Glass

Low emission or low E glass has been developed as an energy efficient option for domestic and commercial applications. It has a metal oxide coating which increases the energy efficiency of windows by reducing the transfer of heat, or cold through glass. That means in the summer your house stays cooler, and in the winter it stays warmer.

Argon is a natural, colourless, inert, non-toxic gas which improves the thermal efficiency of a window when it fills the air gap between the double glazing.

Toughened or tempered glass is produced by heating ordinary float glass to a temperature of 620 degrees C and then rapidly cooling it. This produces a glass that is 5 times stronger, and if broken breaks into tiny blunt pieces rather than sharp shards.

To put it simply, a U value is the measure of the rate of heat loss through a material. Therefore in all aspects of home design one should strive for the lowest U value possible because, the lower the U value, the less heat that is needlessly escaping.