Protecting the occupants and contents of your home is vital but how do you do this safely and easily?  One easy way is just by changing the glass that you use from regular glass to UV protective glass.  Here’s everything that you need to know.

What is UV Protective Glass?

UV protective glass can be most simply defined as any glass that provides more UV protection than standard glass does.   To be defined as UV protective, the glass needs to block at least 97 percent of all UV rays from passing through.  Regular glass stops UVB rays from penetrating through it into the home or onto something but it is not able to stop UVA rays.  UV protective glass stops both UVA and UVB rays.

Why is UV Protective Glass Important?

UV protection is important as UV rays can be harmful to the people that live inside the home (potentially causing skin cancer). UV rays can also cause carpets, curtains, and other soft furnishings to fade prematurely, making them look less than their best.  UV rays can also cause soft furnishings and artworks to deteriorate and become brittle.

Where Can UV Protective Glass be used?

UV protective glass can be used in a range of different circumstances.  It is most commonly used in windows to stop UV rays from entering the home but it can also be used in picture frames, automobiles, in glass inserts in doors, and anywhere else where you want to stop the transmission of UV rays.

How is Glass made to be UV Protective?

While standard glass can block some of the harmful UV rays from coming through, it is not enough on its own.  Thus it needs to be made UV protective somehow. The most common method for doing this is by applying a permanent UV coating to the glass.  The coating bonds permanently to the glass and thus provides a shield that does not allow UV and infrared rays to penetrate.  Both UVA and UVB rays are blocked.  These permanent liquid coatings are completely clear and thus you are not blocking your views or the amount of natural light that enters your home at all. Low-e glass is just one type of glass that has a UV protective coating applied during manufacture.

Another method of ensuring that your glass is UV protective is by applying a window tint or film to the glass.  These tints and films are available in a range of colours from completely clear through to varying shades of gray and they block up to 99 percent of UV rays.