Glazing solutions

The glass industry has developed high-tech products to reduce energy consumption from heating and air-conditioning in buildings. Two of the most famous glazing solutions are Low-Emissivity, highly insulating glass and solar control glass. Studies commissioned by Glass for Europe have shown the huge CO₂ emission reduction potential of both types of glass.

Low-Emissivity insulating glass

Low-E glass is a hi-tech product that is specially treated with a transparent coating on one surface which reflects heat back into the building, thereby reducing heat loss through the window. It also reduces the heat transfer from the warm (inner) pane of glass to the cooler (outer) pane, thus further lowering the amount of heat that escapes from the window. In addition, the coating also allows large amounts of free solar energy to enter the building, thereby heating it passively. Low-E insulating glazing can therefore be a net contributor to energy in buildings.

The potential for Low-E insulating glazing to cut CO₂ emissions from building has been analysed by the Dutch scientific TNO. According to this study, as much as 97 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions could be avoided annually with the optimal use of Low-E insulating glass throughout Europe. Therefore extensive use of Low-E insulating glass units could achieve as much as one third of the EU's emissions reduction targets for buildings.

Low-E Insulating Glass for Energy-Efficient Buildings (Printed copies of this brochure in English are available on request from the Glass for Europe secretariat, electronic copies in languages other than English are also available).

The technical summary of the study (28 pages) is available on request from Glass for Europe. Please contact the secretariat.

Solar control glass

Solar control glass is a product developed by the glass industry to allow sunlight to pass through a window or façade while radiating away a large degree of the sun's heat, thereby reducing significantly the need for air-conditioning and sometime even eliminates the need for it. In southern countries or in facades exposed south as well as in air-conditioned buildings, this achieves major energy savings.

The potential of solar control glass to cut CO₂ emission from buildings was also analysed by the Dutch scientific TNO. The amount of CO₂ emissions that could be saved with a smart recourse to solar control glass in Europe's buildings varies between 15 and 85 million tonnes annually depending on the potential growth in air-conditioning.

Please see the Glass for Europe brochure about the study: Solar Control Glass for Greater Energy Efficiency (printed copies of this brochure and electronic copies in languages other than English are available on request from the Glass for Europe secretariat).

The technical summary of the study (28 pages) is available on request from Glass for Europe. Please contact the secretariat.

Glass combining both the low-e and solar control properties are also available and can be of great use in many buildings in these parts of Europe whose climate is characterized by low temperatures in winters and hot sunny summers.

Both solar control glass and Low-E insulating glass technologies exist today and are ready for use. Policy-makers should encourage the use of these glass technologies by way of fiscal and legislative means.

More widespread use of the state-of-the-art glass products in buildings provides the easiest way to reduce significantly CO₂ emissions from buildings. In fact, the use of these advanced glazing solutions will become "nearly zero energy" by 2020, as required by the recast Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.

If you want to find out more on this subject please have a look at the Questions & Answers on the benefit of energy saving glazing solutions.