Low-e Windows

When you look outside on a sunny day, you’re

seeing the visible part of the light spectrum.

The rest of the light is invisible and it could be

making your bill higher than it needs to be.

Low-e coatings are microscopically thin layers

of metallic oxide bonded to the surface of the

glass in windows. The coatings prevent heat and ultra-

violet (UV) rays from passing through glass. It works

like an invisible mirror reflecting select portions of the light

spectrum back in or out of the windows. Soft, hard, and Heat

Mirror are three major types of coatings on the market. Soft

coat is not durable enough to be exposed to the elements, so

it is applied to the inner surfaces of windows. Hard coat is

resilient enough to be used on exterior surfaces but it is not

quite as energy efficient as soft coat. Hard coat is found

primarily on storm windows and removable energy panels.

Heat Mirror is applied to a thin polyester sheet suspended

between the two panes of a dual pane window. The coating

reflects radiant heat while the sheet decreases heat loss by

splitting the air space in two.