GLOSSARY OF TERMINOLOGY
SOLAR REFLECTION
The ratio or percentage of solar energy reflected by the shading. With Verosol fabric reflection on the aluminium side. Abbreviations: Rs, Rsol. The higher the number the better.
OPENNESS FACTOR
The percentage of open area (pores) to the total area of the shading fabric. These pores are necessary to enable view through. Abbreviation: OF. The higher the number the better viewthrough.
U-VALUE
Thermal heat loss (or gain) through a fenestration. The U-value reflects the energy flow through glass and shading when there is a temperature difference between outside and inside, and is the insulating property. Units are Btu/hr-ft²-°F or W/m².K The lower this U-value, the better the thermal heat insulation. The lower the number the better.
IR EMISSIVITY
The ability of a material surface to radiate (infrared) heat out. Metals in general and specifically aluminium have low IR emitting properties. IR emissivity of; glass is about 0.800, plastics is about 0.900 but a clean aluminium surface has an IR em of 0.15. Therefore metallised fabric has so called Low-E properties. The lower the number the better.
SOLAR FACTOR G-VALUE
Ratio between the total solar energy transmitted into a room through a window and the solar energy on the window. g-value is the solar factor of the combination of glazing and solar protection device. (EN14501). The lower the number the better.
LIGHT TRANSMISSION
The ratio or percentage of visible light passing through the shading. Abbreviations: Tv, Tvis. The lower the number the better.
