Are Glass Panels of Iron Door Energy-Efficient?

What is insulated glass?

Insulated glass is a multiple panes glass unit separated by an inert air space and sealed at the edge; there are dual panes, triple panes, and quadruple panes. Double panes insulated glass is most commonly used.

How can the insulated glass be energy-efficient?

The insulated glass is designed by the multi-pane glass; in between every two glass panes, there is a hollow space filled with an inert gas. The inert gas such as argon or krypton can prevent heat from efficiently transferring between the indoors and outdoors.

How can you tell it is insulated glass?

It is simple to judge an insulated glass by the aluminum alloy strip, and the aluminum can be easy to see because of its silver color. Single-pane glass has no strip,dual-pane glass needs one strip to separate the glasses, triple-pane glass has two strips, while a quadruple-pane glass panel will have 3 strips.

Another method to tell if it is insulated glass is judged by the reflection of flame from a cigarette lighter. Single pane glass has one reflection of flame, dual-pane glass has two reflections of flame,triple-pane glass has 3 reflections of flame, and quadruple-pane glass has 4 flections of flame.

What is Low E glass?

The dark color glass panels can be more energy-efficient but only let a little light in, and no one wants to live in a dark place. Can we get only the light in and prevent the heat energy from coming in and out? Low E glass can solve this issue. Low E glass, full name low-emissivity glass, has a transparent microscopically thin coating attached to the surface of the glass. Its thickness usually is 300 nanometers, remarkably thinner than a piece of human hair.

Why can Low E glass be more energy-efficient?

The visible light of the sunshine can get through the glass mostly since the coating is thin & transparent. But how to stop the ultraviolet light from coming in together? The ultraviolet light can hurt people’s skin and make the wall fade. How to avoid it? The thinner coating in low E glass can solve this issue, and it works something like the silver coating in a kettle; it can reflect the heat energy back to its original place. The coating in the inner pane of a dual-pane glass panel reflects the heat energy back to the inside, while the coating in the outside pane of a dual-pane glass panel reflects heat energy back to the outside, thus keeping the house inside warm or cool.

Is thicker glass more energy-efficient?

Sure, the thicker the glass panel is, the more energy-efficient and expensive. The thickness varies from 3/4″ to 1″. 3/4″ thick is most commonly used(1/4″ inner glass layer+1/4″inert gas layer+1/4″ out glass layer). Some homeowners will use a triple pane glass panel or thicker glass panel to get better energy efficiency, but some homeowners use a thinner glass panel for cost. In the long run, a thicker glass panel can save more money, and please make your decision according to your budget.

But we suggest the thickest glass panel for an iron door should be less than 1″, there are two reasons, firstly, the door leaf will shoulder the weight of the glass panel, a heavier glass panel will affect the door leaf opening and closing swiftly and shorten the hinge’s life. Secondly, a too-thick glass panel will not match the depth of the door leaf, it looks not beautiful. 1″ thick glass panel is thick enough to get better energy efficiency.

Tips to make your iron doors more energy-efficient.

Except for using thicker insulated low E glass, there are more tips to make your iron doors more energy-efficient:

• Use seals around the glass panel, and check the seals regularly after installing, say one time each month. If there are any rotten seals, change them!
• Inject foam into the door frame.
• Install door sweeps to avoid more heat energy leakage from the space between the threshold and the bottom of the door leaf.
• Shut off doors when not using.

For more details, please learn: “How To Make Your Iron Doors More Energy Efficient?”

Conclusion

For energy efficiency, please choose insulated glass for the iron doors but not single pane glass, especially for the entry doors. Low E glass will be a better choice. It can get a higher energy efficiency because the low E coating and the inert air space can act as a barrier to stop the heat transfer. Want to buy energy-efficient iron doors? Contact us to get a quote now!