About Low-E Glass

Low-E, meaning ‘low emissivity’ is an extremely thin layer of metallic particles, or more commonly several layers, applied to the glass which, in simple terms, allows the glass to act like a sieve. Long wavelengths, or heat, are filtered out, while short wavelengths (the visible light spectrum) are allowed to pass through.

Low E glass was introduced in 1979 and has changed quite a bit since then, it is now the standard for all new windows, in new homes.
Low E glass allows the passage of visible light but blocks a percentage of the infrared and UV light. It does this by utilizing a thin metallic coating on or in the glass.

UV (Ultraviolet) light is the unwanted part of sun light that damages your skin, fabrics, furniture and causes colors to fade. This means that low E glass helps protect your valuables from UV light.

Infrared light is basically heat. This is the part of sunlight that heats objects. During summer low E glass helps keep the unwanted heat outside. During winter, all objects inside your home are heated (by your heater). This radiant heat is also bounced back into your house by low E glass. This helps save on heating and cooling costs.

Low E glass is worth the price, specially since an average house exchanges most of its heat through its windows. In most houses, the investment made on low E glass is retuned in the first one to two years.