With greater emphasis being placed on how to save energy in both residential and commercial buildings, and with the introduction of energy regulations, glass plays an increasingly important role. The selection of increased thermal insulation or glass with lower U value, combined with solar control, is an important and critical decision in the building envelope’s overall performance. As U value decreases, so does the amount of heat that is transferred through the glass or window. The lower the U value, the better the thermal insulation.
Viridian ThermoTech™ is a range of sealed insulating glass units, sometimes known as double-glazed units, that offer improved insulation. For example, by incorporating Viridian EnergyTech™, a low-emissivity (low-E) glass for greater thermal insulation, ThermoTech™ decreases heat conduction between outside and inside; or by selecting solar-control glass with reflective or low-E coatings (such as Viridian EVantage™), ThermoTech™ can optimize energy management with natural light transmission.
ThermoTech™ improves comfort for the building occupants in hot and cold areas adjacent to windows, reducing heating and cooling costs. By reducing air-to-air heat transfer, ThermoTech™ provides a more stable and controllable internal environment and is suitable for all climates.
An important component of any insulating glass unit is the spacer that separates the two panes of glass. With ThermoTech™, there are two types of spacer available within the range.
The first is a metal spacer, which separates and seals to provide a hermetically sealed airspace. It has a primary water vapour proof seal, and the secondary seal is supplied standard as polysulphide. A structural silicone secondary seal is an option upon request. The airspace is provided with a desiccant to prevent condensation forming within the unit.
The second type of spacer is Thermoplastic Spacer TPS®, which is a butyl-based material that is UV stable with integrated desiccant. This non-metallic spacer offers the ultimate heat insulation. In itself, it is an effective gas and moisture barrier. Units are supplied with polysulphide secondary seal as standard. The space between the panes of glass is filled with argon gas as standard, which further enhances the performance of the unit. While the U value of clear single glass is 5.9, a ThermoTech™ insulating glass unit with 12 mm space between two panes of EnergyTech™ filled with argon gas has a U value of only 1.48, an insulation improvement of almost 75%. Combined with a silicone secondary seal, it is perfectly suited to structural glazing. As with the metal spacer, structural silicone is available upon request.