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'Insulated Glazing Unit' or 'Insulating Glass Unit' (commonly referred to as 'IGU') is described as two or more lites of glass spaced apart and hermetically sealed to form a single glazed unit with an air space between each lite. As the name suggests, the most important function of and IGU is to improve the thermal performance of glass when used in architectural applications. 'Sealed Insulating Glass' (abbreviated 'SIG') is another name commonly used in North America.
The most commonly found IGUs are double glazed, i.e. made with two lites of glass and are therefore also referred to as "double glazing units" or "DGU" (especially in Europe) but IGUs with three lites or more, i.e. "triple glazing" are sometimes used for in very cold climates. Insulated glazing may be framed in a sash or frame or in a curtain wall. IGUs are also commonly used for replacement windows.

Contents

Insulating glass

Glass coatings

Low-emissivity coating

See also

External links

Insulating glass

IGU made of glass is called insulated glass (which refers to heat insulation, not sound[1]). A more technically correct term, though, is insulating glass, since the glass itself has no insulative properties. It is actually the air space between the glass layers (lites) that provides the insulative qualities.
The air space between the lites may be filled with air or an inert gas like argon or krypton which would provide better insulating performance. Typically the spacer is filled with desiccant to prevent condensation and improve insulating performance. Less commonly, most of the air is removed, leaving a partial vacuum, which drastically reduces heat transfer through convection and conduction. This is called evacuated glazing.
Often the insulating quality is used in reference to heat flow where the gap between glazed sheets is the insulating medium.
The air gap between the panes is generally between 12mm to 20mm thick. The thickness does impact the insulating properties substantially. A 16mm air gap is considered the optimum thickness and is usually recommended by most users.
In some situations the insulation is in reference to noise mitigation. In these circumstances a large gap improves the noise insulation quality or Sound transmission class.
Insulated glass may not be cut to size in the field like plate glass but must be manufactured to the proper size in a shop equipped with special equipment.

Glass coatings

The heat and sound insulation of glazing may also be improved through the use of a film or coating applied to its surface. This film is typically made of polyester or metal, and may give a reflective appearance and one-way mirror effect to the window, and may improve both heat and sound insulation. This may be used on single-glazed windows as an alternative to insulated glazing, or on the outside layer of insulated glazing to further improve its effectiveness.[2] Such coatings may reduce fading of fabric and improve safety in the case of breakage.[3]
"Secondary glazing" is sometimes used as a cheaper alternative. This consists of a layer of glazing placed retrofitted inside the window, to provide sound and heat insulation. Plastic sheet may be used for heat insulation, but may only last for one season.[4]

Low-emissivity coating

Low-emissivity (Low-E) glass has a thin metal coating on the glass within its airspace that reflects thermal radiation back into the interior, and allows solar radiation into the room. Thus, the coating helps to reduce heatloss but allows the room to be warmed by any sunshine.The low-e coating is on the inside pane of glass, if solar control is required then the outside pane of glass would have either a film or a body tint to reflect solar radiation. The principle of operation is similar to the greenhouse effect where short wavelength radiation is transmitted through the pane, but longer wavelength radiation is reflected.

See also

★ Curtain wall

★ Glass

★ G-value

External links

★ Double Glazing Insulating Glass Blog - Blog concerned with research, development and manufacture of decorative applications in double glazing insulating glass units with aerogel components.

★ Energy Efficient Windows and damage to trees / landscaping

★ Double Glazing

★ GlassMagazine.net - Articles - insulating glass may not help with sound.