Have you ever wondered what the electric bill was for the Hancock building in Chicago, or the Empire State Building in New York? Someone owns those buildings, and buildings like them in every major city in the world. Their is an electric bill that get paid every month, just like the one for your home – except this one is much, much bigger.

The expense to run, maintain and own a big high rise can be astronomical. So every little bit helps when it comes to saving money.

Low-E technology is saving commercial building owners a lot of money within their architectural glass application. Low -E stands for low thermal emissivity. Emissivity is the level given to things that radiate thermal energy. Low-E does two things: it keeps heat out in the summer, and keeps heat inside in the winter.

How does it do this? In a nut shell, the glass does not allow heat to pass through it very easily. Normally, windows allow heat to escape through the glass in the winter, and heat to come in during the summer. Heat can pass through glass. The low-e glass acts as a shield, and like insulation, makes it very hard for the heat to pass through, either way.

If you can imagine a large building with many normal windows, compared to a large building with low-e windows. The building with traditional windows will constantly allow heat to escape the building in the winter, and heat to enter the building in the summer. This means that the thermostat is running much more than it should be. When the thermostat runs, it costs the owner money.

If a skyscraper is built with low-e windows, the building will maximize cost savings by keeping heating and cooling bills down throughout the year.

Remember the days, as a kid, when you used to play in the tub? You would take a bath, wash yourself, and play for an hour or so. What you were really doing is sitting in dirty water. None of us like to think about it, but it’s true. Showers are a much better way to stay clean, use less water and they look much nicer.

With remodeling expecting to jump this year, you should see some of your family or friends redoing their bathrooms. May you are. The first thing to consider when upgrading a bathroom is to make sure that you have enough room to do what you want to do. Once that question is answered, then the fun begins.

First, you need a fresh coat of paint. Nothing states change quite like paint. Unless a bathroom has recently been painted, it needs a new look. If you still have wallpaper, step into the correct decade and get rid of that dinosaur. Pick a color paint that you love, and one that will brighten the bathroom.

Next, replace your sink fixtures and bath accessories with something nice from one of the major manufacturers. This will really give the impression that you are serious about the change. Depending on the paint color you choose, you may want to move away from the standard chrome, and go with a satin nickel or even bronze.

After that, you may or may not want to replace the floor. If it is sheet plastic laminate, get rid of it, and replace it with some tile. You can do it yourself to save money, it’s not that hard.

Lastly, upgrade your shower. If you don’t have one, put one in. If you have one, upgrade with a glass shower enclosure. You can choose between a single door or sliders. Sliders can go over a tub or a shower. If you want your bathroom to look really nice, try frameless sliding shower doors. The frameless doors have less metal, and more glass which gives a more favorable appearance.

Look at it this way, your bathroom will be impressive to all who enter, and you won’t have to bath in your own dirt anymore. What else could be better!

Glass has taken on a whole new role. We are all familiar with the main uses for glass. Things like windows, mirrors and drinking glasses all seem normal to us. But glass is going where it has never gone before. The technology is changing to enable glass to become an key component in the building and design world.

Take away all of the mirrors and exterior windows of a home or office and where do you find glass. Ten or twenty years ago, the answer would have been “no where”. Now, you see glass in many new and amazing places.

Interior glass has become almost a phenomenon in the design world. Glass can be made to fulfill many applications. Painted glass can add design and color to a room as walls or partitions, while scratch-resistant glass is perfect for table tops or high traffic areas.

Acid-etched glass can provide privacy in a partition or shower, but still allow light to pass through. And laminated safety glass can be used in interior or exterior doors for security, or floors or stairways to add an incredible look and feel to an office or room.

The way glass manufacturing has evolved combined with ingenious design can produce never-ending options for the use of interior glass. Glass has increased its value over the years, as it is used as an exterior barrier, an interior facilitator, and now a visual exclamation.

If you are looking for ideas to spice up your home or office, here’s an idea – try glass. You may think, glass? Most people never think about glass outside of the milk they drink or the windows in their home. Glass is a very useful item that is not only being manufactured to go about anywhere, it’s also very classy.

Glass just looks good. It makes rooms appear larger, and allows light to enter.

Traditionally, glass was only used in dishware and windows. Maybe a few other things. Now, the commercial glass industry is pushing glass into new and exciting applications. Over the years, as glass manufacturing has evolved, glass can be made into a multitude of shapes, designs and strengths.

Interior glass for homes and offices is where you will really see that glass has taken off. Look around the next time you go into a nice office, or even a hotel lobby. You will see that glass is being used in ways it never has before.

The first place glass really took off was mirrors. Then when shower enclosures were designed, glass developed into an even greater asset in the home. Now, glass is used in partitions in offices and homes, in kitchens, in furniture, tables and even staircases.

Commercial builders really like glass because it makes the exterior of buildings shine. Glass gleams as the sunlight hits it. Some of the biggest buildings in the world have a ton of exterior glass.

