According to the US DOE, Low-e glass is significantly better than regular glass, BUT which way the treated surface should face depends on whether one wants to prevent heat loss from the building in winter or heat gain from outside in summer.
So what do you do when you live in a region with significant temperature variations, such as Michigan?
Perce
How significant are the variations? I live in the desert, so I know what my choice would be. Consider the rising cost of your Winter energy cost, I guess?
Oren
"My doctor says I have a malformed public-duty gland and a natural deficiency in moral fiber, and that I am therefore excused from saving Universes."
Well, if you simply want to minimize conduction and IR transmission, why would you care which way you orient the window? I wouldn't, and don't- AFAIK the glass units in my windows are not directional.
It's not just surface-stuff. Low conductance also.
HTH, J
So with double glazed windows why not do one pane treated out and one pane treated in ....
On 10/24/05 04:57 pm mike hide tossed the following ingredients into the ever-growing pot of cybersoup:
I thought of that, but I'm not sure that the factory-replacement glass assemblies for our doors are available that way. I'll have to check.
Perce
they reflect heat. you either want it reflected back outside, or reflected back inside. you don't want it to trap the heat between the 2 pieces of glass (the layer goes on the inside of panes in a double glazed window).
On 10/24/05 05:47 pm Percival P. Cassidy tossed the following ingredients into the ever-growing pot of cybersoup:
The answer came already: the Low-e coating is on one side only, but the glass assemblies are reversible. Reverse them each fall and spring?
Perce
I really wonder how much of a different there is. I suspect little. It will reflect heat both ways.
"Percival P. Cassidy" wrote
Hope these couple of links, give you a better understanding on how Low-e works.
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