Low-emissivity or solar-control glass: when to choose each

Low-emissivity glass and solar-control glass sound alike and are often confused, but they solve different problems depending on the home's orientation and climate.

Low-emissivity glass: retains indoor heat

It has a microscopic coating that reflects heat generated by the heating back inside, reducing heat loss in winter without darkening the glass much. It is especially recommended on cold or low-sun orientations, where the main aim is not to lose the heat generated inside the home.

Solar-control glass: reduces heat gain

This treatment works the other way round: it reduces the amount of solar radiation (and therefore heat) entering from outside, without sacrificing too much brightness. It is the recommended option on very sunny facades, south or west orientations, or in warm climates where the main problem is overheating in summer, not heat loss in winter.

When to combine both treatments

On projects where the home has facades with very different orientations (a cold north face, another very sunny south one), it makes sense to combine low-emissivity glass on the cold orientations and solar-control on the most exposed ones, instead of applying the same solution to the whole home for uniformity.

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