November 7, 2005—Southwall Technologies Inc. has announced that its Heat Mirror sustainable energy window product was recognized for its continued superior performance in separate projects sponsored by US and Canadian energy efficiency agencies.
In the US, Heat Mirror was the winning window solution for the second consecutive time in the 2005 Solar Decathlon, a solar-powered home competition primarily sponsored by the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Heat Mirror was also incorporated in the winning design at the previous Solar Decathlon in 2002, the inaugural event of the competition, says the company.
Durham College in Toronto also utilized Heat Mirror to achieve performance 43% above the Canadian Model Energy Code, earning it an award from Natural Resources Canada’s Office of Energy Efficiency. The Canadian government monitored the initial project for one year after completion to determine its performance level, and due to its superior results, Heat Mirror is now the standard glass specification at Durham. Five additional buildings have been built using Heat Mirror since the original project, notes the company.
Heat Mirror is a clear, low-e coated film that is suspended in the middle of the air space in a double insulating glass unit. Southwall Technologies produces 12 different low-e coatings on the colorless suspended film, which are designated by the numbers following the Heat Mirror name. Since these low-e coated films are only available sealed within an insulating glass unit, the entire product is usually referred to as Heat Mirror.
For more information, visit the Southwall Web site.
