The benefits of Saint-Gobain double glazing

We spend 90% of our time indoors.

Insulated glass units create comfortable homes and buildings, as they offer benefits that really enhance the building you live or work in.

A double glazing unit is a combination of two panes of glass spaced apart with a spacer bar and sealed with a primary and secondary sealant to form a single airtight unit with an air space in between.

By combining two sheets of glass, we can offer solutions to a range of different problems. These can include keeping the heat in your rooms, stopping unwanted excessive heat from the sun, keeping noise out or making your home more secure.

The basic function is possible thanks to a transparent coating on one surface of the glass which reflects heat back into the building, thereby reducing heat loss through the window.

In addition, the coating also allows large amounts of free solar energy to enter the building, thereby heating it passively. Low-E insulating glazing can therefore be a net contributor to energy in buildings.

 

Components of double glazing

The double glazed unit (DGU), which fits within a window frame, is comprised of seven components:

• A Spacer Bar – a frame that separates the two panels of glass, creating a cavity. The spacer bar can be aluminium or warm-edge.
• Desiccant – a silicon material used in the spacer bar to dry up moisture trapped within the cavity
• A primary seal – the main barrier to air or moisture migration into the double glazed unit (DGU)
• The glass – clear, solar control, Low E, self-cleaning, acoustic, toughened, laminated or a combination
• The secondary seal – the main structural adhesive around the outside edge of the unit, holding all the elements together
• The cavity – the void formed between the component parts
• The gas filling the cavity – dehydrated air, argon, krypton or xenon.

Positioning of specialist glass within a double glazing window

A double glazing window has four faces.
Face 1 – the outer pane, atmosphere side
Face 2 – the outer pane, cavity side
Face 3 – the inner pane, cavity side
Face 4 – the inner pane, room side

It is important that specialist types of glass, such as Low E or self-cleaning, be positioned on specific faces within the double glazing window when a window replacement is made. For example:

• Self cleaning glass must always be positioned on the outer pane, with the coating on phase 1.
• Solar control glass should be positioned on face 2 of the double glazing window.
• Low E glass can be used on either the inner or the outer pane - but the coating must always be on face 2 or 3 of the unit.

Benefits of our double glazing

High-performance double glazing serving energy efficiency and light transmission.

The increase in strict environmental and thermal regulations and the desire to minimise energy expenses are leading to the more generalised use of efficient thermal insulation and solar gain glazing. Saint-Gobain double glazing solutions perfectly achieve these aims while retaining a neutral and pleasant aesthetic appearance.

Our double glazed windows are specifically designed to reduce heat loss from homes and buildings and gives many other benefits:

• WINTER COMFORT

Our low-E glass achieves the best Enhanced Thermal Insulation for double glazing. It reduces heat loss to a minimum and maintains the internal face of the glazing at a temperature close to that of the internal ambient temperature.

As a result, even in the middle of winter, the ambient temperature remains pleasant immediately adjacent to the window.

• SUMMER COMFORT

With our glazing solutions, large glazed areas can be installed while limiting overheating. Thanks to the glazing's very low solar gain, Saint-Gobain double glazed windows can reduce overheating in the home. It is especially useful for sunny south- and west-facing rooms and large glazed areas such as bi-fold or sliding glass doors. It allows you to have a connection with the outdoors during summer, whilst maintaining a pleasant indoor temperature.

• VISUAL COMFORT

Limiting solar gain means there is less need for additional protection such as shutters, blinds or curtains. With Saint-Gobain double glazing, large glazed areas can be installed and the occupants can enjoy the high light transmission that this glazing allows.

• ENERGY SAVINGS

Rising energy costs and international environmental agreements mean that low-energy consumption buildings are now the norm. We provide an ideal response to this need as it delivers a high level of energy efficiency. Thanks to its thermal insulation performance, our window glass minimises heat loss.

Additionally, thanks to its transparency, it transmits a high proportion of free solar gains that contribute significantly to the building’s heating. The beneficial combination of these two effects results in significant energy savings and, therefore, a reduction in CO2 emissions.

• ACOUSTIC COMFORT

There is a very broad range of solutions to match the level of noise attenuation depending on the type of exterior noise level. The more the home is exposed, the more it is useful and important to select glazing with high acoustic insulation. Double-glazing that includes acoustic insulation laminated glass can reduce by a factor xx the noise entering the home through closed windows.

• SAFETY COMFORT

Choosing glazing that delays breaking an entry will increase the safety of the entire family while effectively preventing intrusion. Numerous burglaries involve breaking a window when entering the property. Additionally, the occupants of the house are not protected in the event of an accidental breakage (e.g., when children are playing), which can have dramatic consequences. By installing laminated safety glass in the windows, the occupants are better protected.

Privacy: Enjoy the natural light, keeping privacy in the area of the building where privacy is important (e.g. bathroom).

Enhance your well-being by choosing our high performance double glazing solutions!

How is double glazing made?

A double glazing window comprises two panes of glass, separated by a spacer bar and seals to create a hermetically-sealed environment. The cavity width between the two panes, air or another gas filling used and the type of spacer bar, are all key factors in the unit’s final energy, solar and acoustic insulation properties.

The cavity is filled under vacuum conditions with either dehydrated air or an inert gas to improve insulation and prevent condensation within the unit. Depending on the gas filling used and the type of window, the cavity width for a double glazing window is generally between 4 to 20 mm. 

The recommended cavity width for Low E energy saving double glazing window when filled with dehydrated air is 16mm – and 14mm when the cavity is filled with argon gas. 
The cavity width requirements for acoustic insulation glazing depend very much on the specific insulation requirements and need to be advised on a case by case basis.