Solar control glass

Solar control glass helps keep solar heat and glare out. Thanks to a special coating, sunlight is partially reflected or filtered, keeping the interior nice and cool—even on hot days. This means you’ll need to use your air conditioning or heating less often, saving energy and enjoying greater comfort.

And with BENGglas featuring a solar control coating, you get an added bonus: an insulation value of U = 0.35—the best insulation available. All this while letting in more sunlight and fitting seamlessly into your existing window frames.

Solar control glass—also known as heat-reflective glass—is a smart solution for homes and buildings with many windows or large glass surfaces. The glass features a special coating that filters and reflects solar heat. This keeps the interior cooler on hot days, while maintaining its insulating properties in the winter.

But what exactly are the benefits of solar control glass?

1. Less heat buildup in the summer

A key benefit of solar control glass is its low G-value. The lower this value, the less solar heat the glass allows through. This means:

• Less overheating in the home
• Less need for air conditioning
• Greater comfort with large windows or a south-facing facade

Heat can build up quickly, especially in well-insulated homes. Solar control glass helps limit this.

2. Lower energy costs

Because solar control glass reduces the cooling load in the summer and retains heat in the winter (low U-value), energy consumption for both heating and cooling decreases. You’ll see this reflected on your energy bill.

If you combine your solar control glass with high-quality insulation, such as vacuum glazing, you’ll benefit from even lower heat loss.

3. Comfort in Every Season

Solar control glass helps maintain a more stable indoor climate. Less heat in the summer and less heat loss in the winter ensure a pleasant living or working environment all year round.

4. Reduced UV radiation

The coating on solar control glass also reduces the amount of UV radiation that enters the room. This helps limit discoloration of furniture, floors, and curtains.

5. Suitable for Both Renovations and New Construction

Solar control glass can be used in both existing homes and new construction projects. Especially when opting for a slim solution such as solar control vacuum glazing, it often fits into existing window frames, eliminating the need for major modifications.

Why choose solar control glass?

Solar control glass is particularly beneficial when:

• Your home has a lot of glass surface area
• The facade faces south or west
• You experience overheating in the summer
• You want to improve your home’s energy efficiency rating
• You want to save energy without sacrificing comfort

By choosing solar control glass, you combine sun protection, insulation, and living comfort in a single solution. Especially when combined with a low U-value and a low G-value, this delivers noticeable benefits—both in terms of temperature and energy costs.

With solar control glass from BENGglas, you combine the best of four worlds: exceptionally high insulation values, more natural light, the ability to keep your existing window frames, and a pleasant indoor climate all year round.

• Up to three times better insulation than solar control glass (double glazing)
  Thanks to vacuum technology, BENGglas achieves an insulation value of (U=0.35 to 0.50). That’s up to three times better than double glazing (1.10) and even twice as good as triple glazing (0.70).
  
  A low U-value means less heat loss through the glass, lower heating costs, and a more stable indoor temperature. You’ll notice the difference right away, especially on cold days.
  

• Strong solar control with a low G-value
  The G-value determines how much solar heat is transmitted. With values ranging from (0.29) for BENGglas Solar Control to (0.39) for BENGglas Double Coated, a large portion of the solar heat is blocked.

  By comparison, double glazing has a G-value around 0.50, and triple-pane glass around 0.45. These therefore let in more heat. Especially with large windows or a south-facing facade, a lower G-value provides noticeably greater comfort.

  It keeps the interior cooler in the summer, while the insulation helps retain heat in the winter. This reduces energy costs for both heating and cooling.
  

• More Daylight (LTA Value)
  The LTA value indicates how much daylight the glass transmits. The higher this value, the brighter the pane.

  Solar control vacuum glazing consists of only two glass panes and, with a minimum thickness starting at 8.3 mm, is significantly thinner than standard solar control glass or triple glazing. Fewer glass layers mean less light loss. As a result, light transmission remains higher, even with solar control coatings.

  So you benefit from effective sun protection without your home feeling dark.
  

• Fits into existing window frames
  Whereas traditional double glazing often starts at 21 mm in thickness, BENGglas can be used starting at just 8.3 mm. As a result, it often fits into existing window frames.

  This also offers an advantage in new construction: you can opt for slimmer and lighter window frames without compromising on insulation or sun protection. This saves on material costs and improves the home’s energy performance.

Solar control glass is a strong choice if you want to save energy, limit UV radiation, and keep the interior comfortable. However, it’s important to also consider potential drawbacks when making your decision.

1. Less daylight and visibility

Solar control glass contains a coating that filters out the sun’s rays. As a result, the glass may have a darker tint, which affects the amount of daylight and the clarity of the view outside.

With BENGglas’s solar control vacuum glazing, this effect is less pronounced than with many traditional solutions. Thanks to the minimal glass thickness of just 8.3 mm (compared to approximately 21 mm for double glazing), there are fewer glass layers, and light transmission remains higher.

2. Less passive solar heat in the winter

A low G-value means that solar heat is blocked. While this is pleasant in the summer, on cold days it means you benefit less from natural solar heat.

That’s why finding the right balance between the G-value (solar control) and the U-value (insulation) is important. BENGglas offers various options, each with its own combination of solar control, insulation, and light transmission. This allows you to choose the solution that best suits your home and its location.

