AGC introduces non-electric, eco-friendly glass door for freezing showcases

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Asahi Glass is launching a non-electric glass door for freezing showcases for the first time in Japan, a new product in the WINDOOR E Series which consist of glass doors for freezing/refrigerating showcases which is designed to conserve energy as it prevents the formation of dew condensation without using electricity.

In recognition of its energy-saving performance, Seven-Eleven Japan Co, Ltd. has decided to install the glass door as standard equipment at its new outlets to be opened from now on. This non-electric glass door will help to reduce CO2 emissions by about 1 ton per store annually as compared with the conventional glass doors that prevent fogging by using electricity. If it is installed in all Seven-Eleven outlets, total 13,000 tons of CO2 emissions will be saved each year.

There are two types of showcases used in convenience stores and supermarkets: refrigerating showcases used to display products such as beverages, and freezing showcases for ice cream and other frozen food. For refrigerating showcases, non-electric glass doors have already been widely adopted. On the other hand, freezing showcases, which have a lower temperature setting, conventionally require electricity to warm up the glass surface to prevent the formation of dew condensation.

Energy saving in commercial facilities is drawing ever-increasing attention, as business operators of a certain business size or above must disclose their company-wide energy consumption and energy efficiency improvement targets since the revision of the Act on the Rational Use of Energy enforced in April 2010. In particular, convenience stores with long shop hours are accelerating their efforts to reduce electricity usage by installing energy-saving equipment.

AGC sought to develop a non-electric glass door for freezing showcases by enhancing the insulating performance to help them further save electricity. To respond to this demand, AGC worked to improve the insulating performance of glass, and by using a special glass with high insulating property, the company successfully developed a non-electric, anti-fogging glass door for the first time in Japan.