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Winterglaze Double Glazing is designed to reduce heat loss through inefficient single pane windows, which up till now, have been the traditional windows installed in NZ homes. A single pane of glass quickly conducts precious warmth from inside your home, to the outside environment, which is a waste of energy and money.
The glass you select plays a big part in the type of outcome you want from having your windows retrofitted. Below is a brief explanation of glass options.
Our standard Insulating Glass Units (IGU) are manufactured with an air space between the two panes. You can choose however to improve the performance of the Winterglaze unit still further, by upgrading to Argon Gas. Argon is an inert, naturally occurring and relatively dense gas – much denser than air. The insulating performance of a Winterglaze unit filled with Argon Gas rather than air is significantly better – see the table below!
Winterglaze IGU’s are normally manufactured out of standard clear glass, with the glass thickness dependant on (amongst other things ), the size of the glazing unit. Low Emissivity Glass (Low-E Glass) is manufactured with a completely transparent specialty coating on one side. This coating has reflective properties and when used in an IGU, is designed to reflect radiant heat back into your home, further reducing heat loss through windows.
Improves the insulation properties of the window dramatically and reducing heat transfer.
Reflects radiant heat back into your home, further reducing heat loss through windows
Argon gas is much denser than air further increasing insulation.
Condensation can damage fabrics,. furnishings and framing and create an unhealthy environment. Condensation is a function of relative humidity of the air, the indoor and outdoor temperature and the insulation properties of the glazing. Insulating Glass Units can reduce the onset of internal condensation by keeping the Interior glass surface warmer.
In winter the Insulating Glass Unit can trap heat inside the house and thus reduce the amount of heating required (kWh) to maintain a comfortable environment. In summer, the Insulating Glass Unit can trap the cooI air inside the house and reduce the amount of cooling required to maintain a comfortable environment. In all seasons the Insulating Glass Unit can reduce the energy loads on heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.
When it is cold outside there are cold zones near windows known as “discomfort zones” and these are more severe if the glazing is not insulated. Insulating Glass Units improve the Insulation and thus reduce the discomfort zones near windows because the inner glass surface is much warmer than for single glazing.
In winter the Insulating Glass Unit can allow the sun to warm the house and thus reduce the amount of heating required (kWh) to maintain a comfortable environment. In summer the Insulating Glass Unit can control the sun’s heat. with the help of special solar control glasses and thus reduce the amount of cooling required to maintain a comfortable environment. In all seasons the Insulating Glass Unit can reduce the energy loads on heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Building shading, blinds and drapes can also be used to reduce heat gain, but care is required to ensure thermal stress breakage does not occur in the glass.
Large areas of glazing are great for views and sunlight but if not controlled by shade or orientation they can create very bright light and glare inside the home. Low angle morning summer sun from the east and low angle winter sun from the west can be difficult to control without using solar control glass, blinds or drapes. Glare is a function of the glass Visible Light Transmission (VLT) and the sun’s incidence on the glass.
Glass is classified as a hazardous building material in the NZ Building Code Clause F2 and needs to be either protected from human impact, strong enough to withstand impact without breaking, or break safe. Human impact safety requirements are outlined in NZS 4223 Part 3:1999 and in most applications Safety Glass is used. When Insulating Glass Units are used the impact side is usually safety glass and this normally means inner and outer panes.
Environmental noise is a key factor in modern housing design. The source and frequency of the sound is important as glass products behave differently for low to high pitch sounds. Insulating Glass Units can provide a range of acoustic performance by using different glass types and thicknesses.