the m icro-thin layer on the surface of low-e glass.

Tin, silver and zinc are some of the most common, and many types of low-e glass utilize a combination of different metal layers.

There's a crucial difference between the two. You may see low-e windows categorized as either "hard coat" or "soft coat. Bot h passive and solar control low-e glass can be made through either a hard coat or soft coat process.

Our windows and doors are available with a range of Low-E glass types from industry-leading manufacturers, each one engineered to meet your needs while keeping you comfortable in temperate or extreme climates. SunStable is a practical solution for homes in a wide range of climates. It offers the highest visible light transmission and maximizes the warmth available from the sun, allowing the sun to heat the home using a passive solar heat concept. Ideal for use in all coastal climates, turtle glass can be mandated by local building codes, especially for beachfront homes, because it helps prevent hatchling sea turtles, which navigate based on moonlight, from moving inland toward manmade light sources.

The U-Value measures the rate of heat transfer and indicates how well the window insulates. The numbers range from 0. In relation to the U-value, the R-value is used to measure the products resistance to heat transfer. Lower U-Values will always correspond with higher R-Values and vice versa.

The solar heat gain coefficient measures how well a product resists solar heat gain. This number ranges from a scale of and the lower the number, the better a product is at resisting solar heat. Lower numbers also generally correlate with lower costs when cooling your home.

Visible light transmittance measures how much visible light your product allows into the home. This number ranges from and the higher the number, the more visible light is transmitted. High visible light transmittance can reduce the need for artificial lighting.

There are several ways that a homeowner can benefit from a Low-E glass package, but the most prominent being energy efficiency and the cost savings associated with that. Low-E glass packages for northern climates are designed to allow thermal energy into the home, which correlates with lower heating bills. Low-E glass packages in southern climates are designed to do the opposite, reflecting thermal energy away from the home, keeping your home cool and reducing the need for air conditioning.