“Smart Glass” on the Verge – Architectural Record Technology
“Smart Glass” on the Verge – Architectural Record Technology.
Imagine you’re in the middle of a meeting, and everyone is peeking in! Imagine flipping a light switch for privacy. That’s what smart glass does. As the production amounts go up, the prices come down. The technology is there. One aspect of smart glass that Suntech can deliver is laminated or “sandwiched” versions – we can put it in to about any frame these days, as long as it’s stationary. The thickness can be mad up with other glass, and we can even put it in to surrounding glass applications that require exterior building exposures.
Another side note is that smart glass is able to be projected upon. What that means is that you could have a whole wall of glass that is literally a projector screen. This is exciting stuff. People have used privacy glass in bathrooms, sun rooms, by hot tubs and more.
So what do “Scrod” and “Replacement Windows” have in common?
Scrod is a small piece of white fish, often from a Cod, but not always, and is what’s called “Marketing Speak”. Replacement Windows are windows that are really not full replacements for your old windows. It is also a “Marketing Term” that leads you to believe that you are getting a whole new window for your house. But, they aren’t really new windows, just as “Scrod” isn’t always really a small piece of Cod fish. Both terms allure you in to thinking you’re getting a free lunch!
In reality, there are three kinds of windows out there when you’re going to retro-fit a building or house – new construction windows, replacement windows, and sash kits are the three types.
A new construction window goes into an opening that doesn’t have any windows in it. There is a clean opening in the building that is prepared for a window. It doesn’t have any old frames in it or anything, just the wood framing to receive a window. This is the best choice, and is often referred to as a “full tare out”. The new windows are installed basically the same way as when the house was being built! The siding, trim and old window are all out of the way. The new window is anchored, insulated, caulked, etc. and the siding and trim are replaced.
A replacement window is a hybrid. They come in many different materials – wood, aluminum, vinyl and even fiberglass. In this scenario, the old window-frame is left in place. The “guts” are removed first. The new window, which is about as thick as the old frame, is put in to the hole, screwed in on four sides, maybe insulated and caulked, and it’s done. There is a lot less labor and material involved, yet your potential frame problems are not solved, nor is the original insulation around the frame usually inspected. Another point to consider is that you get way less light in the building after using this type of replacement methodology.
Sash kits, which we’ve covered before, are a great alternative to replacement windows or new construction windows in some instances. For the most part, the original frame is left intact. The old “sash” is removed, the tracks are taken out, and new tracks are applied. The new sash is set in the tracks, and it’s over. Way less labor and materials are used, thereby passing on a lot less cost.
While the industry keeps changing, one thing is for sure, replacement window deals can be fishy. Seriously, you get less light, less new material and less reliability in the long run.
My Name is Low-E and I’m Here to Stay
So what is this Low-E glass thing all about? Let’s break it down now. Low means “little” nor “no”. E stands for “emissivity”. Emissivity is the ability of something, in this case glass, to emit energy. I know, it sounds counter intuitive, and it kind of is. You see, it depends on which side of the glass you’re on. The emissivity is the amount of energy that is absorbed and emitted (later). So, this glass is going to absorb low amounts and emit low amounts later.
Here’s an even more confusing definition:
“Low-emittance (Low-E) coating are microscopically thin, virtually invisible, metal or metallic oxide layers deposited on a window or skylight glazing surface primarily to reduce the U-factor by suppressing radiative heat flow.” – http://www.efficientwindows.org/lowe.cfm
Again, think of the sun shining from outside of the window. The heat from the sun gets reflected by the metallic coating on the interlayer of the glass. In fact, Low-E glass targets infrared light, as that is what seemingly creates most of the heat in a building. It not only blocks radiant energy (light) from coming in, but it blocks energy from leaving the building.