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Tag Archive for: energy efficient glass

Self tinting glass helps buildings keep their cool

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Self tinting glass helps buildings keep their cool

Self tinting glass helps buildings keep their cool

Energy consumption is one of the hottest topics in new building construction – no pun intended. The drive to reduce energy grows more urgent as developing nations increase construction projects designed to support their economic activities. Nations closest to the Equator are those most in need of simple, reliable solutions that reduce the need for electricity. That’s where self-tinting glass comes in.

Self tinting glass is glass that tints based on the movement of the Sun. The glass remains tinted as long as it is exposed to sunlight. As the Sun moves off the glass, the glass returns to its clear, untinted condition. The glass also remains clear on cloudy days to maximize the transmission of visible light. Read more

New “powerless” glass can cool buildings

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New "powerless" glass can cool buildings

New “powerless” glass can cool buildings

A team of researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder has developed a novel material that can cool buildings without consuming any power. The material, which is a thin film composed of silver and glass in a polymer known as polymethylpentene, can be produced less expensively than comparable films made from other materials.

The film works because the solar radiation passes through the polymer, but reflects off of the silver layer. The silver layer does not absorb the solar radiation. Instead, the glass reflects the heat, which is created by infrared waves, away from the glass.

The film has been tested under midday heat – the point at which the infrared waves are most intense – and it has performed very well. The new material can be produced quickly and efficiently, using a roll to roll process. The finished film is about as thick as a piece of aluminum foil, like the kind used in a kitchen.

The team will continue to test the material to determine its overall durability and longevity. The team will also experiment with a “cooling farm” in 2017. According to the University of Colorado researchers, 10 to 20 square meters of their material would keep an average sized home continuously cool during the summer. Having said that, they also caution that the film isn’t something that can simply be applied to a home’s roof and left in place, because while it will cool the home effectively in summer, it will also cool a home in the winter – an undesirable condition, especially for homes in the northern part of the country.

Researchers at Stanford University developed a similar film in 2014, but that composition used alternating layers of silicon dioxide and hafnium dioxide. This film is more expensive to produce, and hafnium dioxide is in limited supply. The University of Colorado Boulder team uses commonly available materials. Both materials have a surface temperature that’s less than the surrounding air temperature, even in midday heat.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. Glassprimer™ glass paint can be used in both interior and exterior applications and can help reduce solar heat gain in some applications. For more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: davebloggs007 , via Flickr.com

New paint-on coating improves glass efficiency

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New paint-on coating improves glass efficiency

New paint-on coating improves glass efficiency

Researchers at Berkeley National Labs are working to develop a paint-on coating that reflects heat. If successful, the coating could be added to existing windows for about one-tenth the cost of conventional heat-reflective glazes. The researchers even speculate that the coating could be applied by homeowners as a do-it-yourself project.

The coating will be designed to selectively reflect infrared light waves without significantly reducing visible light. Like many energy-efficient coatings, the Berkeley coating will also be designed primarily for use in southern and western climates. These buildings tend to use a significant amount of electricity for air conditioning.

The goal of the development is to create an inexpensive, easy-to-use coating. If they succeed, the coating could reduce energy consumption by as much as 35 billion KWh and 24 billion pounds of CO2 emissions annually. The team’s goal is to create a coating that could be applied for about $1.50 per square foot.

To create the coating, the team will work with a type of polymer known as a “bottlebrush” polymer. The unique shape of the polymer – a rigid spine with bristles that extend from the sides – could help reflect infrared light, while allowing visible light to pass unimpeded.

The work is being funded by the US Department of Energy, and will allow the team to develop, refine and test the coating. Another element of the project is to determine how best to scale production, maximize the coating’s efficiency and distribute the finished product.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. Glassprimer™ glass paint can be used in both interior and exterior applications and can help reduce solar heat gain in some applications. For more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Myxi, via Flickr.com

MIT Researchers Develop Switchable Glass

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MIT Researchers Develop Switchable Glass

MIT Researchers Develop Switchable Glass

Switchable glass – glass that changes from transparent to opaque and back again – isn’t new, but researchers at MIT have developed a glass that uses power only when the glass switches. The stable-state switchable glass could significantly reduce energy consumption in buildings that receive direct sunlight, and also offer a low-power alternative to traditional switchable glass.

