Window Coatings and Thermal Gases

You can judge a window by its cover! Understanding the importance of window coatings and thermal gases.

Low-E coatings

Not surprisingly the windows glass is important for the overall window energy performance and what type of coating has a big effect on the U-Factor of a window. We are talking about low-e coatings.
Low –E coatings are microscopically thin layers of metal oxide that’s bonded to the surface of the window‘s glass. This coating prevents heat and ultra- violet rays from passing through the glass.

What does this do?

The blue area where we are located is the energy star northern zone. Where highly insulating windows are most effective.

A window with a Low –e Coating does a better job at keeping the heat in during the winter and out during the summer. Basically a Low-e coating aides in decreasing your energy use and therefore your bills in the winter and the summer months.

In the cold climate that we live in a Low –e coatings are a major plus and will reduce the amount of energy to heat the home. In fact, the coatings were initially devised to save energy in cold climates.

Low -e coatings are not the only invisible helpers we have today aiding in making windows super energy savers. There are also thermal gases used for this called Argon and Krypton.

Argon and Krypton Gases

Not all windows a recreated equal and there are differences between the window families. To make sure you are getting the most energy efficient and best value for our money make sure that you check to see if the multi paned windows are gas filled and if they are, what gas they are filled with.

There are generally two types of gases used in windows, Argon and Krypton.

Krypton generally provides a higher an R-value/ lower U factor than Argon.

Krypton is an odorless, colorless, gas, that is heavier then air. Krypton is used in Insulating Glass Units (IGU) as an insulator. Krypton has no effect on direct sunlight that comes thru the window glass.

Krypton is normally used in narrow airspace units. That means that there are three lutes of glass in the IGU.