Browse Forums Windows & Doors Re: Low E glass - are you using it, pros and cons 32Feb 15, 2014 8:13 pm I am looking to make my new home, built in 1994, more energy-efficient in several ways (more insulation, shading of various sorts, insulating window treatments, etc.). This thread contains lots of useful info, but I wonder if anyone can provide advice on my specific situation? I'm in Adelaide - subject to extreme heat (having just endured our hottest February in [n] years), and also fairly chilly and often cloudy and rainy winters. The room (kitchen/family) I'm wanting to improve has a long west-facing wall with window above the kitchen sink and a sliding door, both of which have rather old retractable canvas awnings (separate issue, but at least they work in the meantime), and a shorter north-facing wall, currently with no windows in it, just an ancient a/c unit which I'll be removing. Western wall: This is a bit of a heat sink, with concrete path around the house and darker concrete pavers about 3m wide, bordered by a dark grey metal fence (using big umbrellas for shade now; will plant trees). The sliding door has an old and very ugly blockout curtain, which I am planning to replace with a Luxaflex Duette double-cell sliding door blind, a very nice-looking product and hopefully at least as effective as the old curtain. At some stage I'll be looking to replace the old awnings and probably replace with some roller blinds hanging from the eaves (which are a rather low - hence the current awnings block 50+cm at the top of the glass and look ugly). Northern wall: Where I remove the a/c unit, I am planning to put in a window - probably fairly high, although I haven't decided on the exact shape or dimensions yet. This is because the room is just crying out for a north-facing window and will look much better once it has an aspect onto a few (yet to be planted) deciduous trees and sky. So: I have one hot western wall - which will probably not get much sun in the winter but I have yet to experience this - with the big sliding window and other kitchen window, and one north-facing wall with new window yet to be decided upon. All have aluminium frames and the kitchen window is a sliding one. I have to spend my money wisely and can't afford to replace the whole sliding door, or go for top grade everything... so I am looking for some advice on bang for bucks. Ideally, I'd like to get a bit of solar warmth through the north-facing window, which will have some direct sun on it in winter but not in the summer owing to the eaves. My insulation man advised that double-glazing and low-e glass for the new window would be the way to go, and that it's cheaper to buy a standard size off-the-shelf one, so best to shape my window according to what's available. I'm planning to put the same type of Luxaflex blind as the sliding door in this window, so it will have some insulation (and perhaps the kitchen window too, which currently has a roller blind, if I can stretch to it). Apologies for the length of the post but I wanted to give an accurate description. Is it worth putting low-e and/or double glazing in the new window, or will it reduce vision to an annoying degree and/or not let in any warmth from winter sun? Shall I just rely on awnings for shade and the blinds for extra insulation? Any advice welcome! One more related issue - it's not essential that the new window is openable, and I haven't looked into any price comparisons. Re: Low E glass - are you using it, pros and cons 33Feb 18, 2014 12:11 am p.s. Since posting the above, I've come to the conclusion that it's probably a waste of money to get anything else but a standard glass window, considering there's a huge sliding door and another window in the same room. I'll rely on shading from the outside and the insulating blind to reduce the heat gain. Re: Low E glass - are you using it, pros and cons 34Feb 25, 2014 10:00 am I have a question regarding E-glass. We will be doing the house extension soon. One part of it is a 25 sqm room at the back of the house. It will have two north windows 2100x1500, one west window 2100x1200 and two sliding east/south doors 2400x2100. Windows/doors are DG with thermally broken aluminium frames. Walls are ICF forms, since we are in Canberra. So the room will be well insulated. We definitely put E-glass on the west window. Should we put E-glass on north windows (surface 2) ? Our designer advises against it, saying that we will block winter sun with E-glass and there is no much heat coming from north in summer. I am not convinced and don't want it to be stinky hot in summer. Re: Low E glass - are you using it, pros and cons 35Feb 26, 2014 6:52 am Technically, I am sure your designer is right. Practically, I prefer space heating in the winter to spot heating (from solar heat gain from the windows) in the summer... So, I would prefer to block radiant heat which is a point source and difficult to combat in summer, and difficult to distribute in winter, and in doing so, put up with using a little more heating in the winter and less cooling in summer... The cost would be a small difference (if at all), so comfort would be my preference. Ed "ECOECO" At 'EcoEco', we design windows, we design the best windows, we do it for you, so that when you’re happy we are happy. Tel. 1800 326 326 Re: Low E glass - are you using it, pros and cons 36Jan 27, 2021 8:25 pm I too have been considering double glazing but as a retrofit in my current house in the Hunter Valley. I had a quote that was just under 20K which included new frames (obviously). As this is out of our price range I had considered looking at Low E glass, however after reading about the thermal shock and other downsides as mentioned previously in the other replies, I'm thinking maybe not. However it does make me wonder if tinting windows would give the benefits of Low E glass without the side-effects. It was suggested I looked at Vortex IR70 Optical Clear by UltraGard as a tint we could put on our windows for a fraction of the cost (about 4K). Apparently it helps keep warmth in in the winter and heat out in the summer. So is tinting current windows as good as Low E Glass without their risk of thermal shock but with all the benefits, or is it the modern magic beans? Thanks in advance for your help. Ollie Re: Low E glass - are you using it, pros and cons 38Jan 31, 2021 6:34 am The thermal shock/Thermal fracture that is first mentioned in the 2nd post on this question by ECOECO. Berek, are you saying the Tint is only recommended for double glazing or Low E glass? Thanks. Re: Low E glass - are you using it, pros and cons 40Feb 05, 2021 11:57 am "ECOECO" At 'EcoEco', we design windows, we design the best windows, we do it for you, so that when you’re happy we are happy. Tel. 1800 326 326 0 2241 4 6352 If you can calculate the reasonable charged head from let's say 100mm below the gutter to the top of where the vertical riser's horizontal discharge pipe will be, that… 11 17801 |