Low-E Glass Becomes Mainstream in the Energy-Efficient Building Market

From a product positioning perspective, Low-E glass, as a low-emissivity glass, is a type of coated glass that has a high reflectivity (over 80%) for far-infrared wavelengths ranging from 4.5 to 25 micrometers. Analyzing it from a physics standpoint, with the help of its metal and chemical low-emissivity coating on the surface, it can reflect far-infrared radiation and block heat transfer from high-temperature areas to low-temperature areas. This makes it particularly effective in both summer and winter for blocking heat and preventing thermal energy loss. Its dual energy-saving and temperature-regulating benefits make it highly valuable in green, energy-efficient buildings, with extensive applications in both residential and commercial buildings.

Currently, based on the type of coating, the Low-E glass available on the market mainly includes solar control low-emissivity coatings (soft coatings) and passive low-emissivity coatings (hard coatings). Among these, solar control Low-E glass is the market mainstream, widely used in commercial buildings such as airports, exhibition halls, auditoriums, shopping malls, and hospitals, and gradually extending to the residential building market.

Compared to developed countries in Europe and the United States, the application and commercial promotion of the Low-E glass industry in China started relatively late. It wasn’t until the early 21st century, with the introduction of a series of energy-saving policies in the building materials sector, that the Low-E glass industry began to rise comprehensively. Industry policies such as “Opinions on Promoting Structural Reform of the Flat Glass Industry” have led to a consensus on improving building energy efficiency. Driven by energy-saving policy guidance and increasing market demand, the downstream application market for Low-E glass in China has started to extend to general public buildings and mid-to-high-end residential areas.

Data shows that there are currently over 2,000 deep-processing factories for architectural glass in China, but the quality of products varies widely. The mid-to-high-end market, including emerging products like Low-E glass, is still dominated by traditional leading enterprises. In terms of production capacity, the five giants – Xinyi, CSG, Kibing, and others – occupy 54% of the Low-E glass market share.

Edited on 27th Aug 2016