Vacuum Insulated Glass Windows & Doors

Obviously, any home owner is going to want to improve the efficiency and comfort of their home. Single glazing may be prettier, but it allows most of the heat out of the rooms resulting in uncomfortable living conditions and higher heating bills. Vacuum glazing is very similar to a double glazed unit in construction, except that it doesn’t have a gas in the cavity, it has a vacuum.

Single glazing windows could lose as much as 60% of the heat inside a home, this is why you’ll find your home stays heated far more effectively once you have the double glazing installed. Another benefit you’ll get from double glazing is that the glass helps to prevent the majority of condensation that you will typically see on single glazed windows. Vacuum double glazing helps reduce heat loss through windows because the vacuum between the panes acts as a super-efficient insulator. Because of the vacuum cavity, the glass has a lower U-value even than triple glazing, which means it insulates better. The term vacuum double glazing might confuse many people, as some assume that there is a vacuum between the glass panes cavity of any window with double glazed units. The new technology vacuum glazing is very similar to a double glazed unit in construction, except that it doesn’t have a gas in the cavity, it has a vacuum.

Advances in glazing technology means we can now install glass units that boast a thermal performance better than that of standard double glazing, and yet are no thicker than single glazing. In fact, our vacuum insulating glass is so thermally efficient it can even outperform a triple glazed unit. A revelation for owners of period properties that have historically struggled to find an energy efficient alternative to single glass panes that planning is happy to approve. Another problem with standard double glazing is that it’s just not very pretty, particularly in heritage type properties.

Most slim double glazed windows have a vacuum double glazing cavity thickness of 4 – 8mm (compared to 20 – 22mm for standard double glazed windows). Because a vacuum is an absence of matter, and you can’t have ‘more nothing’, then the cavity can be only 0.3mm and yet still have the same efficiency as if it were a mile wide. So you might ask now, what exactly is a vacuum insulated glass (VIG), how is it different to the standard double glazing we all used to see in our homes and why this glazing technology is the future of the next generation of highly efficient windows. This gap is especially problematic in heritage projects – the renovation of Listed buildings and those in conservation areas. In these window installations, it’s a requirement that that the replacement units look as much like the original windows as possible.

VacuMax™ VIG can also be used as a substitute for the exterior or interior lite in any double- or triple-glazed insulating glass unit (IGU), where it forms a second airspace and creates a hybrid IGU. Multi-pane IGUs utilizing VacuMax™ VIG units still include traditional airspaces adjacent to traditional glass lites. Our preferred supplier LandVac can supply an 8.3mm unit with a u-value of 0.4. Combining the glass with another low e coated pane of glass (effectively making a triple glazed unit) can produce a u-value of around 0.27.

Unlike slimline double glazing insulated with gas, it will not lose its insulation properties for at least years, a claim backed by manufacturers’ guarantees. Apart from the cost, which is considerably higher per square meter for vacuum double glazing, the micro-supportive pillars that keep the glass panes apart might be visible upon close inspection. In protected buildings, replacing the original glass with modern double glazing is usually not an option. FINEO vacuum glazing not only preserves the authentic look of the building, but also brings thermal comfort up to modern standards. VacuMax™ vacuum insulating glass (VIG) by Vitro Architectural Glass integrates with any traditional (and even non-traditional) glazing system to maximize insulation performance.