Study Finds: The Environmental Benefits of Solar Control Glass are too Great for Policy Makers to Disregard

Residential and non-residential buildings that use more energy than necessary to stay cool are a major source of unnecessary CO₂ emissions.

In March 2007, EU heads of state and government confirmed the need to save annually around 300 million tonnes of CO₂ from buildings by 2020.

The potential for solar control glass to cut CO₂ emissions from buildings has been analysed by the Dutch scientific institute TNO in a study done for Glass For Europe. Solar control glass is a hi-tech product developed by the glass industry to allow sunlight to pass through a window or façade while radiating and reflecting away a large degree of the sun’s heat. The indoor space stays bright and much cooler than would be the case if normal glass were used.

Potential to cut between 15 and 80 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions!

The study concludes that between 15 and 80 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually -- roughly between 5% and 25% of the EU's target -- could be avoided by the year 2020 by optimal use of solar control glass alone.

What can governments do to cut CO₂ emissions from buildings?

• Encourage and, where necessary, require the use of solar control glass in national building regulations for new construction.
• Encourage or require retrofitting of existing buildings with solar control glass by fiscal or legislative means.
• Provide economic and fiscal incentives to both users and manufacturers of solar control glass to promote better market uptake of these energy-saving products.
• Ensure that all relevant public buildings are fitted with solar control glass.

The full study and an accompanying informational brochure were launched at a press luncheon to be given on November 26 in Brussels, on the eve of the European Commission's major conference "Towards a Global Low-Carbon Economy". Please feel free to download these key documents:

Press Release (pdf)

Press Release to Accompany TNO Study Launch

Brochure about the study (pdf):

Technical Summary of the study (pdf):

Speech by Fiona Hall MEP to Press Luncheon (pdf):