low-e glass - how much does it affect light quality?
Bunny
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
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Bunny
8 years agoRelated Discussions
How much does HGTV and current trends affect your choices?
Comments (55)I used to watch it. Some of it's first design shows were OK. But then it degenerated into more TV than design. When I found myself shouting at the screen over some crap they inflicted on someone or they had some self important and indulgent teenagers searching for million dollar homes, I quit watching. Unfortunately, it does seem to be popular with many of my clients. And I have to disabuse them of the notion that a kitchen can be done on 2K in 2 days. Even on one of the shows that actually does discuss a true kitchen budget, the labor numbers are always way low because they are subsidizing it. In the real world, there is no way that a 50K budget for a redo ends up with only 7K worth of labor costs. And, I think it's a huge disservice to their viewership to present such fiction cloaked as fact. "It's TV entertainment, not real life." is a line that I often have to repeat to people who didn't really do their research before beginning the process....See MoreLow E Versus Low E Squared
Comments (8)harley, LowE2 (or more correctly LoE^2 - squared) is Cardinal's copyrighted designation for their dual-silver coating. Since Cardinal is the 800lb gorilla of the residential LowE market, it is pretty common to see folks using the term(s) LowE-two or LowE-squared when speaking about any of the various dual-silver coated products - whether a Cardinal-version LowE2 coating or not. Are LowE2 and LowE "...the the same and it is window lingo in the window business..." - well, absolutely no to the first comment - and a qualified "sort of" to the second. While it isn't uncommon for folks to refer to LowE2 as simply LowE - even in the window business - when speaking specifics, as you asked, then I suspect that the person with whom you spoke is somewhat ignorant of his ignorance in this area - based on what he told you. They are definitely NOT the same thing, and while folks in the window industry may refer to various versions of coatings as "LowE" at times to one another, it is with the understanding that everyone involved understands exactly what product is being discussed. If there was any question then the speakers would likely be more specific about which coating they were refering to. A typical softcoat LowE may have from five to seven layers of metals or metal oxides. The primary or "active ingredient" of those layers is a single layer of silver. A LowE2 coating may have from seven to 11 layers of metals and metal oxides with two of those layers being silver. Thus the "squared" part of the name - twice the silver in the LowE^2. The silver layers are the actual reason that the coating works - the other layers are also important for a variety of reasons - but it is the silver layers that block the heat. By definition, a LowE coating can be either a hardcoat (primarily a layer of tin-oxide that is applied when the glass is still hot in the furnace) or it could be a single-silver layer softcoat product. A LowE2 coating, on the other hand, is always a softcoat. While a LowE coating will benefit you in a heating climate, a LowE2 will benefit you in both heating and cooling areas. Following up on skydawggy's reply: who is the window manufacturer? Give them another call and ask what coating is on the window's - is it Cardinal's? AFG? Guardian? Pilkington? Other? If they answer yor question about who manufactured the coating then ask for the "name" or designation of the coating - from that we can tell you if it is hard or soft coat and if it is dual or single silver - if a softcoat - LowE or LowE2. I also agree with skydawggy that it isn't a matter of the price difference, it is a matter of a potentially major performance difference that is at issue. Hopefully the label was as ignorant as the individual that you spoke to on the telephone and that you do have a LowE2 coating. One other quick comment - there is something of a common misconception (even among some otherwise knowledgeable window folks) that while LowE is a coating applied to one surface of a dual pane IG unit (applied to surface 2 or 3 in the IGU), and that LowE2 consists of a LowE coating on two surfaces (2 and 3), this is not the case (see LowE and LowE2 as explained above). While there have been, and without doubt still are, some companies that do build IG units with LowE coatings on surface 2 and 3 in a dual pane window - if anyone is dealing with a company that advertises such - then RUN (don't walk) away from that company. Having two surfaces (2 and 3) with a LowE coating in a dual pane is a sales gimmick that will cause problems with the IG unit due to heat retention between the lites. It is a very bad idea that is best avoided - completely. Triple pane IG's are a totally different story, however. In a triple pane coating two lites works very well and is a primary reason for the increased energy performance of triple pane IG units over dual pane IG units....See MoreLow E glass, appearance
Comments (9)Dafreak, For window rehabbing you can try: Restoration Works Inc. - http://restorationworksinc.com/ If they are not in your area, they likely will know someone that is. If Angie's List is active in your area, it is worth the cost to sign up and check out member comments and referrals. You can also try posting a query on the Old House Journal Online Forum. http://www.oldhousejournal.com/cgi-local/forum1/index2.pl Good luck and don't stop keeping the folks on the Tim Johnson board honest....See MoreShopping replacement windows..Low E glass and houseplants?
Comments (2)Here's some info about the effects of Low E glass on houseplants. http://www.pilkington.com/resources/ats148swplantgrowthbehindlowe20050725.doc What state do you live in? I haven't heard of a state requiring Low E Glass and would like to research it. There are much better quality windows out there for considerably less than Andersen. I'd shop around a little and get some more estimates....See MoreBunny
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