| a low-emissivity glazing The level of thermal insulation is expressed by the U-value, which represents the flow of heat passing through 1 m2 of facade to lead to a temperature difference of 1 degree between the inside and outside of the room. The lower the U-value, the less heat is lost through the glass. The Thermobel Stopray coating is considered a low-emissivity or 'high-performance' coating because it reflects heat (i.e., distant infrared emanating from heat sources - see fig. 4) back into the interior of the building, thereby reducing the transfer of ambient heat to the outside world. The insulating power of Thermobel Stopray can be more than twice that of conventional double glazing, and nearly five times that of single glazing. As can be seen below (fig. 5), in glazing with a U-value of 1.1, the temperature of the inner pane of Thermobel Stopray glazing (17.3 °C) is nearly identical to that of the ambient interior temperature (20°) when the exterior temperature is 0°. The thermal insulation function is prized for its ability to: • ensure thermal comfort by eliminating the cold wall; • reduce energy consumption. Thermobel Stopray is also available with a Warm E spacer, to reduce to a minimum heat loss at the borders of the glass (see Thermobel Warm E brochure). |