Heat Mirror

Northern Virginia's The Window man is proud to carry the Heat Mirror™ family of products. The choice of the right glazing is one of the most important and far-reaching decisions that an architect or building owner will make. This decision impacts the overall design, human comfort, energy efficiency, mechanical HVAC design and loads, daylighting, condensation control, ultraviolet fading and sound control. In the design of any building (whether it be residential, commercial or industrial) one must look at and take into consideration the six principal glazing design challenges. These are: Winter Comfort and Heating Load Summer Comfort Cooling Load Natural Daylighting Appearance and Reflectivity Ultraviolet Fading Control Condensation Control The Heat Mirror™ family of wavelength-selective products offer the solution to all glazing design challenges such as climate, elevation and application. These solutions provide unparalleled flexibility to "tune" a building to meet these needs. As more and more architects, builders and homeowners adopt Southwall's technology buildings will move from part of the environmental problem to part of its solution. HEAT MIRROR™ INSULATING GLASS Heat Mirror™ is a low-emissivity coated film product suspended inside an insulating glass unit. The result is a triple unit with two airspace's without the weight of triple insulating glass and with far superior insulating and shading performance. The Window Man offers two types of Heat Mirror™, they are: HM 88 and HM 66. These range from the low reflectance, high-light transmittance performance of Heat Mirror 88 through the shading performance of Heat Mirror 66. All Heat Mirror products can be used with virtually any type of glass - clear, heat absorbing, reflective, heat-strengthened, tempered, laminated - to achieve superior performance in a wide range of aesthetics. HEAT MIRROR™ PLUS INSULATING GLASS Heat Mirror Plus™ substitutes one lite of low-emissivity coated glass for the uncoated glass used in the Heat Mirror unit. With an optional Argon or Krypton filling, a U-Value of less than .12 (R-value of 8.33) can be achieved. This product meets the criteria for institutional projects or projects requiring high insulation values and is available in custom sizes and shapes. SUPERGLASS SYSTEM™ Introduced in 1990, the Superglass System® has become the most energy-efficient glazing product on the market to be offered in a l" overall thickness. A U-value of .11 (R-Value of 9.09) is achieved by using two HM 88 films suspended inside two 1/8" pieces of glass. This insulating glass unit is filled with krypton gas and features a patented tape system for gas retention. Superglass further offers a thermally broken, insolating spacer to stop conduction through the edge of the glass. This achieves a lower U-value for the entire unit, thus a higher R-Value. (Exact U-values are dependent upon the framing system used.) Units are available in custom sizes for projects requiring high insulation, but limited in the overall thickness of glass such as operable windows. IMPROVED SOLAR HEAT CONTROL 1. Exterior Radiated heat is reflected 2. Direct heat coming in is reduced 3.Interior Radiated Heat is reflected Heat Mirror insulating glass is available with a variety of clear coatings for mastering the sun's heat. From Heat Mirror 66 to Heat Mirror 88, solar heat gain is properly controlled, and offers you energy efficiency with relation to HVAC costs. IMPROVED COMFORT Even when outside temperatures are very low, Heat Mirror keeps the interior glass temperature close to the room temperature, reducing drafts and chilly spots near windows. MINIMAL CONDENSATION Heat Mirror resists wintertime condensation at exterior temperatures up to 45 degrees colder than conventional insulating glass, a particularly important benefit for pool and spa enclosures, computer rooms, and other high-humidity environments. REDUCED FABRIC FADING Heat Mirror insulating glass blocks 99.5% of the sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation, helping reduce damage to valuable furnishings and merchandise from fading and deterioration. Laboratory studies indicate that fabrics behind clear Heat Mirror glazing resist fading and retain their original color up to three times longer than fabrics behind clear single pane glass. NOISE CONTROL In noisy environments, Heat Mirror's unique construction insulates against unwanted sound transmission better than ordinary double-pane windows. Heat Mirror can be used with laminated glass on the inboard and/or outboard light for maximum noise control. For more information, stop by one of our three Northern Virginia showrooms today.