Using Glass to Reduce a Buildings Carbon Footprint

There has been much publicity on climate change and there is now a general acceptance that it is important to maintain a healthy environment for all inhabitants of the earth. 
In addition to being a sustainable material, glass can be coated to make it extremely energy efficient and assist in reducing the carbon footprint of a building.

Advances in glass technology have revolutionised passive solar heating design.
Excessive heat loss from large glazed areas used to limit the application of passive solar heating to moderate climates. However, the well-insulated glass assemblies available today allow large glazing panels, even in very cold climates and high elevations.



Designers may now select glass with a wide range of optical and thermal properties. The heat loss from a glazing assembly is described by the loss coefficient, or U-value The lower the U-value of a window, the less heat loss. Manufacturers construct windows with multiple layers of glass separated by gaps of air or other low-conductivity gas to reduce convective heat loss, and apply a low-emissivity (low-E) coating to reduce heat loss.