How to Choose the Right Solar Glass for Your Building Exterior

A 40-story office tower in Phoenix, Arizona, with 9,200 m² of curtain wall glazing area, replaced its original clear glass (SHGC 0.86, U-value 5.8 W/m²·K) with high-performance solar control glass (SHGC 0.27, U-value 1.1 W/m²·K) during a facade renovation. The result, documented in the building’s post-retrofit energy audit: annual HVAC energy consumption dropped by 41%, saving approximately $380,000 per year at the local commercial electricity rate of $0.11/kWh. Over a 30-year lifecycle, that single glazing decision represents more than $11 million in avoided energy costs — before accounting for reduced HVAC equipment sizing, lower maintenance frequency, and the improved thermal comfort that reduced tenant complaints by 68%. That is the […]