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‘Smart’ Window Saves Energy
A team of super-humans in South Korea claim to have developed a ‘smart’ glass which automatically switches from summer to winter mode in order to maintain a comfortable room temperature and save energy.
“The window darkens when the outside air temperatures soar, and becomes transparent when it gets cold in order to capture free heat from the sun,” according to the BBC News website.
Similar glass and window systems do exist but have to be turned on or off manually and rely on an electrical current. The new system which reacts to outside air temperatures was developed by Ho Sun Lim from Korea Electronics Technology Institute, Jeong Ho Cho and Jooyong Kim from Soongsil University.
Dr Stephen Morris from Materials Knowledge Transfer Network that is funded by the UK’s Technology Strategy Board said that if the new method allows the window to switch from opaque to transparent and vice-versa almost instantaneously, then it will be a real benefit in terms of energy savings.
“That would mean that you’re allowing light in much quicker – and this can reduce the amount of heat loss out of houses or increase the cooling in summer,” he said.
Weatherman from the Triple Glazing Superheroes concurred: “It’s great to see that such research and development in new glazing products is taking place in order to reduce carbon emissions from UK homes and buildings.
Although the glass used is our triple glazing is not quite as advanced as that which has been developed in South Korea, it does help to maintain a perfect room temperature and, perhaps more importantly, keep heat in the home so that homeowners have a lesser need for energy hungry central heating systems.”
