Choosing the right glazing is one of the most important and far-reaching decisions an architect or building owner must make. This decision affects overall design, human comfort, energy efficiency, HVAC design and mechanical loads, daylighting, condensation control, ultraviolet attenuation, and sound control. In the design of any building (whether residential, commercial or industrial) the six main challenges of glazing design must be observed and taken into account. These are:

o Winter Comfort and Heating Load

o Summer Comfort Cooling Charge

or natural lighting

o Appearance and Reflectivity

o Ultraviolet fade control

o Condensation Control

The Heat Mirror(TM) family of wavelength selective products offers the solution to all glazing design challenges including climate, elevation and application. These solutions provide unparalleled flexibility to “fine tune” a building to meet these needs. As more and more architects, builders and owners embrace Southwall’s technology, buildings will move from being part of the environmental problem to being part of its solution.

Heat Mirror(TM) is a low-E coated film product suspended within an insulating glass unit. The result is a triple unit with two air spaces without the weight of triple insulated glass and with far superior insulation and shading performance. The Window Man offers two types of Heat Mirror(TM) which are: HM 88 and HM 66. These range from the low reflectance, high light transmission performance of Heat Mirror 88 to the shading performance of Heat Mirror 66.

All Heat Mirror products can be used with virtually any type of glass (clear, heat absorbing, reflective, heat-strengthened, tempered, laminated) to achieve superior performance in a wide variety of aesthetic aspects.

Heat Mirror insulated glass is available with a variety of clear coatings to tame the sun’s heat. From Heat Mirror 66 to Heat Mirror 88, solar heat gain is properly controlled and offers you energy efficiency relative to HVAC costs and provides the following benefits.

improved comfort

Even when outside temperatures are very low, Heat Mirror maintains

the inside temperature of the glass close to room temperature,

reducing drafts and cold spots near windows.

minimal condensation

Heat Mirror resists winter condensation at outdoor temperatures

up to 45 degrees cooler than conventional insulated glass, a

particularly important benefit for pool and spa enclosures,

computer rooms and other high humidity environments.

Reduced fabric fading

Heat Mirror insulated glass blocks 99.5% of the sun’s ultraviolet rays

(UV), which helps reduce damage to valuable furniture

and goods against fading and deterioration. Laboratory

Studies indicate that the fabrics behind the clear Heat Mirror glazing

resist fading and retain its original color up to three times

longer than fabrics behind clear single-pane glass.

noise control

In noisy environments, the unique construction of Heat Mirror

insulates against unwanted sound transmission better than

Ordinary double pane windows. Heat Mirror can be used with

laminated glass in interior and/or exterior light for maximum

Noise control.

After 14 years in the window replacement business, I have found that most people have little to no knowledge of the availability of window products other than argon filled, low E glass. windows are replaced in the primary concern of energy efficiency and reduced heating and cooling costs.

I suggest taking the time to check out various vendors and the R and U values ​​of the window products they offer, as this will benefit you in the long run in making the right choice.

The two products I have sold over the years are Traco and Kensington, both of which have websites with lots of information on their products.

More information about Heat Mirror(TM) can be found at http://southwall.com/.