Heat Mirror insulating glass units contain clear, low-emissivity films suspended within the sealed airspace of a dual-pane IGU.
Paarhammer windows are already known for their excellent insulation performance, but a new glass technology brings this performance to a completely new level. Heat Mirror Glass is relatively unknown in the Australian market, but has been used for years overseas. For example, New York’s Empire State Building was refurbished in 2010, including the use of Heat Mirror glazing throughout – changes which were projected to save 4.4 million USD per year and 105,000 tonnes of CO2 emission in 15 years.
Heat Mirror (HM) insulating glass units (IGU) contain one or more clear, low-emissivity films suspended within the sealed airspace of a dual-pane IGU to create super insulating cavities that buffer against heat loss or heat gain. By combining with high-performance low-emissivity glass and argon or krypton gas fill, Heat Mirror IGUs can be used to tune building envelope performance by either maximizing or minimizing solar heat gain while optimizing daylighting and views. Through their extraordinarily high insulation properties and Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) performance matched to the needs of the site and local climate, Heat Mirror IGUs allow significant reductions in energy costs, and maintain a far more uniform air within the building for a more comfortable internal environment year round.
The IGUs also offer 99 percent block-out of harmful UV rays and 33 percent weight reduction compared to the equivalent triple glazed unit. A comprehensive Life Cycle Analysis completed by Eastman (Heat Mirror Manufacturer) shows that replacing the third pane of glass with film enables Heat Mirror IGUs to consume 30 percent less energy Cradle-to-Grave than the equivalent unit using conventional triple glazing. Heat Mirror IGUs have been recognized by Popular Science Magazine as one of the “Top 100 Inventions of the Millennium”.
Paarhammer sources its Heat Mirror units through Australia’s leading glass manufacturer Viridian Glass, part of Australian Building Products Company, CSR.