About the only window technology available to consumers that is readily available and cost effective is low e glass or multiple thermal pane windows. Sure we can apply electric motors to some types of windows, or add different films to windows to achieve different degrees of darkening but we don’t really consider these as high technology promise fulfillment.

When I think of high tech windows I tend to think of such things as star trek. Ok so Star trek might be a little over the top but when the idea of high tech windows comes to mind I tend to think of more than a simple window that opened with a crank handle or sash pull. Granted windows have come a long way in technology that we don’t see. Low e glass is one that we often don’t think about. A technology that has been around for many years, it cuts down on the harmful UV light that enters our homes fading our carpets and furniture, it also reduces the amount of excess heat during warmer weather cutting cooling costs by a large percentage. It can also be used, depending on how the film is applied to the window, to reflect heat back into the home during cold months thus saving on heating costs.

I can remember as a child seeing those late fifties early sixties news real type shows that depicted the home of the future with smart appliances as well as smart windows and doors. Much of those shows that dealt with early concepts and early ideas about how technology might be used in the future have seen those ideas come to fruition.

You can go into almost any home and find smart appliances such as refrigerators and ranges, heating and air conditioning systems, even water heaters and washing machines. All of these types of appliances have come of age and adopted some type of smart technology. But what happened to the innovations we were told would be coming for windows?

S P G or switchable privacy glass was one innovation that was predicted to be commonplace in the home by the year 2000. That technology does exist but isn’t commonplace. Photo gray windows such as the glass used in optical lenses were believed would also be commonplace by now but are not.

The actual photo gray technology like that used in optical lenses proved to be too expensive for window application. But other tinting or automatic darkening technology does exist but is generally still too expensive to be commonplace in consumer windows. It is however a technology that is in use in some commercial applications.

Other technology such as switchable privacy glass has actually made it into consumer based product production at one time or another but with very limited success. Not for lack of interest in the technology by in large but rather because of the failure of the technology to meet the needs of consumers or simply the failure of the technology to deliver as promised.

The Milgard window company actually put a version of smart switchable privacy glass windows into production for consumer windows. The windows seemed to be well received but Milgard was forced to abandon production because of technology failures resulting in an unacceptable rate of return and general dissatisfaction of consumers with the product. They have abandoned the idea for now at least in favor of an auto tinting window technology which is still under development.

Other window companies as well have had similar experiences with switchable privacy glass. But the idea is not dead in fact it has had a recent revival at Indiana university where the largest switchable privacy glass project ever undertaken has been complete on the Health Information and Transitional Sciences Building using SPD light control film produced by Hitachi.

Although this again is a commercial application for a new technology it speaks of hope for future consumer window products. Generally speaking, new technologies that arrive in the consumer market place are first proven in the commercial arena.

Many of what were once thought of as “space age” window technologies have come to be realities, but not many of them have become consumer affordable realities yet, and I stress the word yet

Copyright © 2009  Scott Best: All rights reserved

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.

Copyright © 2008 Scott Best: All rights reserved

It’s true that replacement windows save money in energy costs. It’s true that the proper replacement windows, installed properly can add value to your home. It’s true that the cost to replace windows today is by comparison, cheaper then it has ever been. These are all truths about window replacement that have a provable factual basis. What is also true is that 70% of homes 10 years old or more can benefit from the installation of replacement windows. Of course, the older the home the greater the benefit will likely be, words of wisdom that you’ve probably heard before as well.

Over time window sealing effectiveness deteriorates and energy is lost through the leaks around windows. Of course that information isn’t new either. So to save energy or add value, home owners often replace windows and doors without considering some of the negative aspects of having a tightly sealed home.

Actually negative might be the wrong word to use. I hesitate at using the word negative, because it might sound as if I were advocating against replacement windows, which is not the case at all. Rather I think it is important to be aware of changes that replacing windows might bring about in the home. Two things come to mind that may need to be addressed along with windows and door replacement. These things can cause some potentially serious problems.

The first that comes to mind is the changes in indoor air pressure. If you have electric heat or a newer (within the last 5 years or so) thermo efficient gas or propane heating system, air pressure may not be a concern. Still you may want to think about the information presented and apply it to investigating your own home situation.

