PALO ALTO, CALIF.—Southwall Technologies Inc. and Pleotint LLC announced the world’s first installation of high-performance insulating glass that combines Southwall’s Heat Mirror suspended-film technology with Pleotint’s Sunlight Responsive Thermochromic (SRT) technology. The complementary technologies combine to deliver increased energy savings by reducing solar heat gain and glare during peak electrical usage hours, providing optimal daylighting during non-peak hours, while delivering maximum thermal insulation 24 hours a day.
The product was manufactured by Southwall Insulating Glass and installed at Pleotint’s corporate headquarters in West Olive, Mich. The combined solution provides superior center of glass insulating performance of 0.13 (R8) with Argon gas fill. In addition, visible light transmission and solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) adaptively vary based on sun exposure from 44 percent to below 10 percent and from 0.28 percent down to 0.12 percent, respectively. While not part of the initial product configuration, options such as a second Heat Mirror film, Krypton gas, or both, could be used to further improve center of glass insulating performance below 0.10 (R10).
“Southwall is a true innovator in energy-saving films and glass, and we are proud to work with them to provide the industry with such a high performance insulating glass solution,” said Harlan Byker, CEO of Pleotint. “We have had the opportunity to see and feel the effects of the solution first-hand in our headquarters. The heat gain from the sun is gone, you can’t feel it.”
“Dynamic heat gain management and high thermal insulation are complementary solutions,” said Dennis Capovilla, CEO of Southwall Technologies. “We are excited about our work with Pleotint to combine two technologies and deliver the industry’s most complete glazing solution.”
Southwall Technologies and Pleotint will showcase the new high performance insulating glass product at the upcoming Greenbuild show in Toronto on October 4 to 7.
