Electrochromic Glass

Abstract

Electrochromic glass is a type of smart glass, a new technology that has potential to reduce the amount of sunlight entering a building by changing its physical properties. The purpose of this study is to understand the properties of electrochromic glass and determine if it is a viable alternative to conventional single pane and double pane glass in the Tucson area. Using research and statistics from smart glass production companies, a comparative analysis will be done using the building simulation software Energy-10. It was found that when compared to single pane glass, double pane glass had a decrease of 7.21% in energy cost and electrochromic glass had a decrease of 9.81%. For the used building model, this meant a return investment in 30 and a half years. While electrochromic glass is a new clean method of energy usage reduction, it currently cannot return the consumers initial investment within a desirable time span.