Episode Transcript
[00:00:09] Speaker A: Welcome to the Clear Impact Podcast brought to you by Mitre Brands University. Thanks for joining us today. My name is Sheri Conner and I am your host.
Today you'll hear the rest of our conversation with Micah Lynn from mi. As we talk about glass, they want
[00:00:26] Speaker B: to be able to still maintain that level of comfort inside the home from an energy efficiency standpoint, cooling and heating of the home. And that's where our dual pane, triple pane, that's where these lowy enhanced products, that's where the laminated glass with the UV inhibiting capabilities, that's where all of these products come into play, even on the large glass. Just because you got a larger piece of glass, large door, large window, doesn't mean that we can't meet thermal requirements that can still give you that level of comfort that you want inside your home. We're capable of doing all that today for sure.
[00:01:06] Speaker A: So we have a couple more benefits about laminated glass that we've discovered and one of those is UV protection. So we have the benefit of living in the south and we also have the downside of living in the south is you get a lot of sunshine, Right? A lot of sunshine and a lot of heat.
[00:01:21] Speaker B: That's right. You've got a lot of ultraviolet rays pushing through that window. And again, what we've noticed with that PVB bond is that it helps block the majority of the harmful ultraviolet rays that penetrate that glass. I mean, the great thing about that bonding system with that PVB is that you don't see it. You can look out your window, it doesn't interfere with the translucence of that glass, your ability to see clearly through it, but it prevents or helps minimize the ultraviolet rays that are coming through from the outside in with sunlight. And of course, that helps reduce any kind of long term sun damage that could occur inside the home. Say you've got a painting or a carpet or a rug or piece of furniture near your window and you notice that it fades over time because that sunlight damages that furniture or artwork or flooring or whatever it is that you got near that window. And this helps minimize that dramatically. I was reading one study that said that it blocks 99% of harmful ultraviolet rays. Obviously, that's pretty significant.
So that's right. So the benefit of having that glass block those UV rays from coming in your home is pretty substantial. And not only do we recognize it blocks the UV rays, but we've also found that it helps significantly with energy efficiency.
[00:02:50] Speaker A: Well, everybody wants to save money there.
[00:02:52] Speaker B: Yep. And so what we've noticed on the energy efficiency side is again that PVB inner layer can help reduce the energy transference, the energy performance. When you pair it with say different low E coatings and you incorporate argon gas into the equation. Now you've created a highly efficient, energy efficient product. We noticed that it helps reduce what they call solar heat gain coefficient, or we call it SHGC for short. With that PVB bond, it also helps enhance our U factor. It also helps obviously with the UV coating or the UV ratings, but it also helps reduce our U factor as well.
[00:03:35] Speaker A: Right, and the U factor measures how much heat comes in.
[00:03:39] Speaker B: That's right. I mean I like to think that that U factor is like insulating factor. Right. And so the PVB bond helps provide a little bit of an enhanced insulating value to that glass panel. And like I said, when you incorporate that with our low E coatings on our glass, argon gas, which also helps on the insulating value of that ig, that insulated glass unit, now you've got a significantly enhanced insulated glass product that helps with heat transference, which helps with UV rays, which now helps with the insulating value of your home.
[00:04:19] Speaker A: So you can do laminated glass. With insulated glass, you don't have to choose between the two. You can have say I want laminated glass. So I have the sound and I have the security, but I can also have an insulated package with that. So it's actually three pieces of glass.
[00:04:35] Speaker B: You can, we can do dual pane and triple pane glass options. That's right.
[00:04:40] Speaker A: And so what's the primary benefit of insulated versus laminated.
[00:04:46] Speaker B: Right. So an insulated glass unit is essentially where we take two glass panes and we have what they call a spacer system. And we sandwich those two glass panes with that spacer system in the middle. That would be a dual pane. A triple pane would be three glass panes. And that spacer system, it's a widely used product especially in the mid Atlantic and northeast. And we use it in the southeast as well. I mean Orlando, Jacksonville further south is starting to incorporate dual pane glass into their residential construction processes. But it's great because it helps enhance the thermal performance of the window by giving it that air space in between.
And we're finding that air or introducing argon gas or other types of gases like krypton help from an insulating standpoint. So just introducing the air in that dual paned insulated glass unit now helps with the insulating factor of that glass.
And having that space in that spacer system helps reduce the heat transference through that glass panel.
[00:06:02] Speaker A: So when the sun is beating down on your west side of your house, it's going to help that air conditioning system not kick on as quickly because that warm air is not coming in through the window.
[00:06:13] Speaker B: Correct. It's going to slow that process down. And then likewise in the wintertime when you know you're heating your home, it's going to minimize the amount of cold air penetrating through that glass and it's going to help retain more heat inside the home. So there are dual benefits with an insulated glass unit, both from a heat and cold perspective. And again, all you're trying to do in that situation is minimize that transference of that hot or cold through that glass unit. We don't have the benefit with glass in that translucence. Being able to see through it is an important piece of the equation when it comes to a window for us. So we don't have the benefit of using batten fiberglass insulation in between this thing. So the air, the trapped air, the introduction of argon gas, different types of gases, the type of spacer system that we use, and then the types of glass that we use. The laminated glass is a component or could be a component of that IGU unit, the low E coatings that we use. All of these components combined is what makes an energy efficient product from a window manufacturing perspective.
[00:07:31] Speaker A: We are sharing our expertise around all topics relating to the window and door industry. Whether you are a customer selling our products or a homeowner doing research, the Clear Impact podcast provides helpful content that makes an impact. Subscribe today wherever you listen to podcasts.
