Thermal comfort

Key contribution

Thanks to its broad and diversified range of high-performance glazing and commitment to optimizing energy efficiency,
Saint-Gobain Glass improves thermal insulation throughout each season, through thermally-insulated glazing that allows
occupants to manage their thermal comfort and feel comfortable.

Aim

To promote occupants’ productivity, comfort, and well-being by providing quality thermal comfort.

Detailed requirement

The project must meet the requirements for both thermal comfort design and thermal comfort control.

The building must be designed (heating, ventilating, air-conditioning systems, building envelope) to meet the requirements of specific standards on thermal comfort (ASHRAE standard 55-2010 or ISO and CEN standards).

In addition, individual thermal comfort controls must be provided for at least 50% of individual occupant spaces. For all shared multi-occupant spaces, a group thermal comfort control can be installed. Thermal comfort controls allow occupants, whether in individual spaces or shared multi-occupant spaces, to adjust at least one of the following in their local environment: air temperature, radiant temperature, air speed, and humidity.

Read the detailed requirement for Thermal Comfort

Our contribution

Glazing offers a wide range of possibilities to establish the optimal thermal comfort. Two major glazing characteristics are key in thermal comfort criteria:

The thermal insulation of the glazing (also called the “Ug value”) that defines the heat loss; and
The solar factor (also known as the “g value”) that corresponds to the percentage of total solar radiant heat energy transmitted through the glazing.

Naturally, thermal comfort will depend on the outdoor conditions and customers’ preferences but for heating dominant climates, high performance insulation glass provides an excellent Ug value, reducing heat losses to a minimum.

For mainly cooling dominant climates, selectivity will also play an important role. Selectivity is defined by the light transmission divided by the g value (LT/g) and corresponds to how effective the glazing is at blocking heat but letting in sunlight.

Glazing for façades and windows has to be designed according to the climate conditions by defining the best match between all of these characteristics.

At Saint-Gobain, we are able to offer three options for optimal thermal comfort:

Optimized thermal insulation: optimization in terms of thermal comfort will come from the good match between the thermal insulation’s Ug value and the solar factors according to the context of use of the glazing, i.e. the geometry, the geographical localization of the building, the window size and orientation, and customers’ preferences.
Active solution: in extreme weather conditions, EGLA-S, an integrated and invisible heating glass solution can additionally contribute to indoor thermal comfort by controlling radiant heat.
Better spacer: a better spacer limits heat loss when glass is mounted in double or triple glazing. The high performing, warm edge spacer bar, such as Swisspacer®, improves the Ug value (noted Uw for a window) for better insulation.