New technologies bring greater energy efficiency to replacement windows

Over the years, there has been a steady stream of new technologies that have improved the quality and energy efficiency of new and replacement windows. Some have been readily adopted and others have been less well received for a myriad of reasons.

Some were more practical than others. Some were more cost effective than others. Still other technologies just haven’t come of age yet, allowing business and home owners the ability to have full vision the effectiveness of the different technologies and the energy savings they provide. In other words it may be that the majority of the would be users of these new technologies are still waiting for the reviews to start filtering in about how each in its own way has stood the test of time and trial in real world situations.

Let’s face it, new technology is generally always more expensive. And until the technology has time to prove itself, consumers are reluctant to shell out the extra money especially in hard economic times such as these. Fortunately many of the “new” technologies are beginning to come of age. The downswing in not only the United States economy but the world economy as well has prompted a new interest in saving as much as possible not so much in the short term but in the long term strategies approach as well.

New home construction is at a record low in the United States especially. The real estate market has taken a nose dive that analysts won’t even surmise a prediction about when it might end. In the face of all of the negative events and bad economic news, these new window technologies may prove to be the silver lining of a very gloomy gray cloud.

With big emphasis on having a Green Fuel Planet, consumers are looking for ways to be green by saving energy. And at the same time they want to save money and add value to their homes in a depressed market place. Doing all that in one fell swoop seems a bit much to expect, but actually has the potential to be possible to varying degrees using some of the new high-tech windows that are available.

First let’s start by outlining a few of the not new but recent tech innovations for new and replacement windows and what they bring to the table.

Low E glass
Is usually a double pain windows system whereby two panes of glass are separated by a dead air space or one filled with an inert gas such as argon. The E stands for emissivity. Low E glass works by reflecting heat back to its source. It does this by utilizing an ultra thin metallic coating on or in the glass. It does work; it has been around for a long time and is relatively cheap. Subsequent types of windows using this system made more use of the concept by adding a third pane of glass making the overall effectiveness of the solar barrier even greater.

Smart Glass
Next came what is known as smart glass. There are several different types of smart glass, all of which work pretty much the same way. The glass goes from clear to either a single level or to varying levels of opaqueness controlled by a small electronic current that is passed through a special layer of glass,. The advantages of such glass in energy efficiency are that it has the ability to block solar heat and UV light that passes through the window. Some types require voltage to remain clear; others require voltage to become opaque. But because they both do require electricity to operate and have a marginal ability to block solar heat, their actual Green quality is questionable at best. Having the ability to block at best about 20% of overall solar heat and UV light energy even though the numbers were proclaimed to be much higher they never lived up to the touted green quality. They became more popular as a new kind of novelty window offering on/off privacy solutions or in expanse as windows that require no blinds or window coverings.

The next Generation Smart glass was called SPD which stands for suspended-particle-device and works pretty much as described above but in reverse. Rather than being clear and needing voltage to become opaque it requires voltage to become clear, and is never totally clear but maintains a slightly milky translucent quality. The green factor was not improved to a great extent, but because of the way it operates. SPD windows found a bigger following in commercial office applications. Some minor development was done for a variety of consumer windows from major window manufactures.

Electronic smart windows
The newest technology that is gaining favor in leaps and bounds is the new generation of Electronic smart windows that are comprised of several separate types of technology from a number of different companies. These new electronic smart windows have the ability via a small amount of electricity to go from clear to tinted. The attractive feature is that they can come in a large variety of tint colors. Some of the newest technologies are very green in that they can block up 70% or more of solar heat and UV light when active. Another green advantage of some is that no sustaining voltage is required. Electric current is only required to go from one state to the other; the materials maintain their degree of active tint until more or counter current is applied, This new generation of smart windows have become very popular not only in large commercial buildings but as a very green window replacement option for home owners as well.

Although none of the technology that I have outlined is exactly new, it has taken time and a change in consumer thinking to bring them into the forefront of the green spotlight, Blocking 70% of solar heat and UV light is a very big step, and has very powerful energy saving potential. Things such as smart windows for residential home use can no longer be overlooked or ignored as an option even though the initial cost is quite high. Rising energy costs have narrowed the gap between extravagant and practical in the mind of many home owners especially with this new decline in the real estate market. People are looking for ways not only to save money on energy but to add value to a home and make it more attractive to potential buyers. New Smart windows make more and more sense every day

Scott Best is a freelance Author in association with Brand New Windows.Com. Scott Writes for many websites. With his unique perspective on many issues and topics Scott lends a high level of professionalism to the topics he writes about. Learn more about Scott at his site. Scott Best Articles.Com