How much more elegant and classy then, does glass look in your office or your home? Glass really adds a dimension that you really cannot get any where else. It’s physically there, you can see it, but you can also see through it. Glass is resource that is being used in more and more ways every day.

Forget about the rest of the house, the bath accessory choices are enough to make anyone get back in their car, go home and go to bed. There are simply hundreds of options and thousands of combinations. Medicine cabinets come in hundreds of sizes and designs. Some are simple, others are extravagant. There are robe hook options that can go behind doors, or over the tub. Towel bars can be replaced with towel rings to add a different or to save space.

If you have ever built a new home, or walked a group of model homes in order to decide on your future home, you know the complexity of bath accessories. Will it be the Better Homes satin nickel, or the Delta chrome? Or how about the Franklin Brass diamond etched, or the Moen bronze? Then, what do you do about the medicine cabinet? Do you want it on the side of the sink or over the sink in front, framed or frameless, how about a beveled edge?

Forget about the rest of the house, the bath accessory choices are enough to make anyone get back in their car, go home and go to bed. There are simply hundreds of options and thousands of combinations. Medicine cabinets come in hundreds of sizes and designs. Some are simple, others are extravagant. There are robe hook options that can go behind doors, or over the tub. Towel bars can be replaced with towel rings to add a different or to save space.

The biggest and most prevalent item in the bathroom has to be the shower. The shower sort of steals the show when it comes to the look and design of the bathroom. Whether it’s a stand up single shower, or a 90 degree enclosure over a garden tub, the shower is a big deal. The more glass that is used, obviously the more expensive it is. Framed showers have more materials involved, but a frameless shower enclosure costs more because of glass slitting and the extra time it takes to join the glass.

Many people prefer the frameless shower because of one thing – less metal! Frameless showers have very little metal. The joint of the structure are butt-glazed, which means the glass is made to fit together at a corner, and then seals with rubber sealant. The look of a frameless shower can be amazing. When you take away the metal, the shower looks very elegant. Heavier glass from 3/16″ to 1/4″  is typically used on frameless showers as well. A framed shower enclosure is normally made with 3/16″ glass.

So the next time you go to look at model home, just remember what you’re in for. Many options to to choose in the home, especially in the bathroom. But, many options means more choices, and for most people, that’s a good thing.

As old structures are tore down, and new building materials are being made. There is one material that last from generation to generation. It’s glass. Glass can be recycled and reused to build the next skyscraper or even bottle of soda.

Glass is in everything these days. In our homes, on our homes, on buildings, in architecture and everywhere in between. Glass is recyclable, just like paper and metal. Glass manufacturers use a certain amount of used glass in the products they produce each year. Recycled glass eventually becomes bottles and jars. But how does it get there?

Glass goes through three steps in order for it to be converted into a new product.

The first step is collection. People place recyclable products in bins or at glass drop-offs, or return bottles through a deposit program. Transporters then take these recyclables to a materials recovery facility where the recyclables are sorted by type. The glass that is found is sent to a cullet processor for sorting and cleaning.

Before the glass is made into new glass containers, recycled glass is separated by color. The color of glass containers cannot be removed once they are manufactured. So, colored glass, such as green and brown glass, are used to make new green and brown glass.

The second step is going to the cullet processor. The cullet processor removes contaminants like ceramics and other metals. . The glass is then sorted by color and sized so that it meets requirements for the furnace part of the cullet. The cullet is then sold to container manufacturers to be made into new glass bottles and jars. Glass that does not meet the standard glass specifications may be used for a another application.

Glass bottles are made from sand, soda ash, limestone and “cullet” – basically glass that is ready to be used again. Recycled glass, or cullet, can make up to 70 percent of the raw material mix for new glass containers. This mixture is heated to 2600 to 2800 degrees Fahrenheit and then molded into shape.

Using recycled glass in the manufacture of new glass containers reduces emissions and consumption of raw materials, extends the life of plant equipment, such as furnaces, and saves energy. A glass container can go from a recycling bin to a store shelf in as little as 30 days.

Many years ago, windows were nothing more than holes in the wall. Down the road they were covered with animal hide to protect from the elements. Then came shutters which could be opened or closed. Finally came glass pieced together to allow light in. The Romans were the first to use glass.

The windows in a home are very important. They provide a way to see outside, allow sunlight in and give the home a “lived-in” look. A house without windows would look – well, unnatural. Windows do, however, allow cold air in and heat to escape. One way to know if you may have a problem with your windows is when moisture forms on the inside.

Modern windows are known as double glazing or double paned and are made up of two pieces of glass. The glass is slightly separated and the gap is filled with air or gas for insulation. The spacer that separates the two pieces of glass is made of aluminum and foam, sealing the gas in. Over time the double pane window can become compromised allowing cold air and moisture to form on the inside of the window. This could result in a higher gas bill as cold draft will come into the house and heat will be able to absorb outward through the window. The only way to fix this problem once it occurs is to replace the windows.

