Is low-e or regular (clear) glass better for a solarium?

Question

The south side of our house is a solarium. Two walls 6-ft apart with sliding glass doors in both. An overhang blocks direct sun in the summer, allows it to shine in in winter. We need to replace the outer sets of doors.

The old doors are clear glass. The builder said that, since it's a solarium, you want the sun to shine through. The contractor we're talking to for the new doors says we should use low-e glass. He says we'd lose about as much heat at night through the clear glass than we'd gain during the day. I also guess that the solarium would be cooler in the summer.

Which would be best?

Answer 1

A good insulated curtain sounds like it would be all you'd need, and it would cost much less than Low-e glass. Let the light in during the day and draw the curtain at night. Here are a few websites that have some good products.

Answer 2

I do not have a green thumb but I do deal with glass every day.  I install glass into doors.  Low-E will bring down the amount of heat energy coming through.. Depending what is good for your plants the decision should be simple.... more heat - clear glass... less heat - Low-E

Good Luck!

Answer 3

Low e glass is glass with less iron than regular glass ( it is not so green when viewed from the edge ) and while it performs slightly better in solar applications (High temperature collectors) it is very much more expensive, I think in your application you should go with double pane regular glass and think about insulating covers for night time to retain the gained heat (like foam insulation covered in a decorative fabric) .