What is Insulated Glass? Reviewing the Pros and Cons

Glass on its own doesn’t do a good job of preventing the loss or transfer of heat in your home. That’s because normal glass doesn’t allow heat to move freely in and out of your home, so its efficiency is not ideal. 

You’re also probably familiar with all the different ‘looks’ or styles you can go for when it comes to glass. Practically speaking, however, the differences worth making a fuss about are energy and comfort. 

Your choice of glass can affect your lifestyle, your belongings, and your expenses, which is why insulated glass is the best choice.  

Insulated glass is made by putting two panes of glass side by side and filling the space between with either air or inert gas. 

Ever heard of krypton? That and argon gas serves as a layer of insulation, resulting in energy efficiency. This gas serves as a protective layer between the interior and the exterior. 

In this piece, we are going to dive into ideal use cases for insulated glass as well as review the pros and cons of installing it in your home.

Let’s go!

Insulated glass is meant to reduce heat loss and heat gain, the transfer of heat. It will also help reduce unwanted outside noise such as traffic etc…

In winter, this glass will stop heat from escaping to the outdoors. Insulated glass can be found in places where temperature control is important, places where humidity has to be kept in check. If a lot of energy goes towards cooling or heating a building, chances are you’ll find the insulated glass.  

Insulated windows have multiple layers of glass. This doesn’t just serve to regulate temperature, it can even help with blocking noise. 

With a pocket of air or gas in between the panes of glass, sound doesn’t easily go through. 

What’s more, additional layers of glass also mean more security. The filling in between the panes acts as buffers against any pressure or force. Bad weather and bad people will have to think twice before dealing with this kind of glass.

It might not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about reasons to go for insulated glass. 

Still, protecting belongings is one thing it excels at. 

While curtains, carpets, and antique furniture can all take a beating from direct sunlight, certain types of insulated glass are a great way to allow for the functionality of a window without having to rearrange rooms for fear of sunlight. 

You can imagine the amount of pressure in between the panes of glass in an insulated window.

All it takes is for one pane to break, and the whole thing will need replacing. You wouldn’t want even a bit of that gas escaping because that’s all your protection flying out the window. 

This means you can’t have an insulated glass unit repaired once it’s broken. 

Now, while insulated glass can come across as being a bit pricey, when you consider what it can do for you in terms of energy conservation, it’s well worth it. 

You’ll come to realize that it actually saves more energy while minimizing costs. The return on investment is just too good to miss out on.

The location of your home will have an impact on the kind of glass you end up choosing as well. 

You need to look at how exposed the house is to the sun. Pay attention to which areas get the most and the least amount of sunlight. This will help you decide which kind of windows should be placed where.  

There’s no point in getting normal windows if certain corners of your house could do without the glare, for example. 

Your window frame choice will be determined by what you hope to gain from your insulated windows. 

For good insulation, you might want to consider fiberglass and vinyl window frames. Wooden window frames are perhaps a little too responsive.

With insulated glass, you don’t need the assistance of appliances to achieve optimal thermal comfort in your home. It’s a once-off expense that will offset your energy bill significantly. 

Even with extreme weather, insulated glass can regulate temperatures comfortably.

You don’t have to compromise when it comes to style either. 

Any kind of glass can be insulated, whether patterned, tinted, or anything in between as long as one surface is flat with no texture. You can still achieve your design or aesthetic goals without neglecting the practical and energy-saving benefits of insulated glass. 

You get to reap the benefits of energy-efficient glass without taking away the visual appeal.

Low E-Glass is usually produced by applying a silver coating between panes of glass. The ‘e’ in e-glass doesn’t stand for energy, it stands for emissivity and it’s all about how much energy a surface can radiate. The lower the emissivity, the better the insulation, and that can prove useful in any kind of weather. 

Low-e glass reduces the amount of radiant energy, resulting in lower heat transfer. 

In winter, heat is contained as its reflected back inside, preventing heat loss from occurring. 

In the summer, heat bounces right off the exterior glass. 

Depending on whether you’re going for the passive or solar control e-glass, you’ll have a little heat coming through with the former and none at all with the latter. 

Windows are pretty vulnerable to energy loss, and if you have certain energy efficiency objectives; low e-glass is definitely worth looking into. 

We know that UV rays make fabrics and wall coverings fade and infrared light gives off heat, which is why you might want to keep it at bay if you live in a typically warm climate. 

The beauty of e-glass is in its ability to ward off all that energy while allowing visible light through. 

For warmer regions, you can then get that tint so you don’t spend a fortune trying to cool down the place. You won’t have to spend so much money keeping light bulbs on either, as you’ll have plenty of natural light flowing through. 

What’s more, maintenance is kept to a minimum because the coating is in the glass. 

For those interested in commercial Low-E Glass installation, visibility may be a concern. As mentioned earlier, the protective coating used in low e is so completely transparent, you’d need a microscope if you wanted to see it. 

Low-E and tinted glass are totally different, however. 

Tinted glass reduces the amount of visible light passing through but heat-causing infrared rays still manage to get past the tint, while low-e, as you know already, cuts down heat transfer drastically.  

So maybe you don’t want to track down your window manufacturer and ask if your windows were fitted with low e-glass. 

You can conduct a test of your own at home, it’s as simple as watching how the glass reflects light. 

Get a lighter or a laser pointer and stick it up to the glass. If one of the reflections has a different color, you’ve got low-e. 

While this kind of glass is transparent, you can make out a greenish/purplish hue if you look close enough. 

You can also place a piece of white paper behind the glass and if it comes out clear and white on the other side, then it’s not low-e but if you get that subtle shade of green/purple, then you’ve probably got yourself some low-e.

You know the advantages and drawbacks of insulated glass, and you even know a thing or two about low e-glass. 

So you have all you need to get your insulated glass window installation done. 

After setting out a clear set of objectives, you’ll want to contact a window and glass professional to help you take action. 

The benefits obviously outweigh the disadvantages, and by now you should have seen what a worthy investment insulated glass is. You probably have a few ideas already in the midst of all your brainstorming. 

No salesperson can deceive you about insulated glass now that we’ve shed some light on it. 

But, as you navigate the world of energy-efficient windows, you’ll have to learn not to act on first impressions. Take whatever knowledge you’re confronted with and do your homework. Your windows will have to last you for decades, so you can’t afford to make a mistake when making this decision. 

Don’t be fooled by all the fancy words and the scientific explanations, just stick to what your home needs. 

Think location, long-term benefits, and energy efficiency. 

If ever in doubt, there are professionals ready to help you make sense of it all. There’s just no reason why something as transparent as windows has to be so obscure, and we’re happy to demystify it all for you. 

At Demers Glass, we’ve been insulating, installing, and repairing windows for decades. Our track record stands as a testament to our efficiency, quality, and professionalism. 

Contact us today about your insulated glass window installation and we’ll ensure that you enjoy a smooth process.