Why would we be concerned about air pressure in the home? Many homes over the last ten to twenty years, in many parts of the country have opted for such things as under floor and baseboard hot water heating, systems that utilize a boiler to heat water and circulate it throughout the home for heating purposes. When these systems were originally being installed, little thought was given to where the oxygen would be coming from that would complete the combustion process that the boilers need to heat the water.

Why would we need to think about such things? Well twenty years ago we probably didn’t need to. But with homes being build tighter and tighter all the time, it has become more of a concern, here’s why.

A gas or propane heating system, regardless of how it operates, either by circulating hot water from a boiler or via an induction type forced air system; they all require air, or oxygen to complete the combustion process to create heat. So where does this oxygen come from. Well for the most part it comes from the air that we utilize inside our homes. In older homes, where there were always tiny leaks in different places throughout the home made it possible for these heating systems to draw in enough air to operate smoothly. People never really noticed any problems and paid the cost of fuel. Already you might be seeing the fallacy in thinking everything was well.

• Air comes in through tiny cracks around windows and doors
• Heating system burns air from within the home to heat the home, causing more air to be drawn in through tiny cracks around windows and doors (cold air)
• Temperature falls because of the influx of outside air around leaky windows and doors
• Heating system burns air from within the home to heat the home, causing more air to be drawn in through tiny cracks around windows and doors (cold air)
• Temperature falls because of the influx of outside air around leaky windows and doors

You get the idea, and all this time homes were hemorrhaging money via fuel consumption. No one thought about it too much until the cost of fuel and energy started to climb rapidly. So people begin to attack the problem but where to start. Usually two areas of thought prevail, and those are more insulation, and stopping up the cold air flow around windows and door. It’s what we were told to do right? Absolutely. 

So now we seal up the windows and doors either by replacement or maintenance, add more insulation and the result is a nice warm tightly sealed home that is more energy efficient right?

Yes and possibly no. Here is the catch for older homes with out dated heating systems. Creating a tightly sealed home can actually cause your older heating system to work harder and use more energy. How is that possible? By sealing up all those places where the heating system was drawing oxygen for combustion, we have effectively starved that combustion almost to death. Sometimes that sealing off of incoming air it so effective as to make that system quite ineffective as a heating source and creates negative air pressure in the home.

How can you know if you have a negative air pressure situation? Just open a door. If you hear air suck past a door when opened while the heating system is engaged, then you can be almost certain that a negative air pressure situation exists. If a negative air pressure situation exist, then you can be assured that your heating system isn’t running as efficiently as it should. It isn’t getting enough oxygen to complete the combustion process properly, thus wasting fuel. Another big clue that you have a negative air pressure situation is that you find a point or two that you now notice very cold air coming from in the home that you never noticed before. Not that the spot is by comparison cooler then others in the home, places where you can actually feel the cold air rushing in.

The reason that these cold spots develop in a negative air pressure situation, after windows and doors are replace is because your heating system that in the past had multiple places to draw air from, now only has a very few, and to maintain the combustion process, it must draw a greater volume of air from the few remaining sources making them more noticeable.

So we fix one problem and end up with another. But the solution is rather simple. Just replace the heating system. Simple right? Ok, so that isn’t funny, but there is a lesson to be learned, which new heating systems have taken into account.

New heating systems generally take into account that homes are more tightly sealed then ever before, and in knowing this they have provided the heating system with its own outside air source. Usually a two or three inch PVC pipe through an outside wall, one that is as close as possible to the unit’s location. In doing so, the need to draw air through the rest of the house is effectively eliminated, while supplying all the oxygen needed for healthy and energy efficient combustion at the heating unit.

The reason that the outside air source needs to be as close as possible has to do with the path of least resistance law of flow. Air just like water will take the path of least resistance when flowing. If the provided outside air source is too far away, and the system can draw oxygen from a closer source easier, it will do so.

In part two of this article I will discus another major concern that may need to be dealt with when replacing the windows in your home

Scott Best is a freelance writer in association with Brand New Windows.Com Read more of his articles at Brand New Windows Article Index

Copyright
© 2008 Scott Best