Low-E is an industry term that stands for Low-emissivity. Certainly a difficult word, there, but it refers to a glass coating that reflects thermal radiation or inhibits its emission reducing heat transfer through the glass, but allows a room to be warmed by the rays of the sun. In short, a low-e window allows a room to be warmed by the sun, and keeps the heat in, reducing heat loss through the glass. Its principle of operation is similar to what is described as the greenhouse effect.
Over the last decade or two, amazing advances in glass and window technology have made it so that a window is no longer the heating or cooling boondoggle it once was. In times past, a home window was framed with wood, then cheaper aluminum, with the only construction concerns being the ease of installation. Did you ever have some glass break in one of those types of windows? What a difficult process it is to replace glass in a wood window - with the putty and the mucky mess on the glass after the fact. And the aluminum window? You pretty much had to call a glazier to come out and replace the glass in that one. It doesn't take long before you get tired of that and look for a product that is better in every way to these inferior systems.
Thus, a whole business segment called window replacement has burgeoned as we all seek to replace those windows in our post WWII homes. As we do so, our energy savings are truly significant.
Have you ever stood by a window and been able to feel a draft? Of course you have. These drafts are eliminated or at least greatly reduced when we change out those windows to a vinyl (plastic) based product that is much more airtight and weather proof. Granted, the ease with which we fix broken glass hasn't improved much, but we are willing to trade that off, because the window itself is constructed in a much more energy saving way.
Many of these new windows are also of the double-pane, which only adds to the insulating factors here. All in all window technologies have come a long way since the widespread applications of plastics have been exploited in this area. Certainly one can look forward to even more advances in the area as technology and manufacturing techniques continue to advance with time and our expertise to take advantage.
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