Glass can now be made with lower-emissivity or low-e qualities through manufacturing which reduce the absorption of heat through the glass. This keeps the heat in a home or building making it more efficient. Low emissivity is actually low thermal emissivity and represents the quality of a surface that emits low levels of thermal energy.

So if you have windows with moisture on the inside, it might be time to replace those and look into the low-e glass that will not only keep the heat in, but will also save you money.

Our cars are very important to us. We spend a lot of time in them. We rely on them to get us to work, school and from point A to point B, wherever that may be. The glass in our cars is very important. It protects us from the weather elements and debris. How did glass get its start?

During the early 1900′s, carriages and cars started using glass to protect occupants from high winds. The glass that was used at the time did not protect people from flying debris. The glass was a threat if something struck it or the vehicle got into an accident.

French chemist Edouard Benedictus unintentionally found the formula to shatter-resistant glass in 1903. He dropped a glass flask with dried collodion film on the inside. The glass coated with the film cracked, but did not shatter and disperse. This laminated glass that would eventually revolutionize the automobile industry, was not used until the 1920s.

Automobile manufacturers eventually used laminated glass in their windshields to maximize safety during accidents and to add protection from flying debris during driving.

Automakers also started using tempered glass in the late 1930s. This glass is used in the vehicle’s side and back windows and gets its strength from an extreme heating and quick cooling process that strengthens both the outer plate and the core of the  glass.

By the time the 1960s came, the public realized that automobile safety was just as important as its looks. This thinking was derived partly from consumer activist Ralph Nader’s work to expose the dangers that some vehicles posed and the need for stricter  safety standards mandated by the government. As a result of Nader’s push, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) was formed in 1970.

Since then, NHTSA has implemented regulations affecting all areas of vehicle safety, including automotive glass. That is how automotive glass got its start, and how it has evolved to where it is today.

Have you ever been to someone’s house and you had to take a shower? Whether you were spending the night, or you just got back from 4-wheeling; you just had to clean up. You get your clean towel, your clean clothes, and look forward to a nice hot and relaxing shower. When you get to the bathroom, you are horrified when you notice the glass on the shower door is cloudier than a Seattle day during rain season. What must the rest of the shower look like?

Shower glass says something about the cleanliness of a bathroom. There is a perception that if the glass is dirty, there is a good chance the rest of the shower is too, and the rest of the bathroom, for that matter. After a while, shower glass looks scummy, dirty, unwashed and yes, cloudy. Why is that? Why is it so hard to get shower glass back to its original shine?

The answer lies in the fact that glass itself is not flat. It actually has little crevices and small craters, not easily seen by the human eye. Given time, dirt and soap build up in these small areas and start to “cloud” the glass. When you go to clean it, you realize that you cannot completely clean the glass. It gets worse over time. No amount of cleaner or elbow grease will ever be able to return the glass to its original clarity.

There is a type of shower glass that is made to never cloud up. It is manufactured with a special process that coats the surface of the glass filling in all of the craters and crevices. This clear coating prevents dirt and soap from building up on the glass because now the surface of the glass in now actually flat.

So the next time your at a friend’s house and you need to take a shower. If you see shower glass that is cloudy, remember; they may have cleaned the bathroom, they just don’t have the right glass. The right choice means crystal clear glass.

We use glass for a lot of things. It’s in our homes, our cars and in buildings. If you stop and think about it, we probably would not be able to live without glass. It lets light in, but keeps the cold out. It protects us from wind, and still allows us to see the world around us. Glass is everywhere in our world.

Glass is everywhere in our house. Many of the cups we drink from are made of glass. We have decorations in our house made from glass and light bulbs that are glass. Some houses even use glass for table tops or shelving. The windows in our house are glass. They keep us away from the cold and the heat. We also have glass in our shower doors. Some shower door glass is simple and thin, and some is fancy and thick. Sometimes the entire shower is made from glass, and sometimes just the door. The glass in showers is laminated so when it breaks the glass does not come apart. There is a thin layer of plastic that runs between two pieces of thin glass to make the finished glass piece. This prevents injury if the glass were to break.

Automobiles also have glass. They have windows and windshields made from glass. the glass in a car keep us safe from rain and debris. It also keeps us dry and away from the elements. Car windshields are also laminated and tempered. Tempered means that the glass has been strengthened through a heating process. When a windshield is hit with flying debris, it will not shatter. The glass will actually spiderweb and remain in tact.

Buildings also have glass. Architectural glass is specially tempered for strength and the glass is also designed to keep heat from passing though it. This allows a glass building to keep the heat of the sun out in the winter and keep the heat in during the winter. The way the glass is manufactured can really make an impact on the efficiency of the building.