With solar control glass, the color of the coating plays an important role. The solar control effect is achieved with a special metal coating, which can give the glass a subtle tint. Depending on the manufacturer and the type of coating, this tint can vary from gray to green or light greenish.

Color differences mainly occur when glass from different series or different manufacturers is combined. That’s why it’s important to always choose solar control glass from the same product line and the same manufacturer. This helps prevent visible differences in appearance, especially with large glass surfaces or windows placed side by side.

At BENGglas, you can choose from three solar control options, each with its own balance between solar control, insulation, and light transmission—and its own tint:

Maximum solar control – BENGglas® SolarControl (gray)
G=0.29 || U=0.50 || LTA=47%

High solar control – BENGglas® Triple Coated (green)
G=0.33 || U=0.50 || LTA=68%

Sun protection – BENGglas® Double Coated (light greenish)
G=0.39 || U=0.40 || LTA=70%

The stronger the solar control (the lower the G-value), the more noticeable the tint may be. Therefore, always examine a product sample first before making a final decision. Every BENGglas® dealer has samples available so you can assess the glass and color in person.

Solar control vacuum glazing is the ideal solution for buildings with lots of glass and plenty of sunlight. Think of south-facing living rooms, large windows, offices with plenty of natural light, sunrooms, or skylights. Anywhere that gets too hot too quickly, but where you don’t want to deal with drawn curtains or humming air conditioners.

With a solar control coating, you keep the sun’s heat out without sacrificing insulation.
And because the vacuum glazing is so thin, it often fits right into existing window frames—even during renovations or in historic buildings.

So you get more comfort at home or at work, lower energy costs in the summer, and a solution that’s truly future-proof.

The G-value (solar heat gain coefficient or ZTA value) indicates how much solar heat enters through the glass. In other words: how much free heat from the sun do you actually feel inside? Good to know: no matter which G-value you choose, with BENGglas you’re always guaranteed excellent insulation —much better than double glazing or triple glazing. And you’ll notice the difference: your home loses less heat, stays at a comfortable temperature longer, and you’ll need to heat it less. Especially in the winter or in older homes, this makes a significant difference on your energy bill.

What does differ, however, is how much solar heat and daylight you let in.

• Higher G-value → more solar heat inside. Great for bright rooms or cold facades.
• Lower G-value → more solar heat blocked. Ideal for homes with lots of glass, warm rooms, or summer sun.

Choose what works best for you
BENGglas comes in different variants, each with its own balance between light, heat, and sun protection.

Do you want extra daylight? To block more sun? Or perhaps a little of both? You decide what’s important—and whatever you choose:

• it simply fits into your existing window frames
• it’s slim, lightweight, and highly insulating
• it helps create a more comfortable indoor climate

Below are the types of BENGglas available and their G-values:

• BENGglas® Extra Clear: 0.68
• BENGglas® Single Coated: 0.58
• BENGglas® Double Coated: 0.39
• BENGglas® Triple Coated: 0.33
• BENGglas® Solar Control: 0.29
• BENGglas® Monu: 0.68
• BENGglas® Monu Restover: 0.68

Looking for a different G-value? We’d be happy to help you find the right solution. Please contact us to

BENGglas Double Coated
• U-value: 0.40
• G-value: 0.39
• Light transmittance: 70%
• Application: perfect for residential construction, good balance between light and solar control

BENGglas Triple Coated
• U-value: 0.35
• G-value: 0.33
• Light transmission: 68%
• Application: ideal for commercial buildings or facades exposed to intense sunlight

BENGglas Solar Control
• U-value: 0.50
• G-value: 0.29
• Light transmittance: 45–47%
• Application: dark in color with little natural light, suitable only for commercial buildings

Solar control glass HR++
• U-value: 1.10
• G-value: 0.46–0.50
• Light transmission: 60–75%
• Widely used, but less insulating than vacuum glazing

Triple glazing / Solar control glass
• U-value: 0.7
• G-value: 0.40–0.45
• Light transmittance: 65–75%
• Good insulation, but very heavy and has a shorter lifespan than vacuum glazing

Unlike with double glazing or triple glazing, with BENGglas you don’t have to choose between insulation and solar control. Thanks to vacuum technology, it keeps heat in better and solar heat out better. Ideal for those seeking comfort, energy savings, and a future-proof solution—without compromising on light or aesthetics.

In addition to enhanced living comfort, solar control glass also offers benefits for your home’s energy performance. By reducing heating needs in the winter and lowering air conditioning costs in the summer, solar control vacuum glazing helps create a more energy-efficient home.

Subsidies are available for certain types of insulating glass, including solar-control vacuum glazing. Curious about which programs apply to you and how to apply for them? Check out our page on subsidies for vacuum glazing at www.bengglas.nl/subsidie.

By choosing BENGglas, you benefit from an expected lifespan of up to 50 years. We believe that such a long lifespan should also be reflected in the warranty terms. While standard insulating glass often comes with a 10-year warranty, BENGglas goes a step further.

For the solar control variants— BENGglas Double Coated, BENGglas Triple Coated, and BENGglas Solar Control —we offer a warranty of up to 20 years.

If you choose a hybrid or laminated version, a 10-year warranty applies. Always consult the warranty terms and conditions for the exact details and conditions.