Nov 9 2008
The cost of heating and cooling is reaching new levels, causing builders to look for new alternatives to increase the energy efficiency of residences and commercial buildings. A traditional route is installing multi-pane glass windows.
However, besides being heavy, breakable and challenging to install, glass is falling behind in the drive for higher insulation values. To address these drawbacks,
SABIC Innovative Plastics has developed a new 9-wall Lexan* Thermoclear* sheet as an excellent candidate for applications such as flat glazing of sunrooms, conservatories, and rooflights, shopping centers, office buildings, and factories. This new glazing solution can not only help customers reduce heating and cooling costs, but also cut energy usage and CO2 emissions to benefit the environment. SABIC Innovative Plastics’ high-performance Lexan Thermoclear sheet products give the building and construction industry new ways to meet demands for increased energy efficiency in living and working environments.
“Today’s energy situation calls for innovation, not tradition,” said Darrell Hughes, general manager for SABIC Innovative Plastics, Specialty Film & Sheet. “Lexan Thermoclear sheet is an example of how SABIC Innovative Plastics’ works closely with our global customers to develop innovative, breakthrough applications to solve tough challenges in new ways. With its unique multi-wall structure, this attractive glazing material can significantly reduce heating and cooling costs – and that’s excellent news on the energy front.”
The new Lexan Thermoclear sheet is a unique, 9-wall product and the first multiwall sheet in the glazing industry to deliver a U-value of less than 1.0 W/ m2K. Lexan Thermoclear sheet offers superior insulation properties vs. multi-pane glass, plus light weight, extremely high impact resistance, stiffness and ultra violet (UV) protection.
“This new Lexan Thermoclear sheet product not only offers a unique combination of very high thermal insulation and excellent light transmission for enhanced aesthetics and comfort but also offers great compromise between weight and stiffness,” said Marc De Roo, general manager and owner, Veranda Comfort.
Improved Energy Efficiency vs. Double-Pane Glass
The 9-wall X-structure of the SABIC Innovative Plastics’ material creates more air pockets between the outside environment and the interior of the building, while enhancing strength and stiffness. This configuration helps the material deliver industry-leading energy efficiency.
Available in 35 mm, 40 mm, 45 mm and 50 mm thicknesses, with U-values ranging from 1.187 to 0.985 W/m2K, Lexan Thermoclear sheet delivers thermal insulation performance that surpasses multi-pane, argon-filled glass at a U-value of approximately 1.4 W/m2K.
A reduction in U-value of 0.1 W/m2K can yield annual energy savings of up to 1.5 cubic meters of natural gas, which in the Netherlands costs approximately 0.65 Euro per cubic meter. Based on this figure, installing 50mm Lexan Thermoclear sheet with a U-value of 0.99 W/m2K instead of double-pane glass with a U-value of 1.4 W/m2K could save up to 4.40 Euro per square meter of window surface each year (4 x 1.5 x.65, per the DIN4701 standard).
Another important benefit of 9-wall, X-structure Lexan Thermoclear sheet is its light weight, which makes it easier to handle and install compared to heavy glass panes. Also, the material can be used with a lighter supporting steel framework than glass requires, which can reduce material and shipping costs.
These new products are excellent candidates for flat glazing in rooflights, office buildings, shopping centers, factories, solariums and conservatories.
Excellent Aesthetics with Practical UV Protection
To provide different visual effects, the new sheet product line is available in opal white, solar control green and transparent. Both sides of the sheet are treated with proprietary UV protection against outdoor weathering to help ensure long-term optical quality and high light transmission.
In accelerated 4,000-hour weathering tests (DIN53387 / ASTM G26) - comparable to 10 years of outdoor exposure in moderate climate conditions - results obtained by
SABIC Innovative Plastics demonstrate Lexan Thermoclear sheets’ superior ability to maintain color, light transmission and impact strength vs. competitive products.
Lexan Thermoclear sheet offers a 10-year limited written warranty against discoloration, loss of light transmission and loss of impact strength due to weathering.