Switchable Glass might sound like a gimmick, but they have a huge environmental benefit. In their darkened state, they reflect back virtually all (about 98 percent of) the light falling on them, so they can dramatically reduce the need for air-conditioning. Since they’re electrically operated, they can easily be controlled by a smart-home system or a RF sensor.
According to scientists at the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), windows like this could save up to 8 percent of a building’s total energy consumption; they use only tiny amounts of electricity to switch from dark to light (100 windows use about as much energy as a single incandescent lamp) so make a huge net energy saving overall. Other benefits Switchable glass include privacy at the flick of a switch.
