Investigating the service life of high-performance glazing systems

Between energy-efficient building programs and rising urban temperatures, finding building envelope solutions that could be used to both decrease the operational carbon associated with space conditioning as well as decrease the risk of overheating within the residential sector is of interest. High-performance glazing solutions such as vacuum-insulated glazing (VIG) have emerged as a pivotal advancement in energy-saving technology, offering high center-of-glass thermal resistance, thin profiles, and weight savings as compared to conventional glazing systems. However, without a means of evaluating the minimum service life of any insulated glazing unit (IGU), let alone VIG, subsequent life cycle analysis and maintenance schedules cannot be performed or created, thus limiting our understanding of whether the technology could be considered a low-carbon alternative to conventional window technology. This paper offers a comprehensive overview of current fenestration evaluation standards, test procedures, and equipment essential for measuring performance metrics required for the development of an appropriate accelerated ageing protocol to evaluate the durability, long-term performance, and service life of high-performance glazing systems post-initial certification. In addition, this paper proposes a series of tests that will be evaluated for their potential to estimate the service life of VIG as compared to double and triple-glazed IGU. The outcome of this work could lead to a better understanding of how both comfort parameters and performance metrics associated with our choice of glazing technology may change over their service life, potentially providing the necessary catalyst for the uptake and adoption of high-performance glazing technology going forward.