The choice of the right glazing is one of the most important and far-reaching decisions that an architect or building owner will make. This decision impacts the overall design, human comfort, energy efficiency, mechanical HVAC design and loads, day lighting, condensation control, ultraviolet fading and sound control. In the design of any building (whether it be residential, commercial or industrial) one must look at and take into consideration the six principal glazing design challenges. These are:
o Winter Comfort and Heating Load
o Summer Comfort Cooling Load
o Natural Day lighting
o Appearance and Reflectivity
o Ultraviolet Fading Control
o Condensation Control
The Heat Mirror(TM) family of wavelength-selective products offer the solution to all glazing design challenges such as climate, elevation and application. These solutions provide unparalleled flexibility to “tune” a building to meet these needs. As more and more architects, builders and homeowners adopt Southwall’s technology buildings will move from part of the environmental problem to part of its solution.
Heat Mirror(TM) is a low-emissivity coated film product suspended inside an insulating glass unit. The result is a triple unit with two airspace’s without the weight of triple insulating glass and with far superior insulating and shading performance. The Window Man offers two types of Heat Mirror(TM), they are: HM 88 and HM 66. These range from the low reflectance, high-light transmittance performance of Heat Mirror 88 through the shading performance of Heat Mirror 66.
All Heat Mirror products can be used with virtually any type of glass – clear, heat absorbing, reflective, heat-strengthened, tempered, laminated – to achieve superior performance in a wide range of aesthetics.
Heat Mirror insulating glass is available with a variety of clear coatings for mastering the sun’s heat. From Heat Mirror 66 to Heat Mirror 88, solar heat gain is properly controlled, and offers you energy efficiency with relation to HVAC costs and provides the following benefits..
Improved Comfort
Even when outside temperatures are very low, Heat Mirror keeps
the interior glass temperature close to the room temperature,
reducing drafts and chilly spots near windows.
Mnimal Condensation
Heat Mirror resists wintertime condensation at exterior temperatures
up to 45 degrees colder than conventional insulating glass, a
particularly important benefit for pool and spa enclosures,
computer rooms, and other high-humidity environments.
Reduced Fabric Fading
Heat Mirror insulating glass blocks 99.5% of the sun’s ultraviolet
(UV) radiation, helping reduce damage to valuable furnishings
and merchandise from fading and deterioration. Laboratory
studies indicate that fabrics behind clear Heat Mirror glazing
resist fading and retain their original color up to three times
longer than fabrics behind clear single pane glass.
Noise Control
In noisy environments, Heat Mirror’s unique construction
insulates against unwanted sound transmission better than
ordinary double-pane windows. Heat Mirror can be used with
laminated glass on the inboard and/or outboard light for maximum
noise control.
After 14 years in the re-placement window business, I have found that most people have very little or no knowledge of the availability of other window products than those having low E and Argon filled glass. Most windows are replaced with the primary interest being that of energy efficiency and lowering heating and cooling cost.
I suggest taking the time to check out several suppliers and the R and U values of the windows products they offer as this will benefit you in the long run in making the right decision.
The two products that I have sold over the years are Traco and Kensington, they both have websites having a lot of information about their products.
More information about Heat Mirror(TM) can be found at http://southwall.com/.
