High Performance Glazing Types and Windows Technologies Review

Windows with poor U-values can cause significant heat loss and gain in summer and winter, which increase buildings’ heating and cooling loads through the year. The new built buildings tend to use low thermal conductive windows in order to reach energy rating system. Better thermal performance windows replacements for old buildings’ are also required by habitants who wish to cut their energy bills. The state-of-the-art windows technologies development are not only limited on glazing type study but also keen on integrating with insulation materials or devices to create termed window system, such as integration with inert gases, water, phase change material (PCM), photovoltaic (PV), etc. The current advanced fenestration systems may have changeable physical configurations as well as optical and thermal properties in response to weather condition, occupant preferences and building system requirements (Gardiner et al., 2009). The development of high performance glazing and window technologies can help in reducing buildings annual energy consumption. The currently available advanced glazing types and windows technologies are reviewed in this paper. The advantages and drawbacks for advanced window products are also discussed.