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Keep an Eye Out for Solar Heat Gain

Keep an eye out for solar heat gain. Solar heat gain, particularly in buildings with large areas of south-facing glass, can cause serious problems in maintaining comfort levels. Window tints or reflective coatings are available that will reflect up to 90 percent of the solar heat gain striking the window. The windows can provide energy savings in all but the most northern climates, where solar heat gain can make a significant contribution to reduce the winter heat load in the building. As a rule of thumb, if the walls of a building are more than 25 percent glass, the building can benefit from solar control glass. The further south and t-he higher the percentage of glass, the higher the percentage of solar energy that should be blocked.