If you are in the process of designing a sunroom for your home, you need to make sure that you keep energy efficiency in mind as you design this space for your home. You need to use the right glass and windows and use the right type of framing and insulation in order to keep your sunroom the right temperature throughout the year.

The Right Windows

One of the key components of any sunroom is large windows that cover most of the walls in the room and make it feel like you are outside when you are really inside. A sunroom is supposed to be a place that is filled with light and great views. However, a room full of windows can get really hot in the summer and really cold in the winter time if you don't install the proper types of windows to begin with.

Since so much of the room is going to be made out of glass, you want to use glass that is highly energy efficient. In order to identify glass that is energy efficient, there are three things that you need to look for: the u-factor of the glass, the SHGC rating, and the transmission type of the glass.

The U-Factor

The u-factor of the glass is its solar heat loss coefficient. This number generally starts at around one and is broken down by tenths places, such as 1.0 or 0.4. The closer to zero the u-factor gets, the more that window is able to retain heat. You want to purchase glass that has the closest u-factor to zero that you can get. You should also look for glass that uses plastic film in between the layers of glass, which can help increase the u-factor and the energy efficiency of the window.

The SHGC

The SHGC is the solar heat gain coefficient. This is also known as the e-factor of the glass. When looking for glass, you want to purchase class that has a low-e rating. This means that the glass decreases the amount of heat that is transferred into your home. It also helps filter out damaging ultraviolet rays, which will make your sunroom safer. A low e-rating will help keep your sunroom cool in the summer and warmer in the winter.

Selective Transmission Glass

The third thing that you need to look for is a label that states that the glass is selective transmission glass. This is a type of glass will help keep the heat of your sunroom during the summer months and will help keep the temperature more stable during the winter months.

When choosing glass for your sunroom, keep in mind that you want to choose the most energy efficient glass possible so that your sunroom is a comfortable place to be year-round.