Smart Glass: The Ordinary Window Poised to Play a Key Role in the Smart Home

To help meet green building initiatives, architects and building owners are turning to smart glass products. Also referred to as switchable glass or dynamic glass because it can be changed from opaque to transparent and back, smart glass is used to block solar glare, ensure privacy, or improve energy efficiency – to name a few things.

Its many applications include vehicles, aircraft, and office partitions and conference room walls. Video displays, project screens, skylights, eye glasses, and decorative glass also incorporate smart glass!

When used for residential and commercial fenestration products, smart glass can lower energy costs from 10% to 30% — depending of the type of smart glass used and the application.

How smart glass works

The smart glass market is characterized by a high degree of innovation owing to advancements in material science, such as nanotechnology, and connectivity. (Source: Grand View Research)

This rapid pace of innovation has led to the availability of a half-dozen or so smart glass technologies. The basic premise for how each works, however, is the same: the properties of the glass change in response to electricity, light, or heat.

A homeowner, for example, can change window glass opacity or transparency by applying an electrical voltage (what’s referred to as an active application) using a smart device or app. Or, the windows can darken automatically based on UV light exposure or a pre-set temperature (a passive application).

Four of the technologies that have gained mainstream use include:

Electrochromic – An active technology that consists of several layers of glass, with a thin electrochromic coating between them. When an electric current is applied to the coating, ions within the coating migrate, causing the glass to darken. The process is reversible, and the glass can return to its transparent state when the current is removed. (Source: Glass Forum)

Photochromic / Thermochromic – These passive technologies change the glass properties based on UV/light exposure or temperature. For Photochromic, think sunglasses or vehicle windows that darken automatically in response to UV light exposure. For Thermochromic, the glass changes opacity in response to pre-set temperature changes.

Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal (PLDC) – This active technology comes in two forms: as a self-adhesive film applied to the glass or a laminate between the layers of glass.

Suspended Particle Device (SPD) – An active technology that allows building owners to easily adjust the amount of light entering a room. The SPD technology blocks 99% of visible light – making it ideal for energy control (Grand View Research)

Each type of smart glass has its pros and cons; architects and building owners can choose the glass type depending on the application – e.g.  exterior or interior, commercial or residential, retrofit or new construction, etc. 

Smart glass windows now part of the Internet-connected home

The Electrochromic glass segment captured 62% of the market in 2022 due to “increasing consumer demand, driven by the ability to control the amount of light passing through it using a switch or remote control.” (Grand View Research)

In fact, integration with smart home systems is one factor driving continued innovation for smart glass applications. As more consumers connect home features and appliances to the Internet – coupled with their mobile device apps – the demand for these features continues to grow.

Just about everything associated with the home is now Internet-enabled, including generators, garage doors, sprinkler systems, thermostats and meters, appliances, and lights. These smart devices allow people to track their energy usage and then determine the areas where energy inefficiencies or high costs exist.

Smart windows, whether new construction or retrofits, a natural addition. The North American smart home market stands at USD 33.18 billion and is rapidly growing as consumers’ “preference for housing with built-in solutions increases.” (Source: Fortune Business Insights)

One item that’s helping consumers connect all their home’s smart devices: the smart hub or home assistant, such as Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Apple HomePod. These devices allow consumers to control Internet-connected devices with their voices.

Smart glass is also gaining traction in net-zero homes and buildings. (Net-zero refers to the purpose of these buildings: minimizing impact on the environment.) As already noted, smart glass can help building owners reduce energy consumption and, when combined with other environmentally-friendly features, such as efficient appliances, smart lighting, solar panels, and insulation, lower the building’s carbon footprint as well.