Everything’s smart these days.  We have smartphones, smart grids, smart homes, smart walls, smart cars, even smart cities.  When technology people start labeling something as smart, trust that they don’t do it lightly.  They mean it in the most mind-blowing and life-changing way possible.

Smart glass technology from Minority Report.

Consider smart windows technology.  No, not the Smart Window by Samsung , which is an LCD window that transforms into a fully functional touchscreen when you want it.  No doubt that’s cool too and mind-blowing in a Minority Report kind of way, but we mean this particular smart window here.

Smart windows technology by Startup View

A Case for Smart Windows Technology
Simply put, smart windows are high-performance glass that can go from transparent to translucent or frosted to totally opaque in a matter of seconds or minutes, helpfully shielding a room from excessive sunlight and heat.  Think of those cool eyeglasses that are clear when indoors and change into tinted in response to sunlight.  (Come to think of it, they’re smart too, but we’ll hold off on the adjective and settle for cool since Google is coming out with smart wearable glasses for real.)

Anyway, back to smart windows and smart glass.  We like them, we’re awed by them, we recommend them.  It gets us asking why our regular windows can’t do the neat stuff smart windows do, because the logic of it all is so basic when you look at it: block/reflect the sunlight to keep the heat from building inside rooms.  Yes, our curtains and blinds have been doing that job ever since, but smart windows take this a stride further because it’s more active, more automatic, and best of all highly efficient.

With smart glass, outdoor temperature from sun exposure or solar gain activates the windows to darken automatically, minimizing glare and heat.  We’ve seen other uses for smart glass, such as for maintaining privacy, or turning windows from one-way to two-way and back.  But what gets us excited, of course, is its environmental impacts and its eventual integration into our eco homes.  Smart glass is a bit on the expensive side, and so it’s mostly the big high-rise buildings that are looking into their benefits.

SAGE, one of the leading manufacturers of smart windows technology proudly declares on its website that smart glass

« has the potential to reduce building heating and air conditioning equipment size by up to 25{e3829ec1db02d54faaf9fa2de0d48db26af01d7a7944a63c3b26976124791cab}, resulting in construction cost savings. SageGlass could also potentially reduce overall cooling loads for commercial buildings up to 20{e3829ec1db02d54faaf9fa2de0d48db26af01d7a7944a63c3b26976124791cab} by lowering peak power demand and may reduce lighting costs by up to 60{e3829ec1db02d54faaf9fa2de0d48db26af01d7a7944a63c3b26976124791cab} while providing building occupants with more natural daylight and greater comfort. »

Nice, right?

The Good

• Smart windows technology can reduce annual energy use by as much as 20{e3829ec1db02d54faaf9fa2de0d48db26af01d7a7944a63c3b26976124791cab}.  That’s a good deal of energy saved when you come to consider that interior cooling can be very costly.
• Smart windows cut off excessive glare without sacrificing natural light and the view outside—after all, building tenants pay a premium for that spectacular view.  That’s one thing our curtains and blinds can’t do for us.
• Smart windows can also seal off unwanted noise from the outside.
• Can be retrofitted to pre-existing windows and skylights.
• Can be connected to Wi-Fi networks.
• Smart windows can be dimmed in varying degrees according to your preferences.
• Electrochromatic smart glass requires a low voltage.
• Are very durable, owing to a ceramic material for the coating.
• Ultimately, smart windows are great for the environment.  The reduced energy means reduced carbon emissions.

The Bad

• Like we said, smart windows technology is still pricey—about 50-60{e3829ec1db02d54faaf9fa2de0d48db26af01d7a7944a63c3b26976124791cab} more than standard architectural glass.  Hopefully, future innovations can lower the price, while making sure the technology pays for itself in a matter of years.

Hopefully, we’ll be seeing more innovations in smart windows technology that allows more intuitive sensors, the ability to transfer and funnel the collected heat into the room during then night., and solar cell capacity that allows the windows to collect enough energy that it can use to operate itself.  Already SAGE, RavenBrick, Startup View (formerly Soladigm),and other smart glass manufacturers are developing  better products for a technology that looks very mature and high-tech already.

The windows of opportunities for smart windows are definitely endless.  And if we can throw in that Samsung technology too so we can launch Twitter and Spotify each time we stand in front of our windows, then all the better.