Fact:

Heat Mirror is not a visually reflective product and does not give a mirror image as its name might suggest.  The name, Heat Mirror, has to be taken literally.  Heat Mirror is highly reflective to the near-infrared or heat component of the solar spectrum.  Heat Mirror provides an exceptionally clear "visual read" through the glass while reflecting heat back to its source--to the outside in the summer--to the inside in the winter.

There are nine different Heat Mirror products ranging from highly transparent to visually reflective.  The intended use and visual criteria for the project dictates which product is recommended. 

Fact:

The term "low-e" refers to a group of metallic-coated glass (or suspended coated film) products that reflect heat and transmit light in varying degrees.  The generic term "low-e" refers to how they work, not to how-well they work.

Low-e coatings fall into two main categories:  (1) sputtered (soft-coat), a high-performance coating that must be sealed in an insulating glass unit, and (2) pyrolytic (hard-coat), a generally less effective coating. Pyrolitic low-e does not need to be sealed into an insulating glass unit.  While pyrolitic low-e insulating glass is an improvement over double-pane glass for winter insulation, it performs poorly when used to keep out excess heat in the summer.

Fact:

Heat Mirror is a brand name for a type of high-performance insulating glass. The low-emissivity, coated, polyester film is only one of the components that contribute to Heat Mirror's "total performance" package of benefits.  In addition to the low-e coated film, Heat Mirror's patented suspension system creates two air spaces for superior insulation.

Fact:

A low-e coating by itself does not improve insulation-it has to be teamed with an air space to be effective.  Two air spaces insulate better than one and wide air spaces insulate better than narrow.  Combined with one or more air spaces, low-e coatings boost insulation performance to varying degrees. Heat Mirror products are the highest in overall performance.

Fact:

Many types of low-e insulating glass are designed to improve winter insulation.  To effectively limit solar heat gain in summer, some low-e manufacturers have to use tinted or reflective glass, which blocks light along with the solar heat.  Within the Heat Mirror family of wavelength-selective, suspended coated films, one can choose a product which provides a low shading coefficient to control heat gain while still effectively controlling heat loss as well.  Combined with clear glass, this product appears visually clear and neutral in color.

Fact:

Sputtered low-e coatings, whether on glass or polyester, last as long as the seal in the insulating glass unit.  If the seal fails, the unit will fail regardless of whether the unit is a low-e unit, a Heat Mirror unit, or a standard insulating glass unit.  Heat Mirror insulating glass is regularly tested for durability at independent test laboratories using industry standard test procedures, and repeatedly passes at the highest possible levels.

Heat Mirror insulating glass units are manufactured according to IGCC (Insulating Glass Certification Council) CBA "A" Level Certification and SIGMA (Sealed Insulating Glass Manufacturers Association) CBA "A" Level  Certification. 

Fact:

No low-e product completely eliminates fading because both ultraviolet (UV) radiation and visible light cause fading.

The Heat Mirror products block most of the damaging ultraviolet, offering more fading protection than any other glass-coated, tinted, or reflective.  The Heat Mirror products effectively block 99.5% of harmful UV radiation.

Fact:

The choice of the right glass is one of the most important, critical, and far-reaching decisions that one will make on a building.  The type of glass used has more spin-off impact than virtually any other construction material.  The glass decision impacts: