[26/05/2021]

Windows and Doors Buyers Guide 
Glazing Options

Glass is as important as any construction material that you’ll use in your home - so it pays to know exactly what glazing options will work best for you. 

There’s a lot of options out there, with each serving a different purpose or working better in a different setting.

There's glazing options for: 
- Energy Efficiency 
- Noise Reduction
- Privacy
- Security
- Safety 

This handy guide will help you choose the perfect glazing solutions for your home. 

Energy Efficient Glass 


Windows and doors can have a huge impact on the energy efficiency and thermal retention of your home, and thereare many glass options that offer improved insulation.

Double-glazed windows are always worth considering if you want to improve the energy efficiency of you home. They feature two panels of glass separated by a barrier of air or gas - most often argon. The argon gas slows the escape of heat and deflects the entry of cold air - providing better insulation by as much as 40%.

Also look into regular or laminated glass with low-emittance (Low-E) coatings. Options like Oceania Glass EnergyTech, SolTech, ComfortPlus and ComfortHush glass all improve energy efficiency with the ‘low e’ coatings fused to the glass to help control heat flow in and out of the window.

Lastly, refer to the Windows Energy Rating Scheme (WERS) rating of your windows and ensure that they align with the climate in which you live. 

Noise Reduction Glass 



As with thermal energy retention, your windows typically represent a weak spot when it comes to keeping out unwanted noise. Choosing the right glass is critical to how well your home can insulate noise. For example: 

Thicker glass can reduce lower frequency sounds, such as traffic and construction equipment. This is because thicker glass doesn’t resonate as much when it’s hit with soundwaves. 

Double glazing works well to block outlouder noises like aircraft, rail and heavy traffic. 

Laminated Glass can further help dampen the impact of soundwaves on single glazed windows through the application of a vinyl interlayer. 

The Weighted Sound Reduction Index (Rw) can give you an idea of how much sound your windows will block out and is rated to the sound level in decibels that the window can insulate against. For example, a window with an RW of 41 will reduce an external noise of 80Db (The sound of a freight train from 15 metres away) to 39 Db (roughly the noise of a quiet library) inside your home.    

All of these options are part of the Southern Star Group's Eclipse Sound Solutions range and can make a huge improvement in the acoustic performance of your home.
 

Privacy Glass
 


For bathrooms, bedrooms and any other space requiring a combination of light and privacy you have the option of obscure glass, which comes in the following varieties:

Cathedral Glass: A beautiful classic style featuring a visible wave texture. 

Translucent: A more contemporary style featuring a frosted effect that creates an opaque look. 

Satinlite: Blends classic and contemporary with a small textured square pattern. 

Security Glass 

Protecting your family and the security of your home is always going to be a priority – and with the right choice of performance glass you can ensure the safety of your loved ones and belongings.

An option like Oceania IntruderLam is 20 times harder to break through than standard float glass – and because it looks just like normal glass your home won’t have to look like a fortress to be safe. 

Safety Glass

Toughened Glass is produced by passing cut-to size annealed float glass through a heat furnace. Toughened glass can still be broken, but shatters into small fragments to reduce the risk of more severe injuries caused by larger glass shards. 

Laminated Glass is created by adhering two or more sheets of glass together with a flexible interlayer. The interlayer is made from a polyvinyl butyral (PVB) and stops the glass from disintegrating when broken.
  

The Right Glass For Your Home

Speaking to experts is the best way to ensure that you’re making the right window choice for your home. Our friendly team is always happy to guide you through all glass options on the market and help you make a choice based on your needs.

You can also view the Southern Star Group’s range of Glass options in our Digital Catalogue.

This is the third blog in our Windows & Doors Buyers Guide, you can view the other guides in the series below: 

1. Window Types Explained 
2. Door Types Explained