Low-E Glass: The Key To Year-Round Energy Efficiency

Did you know as much as 25% to 30% of residential energy use is actually heat passing through your windows? Whether it’s going in or out, so much heat loss can make your home uncomfortably warm or cold and drive up your heating and cooling bills.

Switching to an energy-efficient alternative like low-emissivity (low-E) glass can help you minimize this loss and shrink your energy bills.

What Is Low-E Glass in Windows?

Low-E glass is an energy-efficient window material with a super-thin coating of metal or metallic oxide. According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), this coating can reduce energy loss by as much as 50% – significantly reducing your heating and cooling needs.

This coating can be one of two types:

Pyrolytic: Also known as hard-coat low-E glass, pyrolytic glass features a durable, baked-on coating of tin oxide and additives. Pyrolytic low-E glass has a higher solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC), meaning it allows more solar heat into your home. This is perfect for homes in cooler climates that benefit from passive heating.
Sputtered: Also called soft-coat low-E glass, sputtered glass contains multiple thin layers of metallic oxides applied directly to a glass or plastic film in a vacuum chamber. While this type is less durable than pyrolytic, it’s a more effective insulator for buildings that need to minimize passive heating and cooling.

Low-E glass is also spectrally selective, enabling it to filter out infrared and harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays without affecting the amount of visible light that can pass through. This can benefit your home by:

Protecting inhabitants: Exposure to UV rays can damage your skin and lead to serious health problems over time, but low-E glass prevents that harmful light from entering your home.
Extending furniture lifespan: Blocking UV light also protects your furniture from accelerated wear and discoloration resulting from prolonged sun exposure.
Blocking heat transfer: Infrared filtering prevents heat from escaping or entering your home, helping to keep your home comfortable and reducing your energy needs.

Does Low-E Glass Look Different?

Because the metallic coating is so thin, it’s invisible to the naked eye. Most low-E windows also contain argon fills. Because argon is a colorless gas, it does not impact your windows’ visibility or appearance in any way.

Essentially, that means you can use low-E glass for windows of virtually any size and shape without sacrificing your home’s aesthetic appeal.

You can use low-E glass in virtually any window, from a large picture window to a standard-sized awning window. At Renewal by Andersen, we can also design custom windows to fit unique spaces, including triangles, octagons, circles and more.

Essentially, high-quality low-E glass is incredibly versatile and can fit any architectural style in many different climates.

Where Can You Use Low-E Glass?

Although low-E glass is usable in most climates, it’s important to choose the right type of low-E glass to ensure you get the most out of your investment.

For example, a climate that experiences multiple seasons should look for a product that insulates the home while enabling some degree of passive heating and cooling during the winter and summer, respectively.

In drier climates where cooling is more of a concern, a window that maximizes air conditioning efficiency is the top concern. A tinted low-E window can make the glass’s natural insulating properties more effective for cooling purposes.

Is Low-E Glass Expensive?

Generally, windows made with low-E glass tend to cost more than traditional aluminum, wood or vinyl windows. But their energy efficiency is what makes them a more cost-effective option in the long term.

Because energy-efficient windows insulate your home, they can help make your living space more comfortable without requiring you to blast the heat or air conditioning. And less energy usage means less energy spending.

What’s more, our low-E glass at Renewal by Andersen is super low-maintenance – so you can save money by needing to make fewer repairs and replacements.

Some other cost-saving tips and tricks include:

Installing in phases: Rather than replacing all your windows at once, install sections of low-E glass gradually to make the project more affordable and minimize disruption.
Opting for financing plans: Many window companies enable you to spread out your payments over time rather than paying a large upfront sum. You may also be able to take advantage of interest-free financing for a set duration.
Replacing at the right time: Installing your low-E windows during peak season can drive up your project cost due to increased demand. Scheduling your replacement during the off-season is ideal for keeping overall costs low and potentially speeding up your completion times.

How Do You Maintain Low-E Glass?

Knowing how to clean low-E glass is essential for maintaining a beautiful, energy-efficient home. Because each manufacturer uses different materials and techniques, it’s best to clean your windows according to the manufacturer’s recommendations.

Fibrex® from Renewal by Andersen is a low-maintenance composite material designed to resist rusting, flaking, blistering and other wear with no additional staining or painting.

However, there are some steps you can take to keep your Fibrex^® windows clean and clear for years to come:

Glass: Gently wipe away any dust with a soft, dry cloth. Then, apply a mild cleaner with a fresh, lint-free cloth.
Moving parts: Dust or vacuum your sills and tracks to remove dust and prevent debris buildup.
Fibrex^® components: Use a soft, nonabrasive cloth and a mild soap solution to wipe the sash, frames and grilles clean.

How Our Low-E Windows Can Help You Live More Sustainably

At Renewal by Andersen^®, we offer custom energy-efficient window designs for homes of any shape and size.

Our windows contain High Performance^™ Low-E4^® glass, which is 700 times more effective at preventing thermal transfer than vinyl or aluminum. It can also withstand dramatic temperatures and weather conditions, making it suitable for installation in any climate.

The optional SmartSun^™ low-E glass package further enhances our windows’ performance by blocking 95% of incoming UV rays. This technology protects your furniture from accelerated wear and keeps your skin safe from sun damage.

Plus, our exclusive Fibrex^® composite material is attractive, convenient and easy to maintain. Made from 60% thermoplastic polymer and 40% reclaimed wood fiber, it’s an eco-friendly and long-lasting way to make your home more sustainable.

Let Renewal by Andersen Help You Shrink Your Environmental Footprint

So is low-e glass worth it? If you’re looking for a simple, cost-effective way to cut back on your home energy use in the Northwest U.S., it is definitely a worthwhile investment. At Renewal by Andersen^®, we can make more sustainable living a reality.

We’ll also back up our work with one of the strongest limited replacement warranties on the market, so you know you can count on us to be there when you need us.

Our team is here to help you create a beautiful, energy-efficient home. Schedule a design consultation today to get started.

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