Right. And a lot of those areas too. And correct me if I'm wrong, there's going to be some code requirements on what you have to meet in terms of energy performance. Right?
[00:07:59] Speaker B: That's right. And that's why I say the like. The dual paying glass is paramount in the mid Atlantic in the northeast for us because it's part of our code requirement. We're required.
Builders are required by the municipalities in these zones and regions to meet certain thermal value requirements. And so the only way for a window to meet these codes are with dual pane or insulated glass units.
[00:08:27] Speaker A: Yeah. And it's just better for everybody. I mean, nobody needs a higher electric bill or gas bill than necessary. You want to be able to maintain a comfort level in your house.
And having your windows working with you instead of against you is really going to benefit in the long run.
[00:08:45] Speaker B: Absolutely. And we're Finding again, that people want more visibility, they want to bring the outdoors in.
They've got that home and they live on the water or live in the mountains or live somewhere where they like the view when they're looking out their window. They want a lot of glass, and so they want to be able to still maintain that level of comfort inside the home. From a energy efficiency standpoint, cooling and heating of the home. And that's where our dual pane, triple pane, that's where these lowly enhanced products, that's where the laminated glass with the UV inhibiting capabilities, that's where all of these products come into play, even on the large glass. Just because you got a larger piece of glass, large door, large window, doesn't mean that we can't meet thermal requirements that can still give you that level of comfort that you want inside your home. We're capable of doing all that today. Again, just with the evolution of products over the last five to 10 years, it's allowed us to be able to do that.
[00:09:46] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. And they're not getting smaller, everything's getting bigger.
[00:09:50] Speaker B: Absolutely, they are.
[00:09:51] Speaker A: But anyway. Well, Micah, thank you for chatting with me about all the glass and some of the details around that. I have one final question, and I've been asking this of a lot of our podcast guests lately, and that is about the Mitre DNA.
So I'm curious to hear which one of the DNA statements is your favorite.
[00:10:10] Speaker B: Great question. Yeah, so I've been thinking about that a lot lately myself. And the one that really resonates with me and that I enjoy a lot is the DNA piece where we believe giving back is both a responsibility and a privilege. That one really resonates with me. I mean, we've got the Mitre foundation that was created in 2015 to help strengthen our commitment to supporting meaningful causes, both locally, where we live and work, and on the national level with organizations that we partnered with, like Home for the troops, St. Jude's Ronald McDonald House, and then our efforts are centered through the foundation. Our efforts are centered around the four key pillars that we focus on, which is the community outreach, the support for our nation's heroes, children's well being, and fight against cancer. And through those four pillars, we've been able to make a lasting, positive impact, really where it matters most. And I was reading on our website Yesterday that since 2025, we've contributed five and a half million dollars in charitable contributions to organizations and have volunteered over 4800 hours.
And that is an impressive number and very meaningful Number, I'll tell you, but what really stands out are the experiences behind those numbers. Right. And why I chose that DNA moment is one of the proudest moments that I had as a father and a MITRE team member was having the opportunity to bring my children to a move in event with the homes for our troops outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and being able to share with them, you know, being able to meet the soldier that we were providing this home for, being able to see all the lives that came together and rallied around this veteran, and being able to see what our volunteer hours and dollars contributed to make an impact on this young man's life and his family's life is something that my children got to see and experience.
Something that I got to see and experience. And it'll stay in my heart forever.
[00:12:22] Speaker A: It's so beautiful, isn't it? I love when you get to see how it all plays out for the person that really is in need and deserves to have something wonderful like that, you know, especially a veteran.
And just to know that it's making a big difference in their life every day.
[00:12:40] Speaker B: Yeah, I know that. To leave you guys at the plant today, we're putting.
What was it earlier?
[00:12:46] Speaker A: Yeah. So we did a little thing this morning where we were having a pajama party, and that is not what it sounds like.
We were rolling up pajamas that had been donated, brand new pajamas. And these are for children that are undergoing, you know, like chemo or, you know, surgery recoveries, where they're in the hospital for extended stays. So their families, you know, siblings are often there with them, and they're hanging out for a week, a month, several weeks, however long. And so just to have something nice and fresh and new and snuggly, like a new set of pajamas is just a small little token, but it makes a difference.
So we did a pajama drive here over the last few weeks, and then several volunteers from the Venice Outreach team got together, and we were taking them out of the packages and taking them off of hangers and rolling them up and labeling them so that Casey Cares can then distribute them as needed. So, yeah, so there's a lot of ways to get involved with the foundation.
[00:13:43] Speaker B: That's great. We're truly blessed to be able to be in a position to be able to do things like that. We're blessed to have a leadership and Pete and Matt that recognize that definitely, this is definitely Matt's legacy. He is so passionate about the foundation. He's so passionate about the philanthropic and charitable side. What he does in his life and it exudes in everything that we do. And I love it. Like I said, it creates such a meaningful experience for my children that I hope one day will take what they felt in their heart when they saw that soldier move into his home and take that and carry that on and do something good for somebody someday. And whatever organization that they work for, I mean, that's taking the torch and passing it down the line. And I love it. Like I said, it's such a personable thing for me.
[00:14:32] Speaker A: Yeah. No, that's beautiful. I love that. All right, Micah, well, we are out of time. I appreciate so much the things that you shared today. I appreciate you giving up some of your morning to chat with me about this and help educate people about glass and what they might need and why, and some of the benefits that they can find through those different glass options.
[00:14:53] Speaker B: My pleasure. Sherry, thank you again.
[00:14:55] Speaker A: Yeah. I hope you have a fantastic day.
[00:14:57] Speaker B: Thanks.
[00:14:57] Speaker A: All right. Thank you.
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