Switchable glass doesn’t require power

Typically, switchable glass requires power to remain in its opaque state. The regular (although low) power drain diminishes the savings that the glass generates. By developing glass that requires power only when it is actively switching states, the team has created a potentially new option for energy-saving glass.

The new glass is made from electrochromic materials, rather than photochromic ones. The new material switches states instantly when electricity is applied. In contrast, photochromic materials have a delayed response to the presence of light. Existing electrochromic materials also have similar limitations, and require constant power to retain their opacity.

Electrochromic materials rely on the movement of both electrons and positive ions to create an opaque effect. While electrons move very quickly, positively charged ions – which do the actual color-changing work, do not. When the electrical current is discontinued, the negative electrical state that attracts the positive ions is canceled, which also cancels the opacity of the glass.

The new glass uses metal-organic frameworks (MOF), which can conduct both electrons and positive ions very quickly. This eliminates the delay in achieving opacity. Another benefit of the technique is that the research team has been able to create a “near-black” color when the glass is opaque.

The glass also uses a combination of an organic material and a metal salt that self-assembles into a thin film that can switch between virtual transparency and virtual opacity quickly.

The glass is still experimental, and the researchers are currently working with very small glass. The next step is to increase the size of the glass and verify that the properties it displays on a small scale still work on a larger scale. If perfected, the glass could be used in buildings, airplanes and other locations where it can address issues of glare or energy consumption.

One way to address both glare and energy consumption today is through the use of Glassprimer™ glass paint. Glassprimer™ glass paint provides exceptional UV-light rejection while allowing visible light transmission. Glassprimer™ glass paint is applied directly to glass, and makes a permanent bond with the glass. It is suitable for both interior and exterior use, is available in virtually any color and costs about $1 per square foot.

If you’d like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Khalid Abdulaziz Kaabi and Dennis Sheberla

Energy efficient glass is on the way

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Energy efficient glass is on the way

Energy efficient glass is on the way

Architects have always struggled with windows. In ancient buildings, the trick was to make the window big enough to admit light, and not so big that it allowed too much heat (or rain, or snow) to get into the building. Then came glass.

Windows key to energy efficient buildings

Single pane windows were the norm, but it should come as no surprise that glass is to blame for about 50% of a building’s heat loss, and about 90% of a building’s heat gain. Sadly, the heat loss comes in the winter, and the heat gain arrives in the summer. Double pane windows can help resist changes in internal temperature, but they’re plagued with their own set of problems.

Window frames warp over time, opening large gaps around the window. Seals between glass break, causing the insulating gas to escape. Once this happens, moisture accumulates between the panes, and the insulating value of double pane windows is lost.

Controlling the transfer of heat between the exterior and the interior is essential in today’s construction. High quality replacement windows can reduce energy consumption by close to 30%, so there’s definitely an advantage to gaining energy efficiency.

The next evolution of construction glass is likely to be “smart glass.” Smart glass is also called tunable glass, because nanoparticles embedded in the glass can orient themselves when a small electrical current is applied. The current causes the window to become opaque virtually instantly, and allows better control of both light transmission and heat gain or loss.

If window replacement isn’t part of your plan, you can still employ strategic heat and light control by using Glassprimer™ glass paint. Glassprimer™ glass paint provides coverage for about $1 per square foot, and comes in virtually any color. Glassprimer™ glass paint can still permit light transmission, while providing exceptional UV resistance.

If you’d like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Thomas Brown, via Flickr.com

Metallic glass increases light transmission

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Metallic glass increases light transmission

Metallic glass increases light transmission

Researchers at the University of British Columbia have created metal-coated glass that increases light transmission by as much as 10% compared to traditional window glass. Although glass is transparent, metallic inclusions allow more light to flow through the treated glass.

Metallic glass means conductive glass

In addition to increasing light transmission, the metallic inclusions also make the glass conductive. Ordinary glass is not just non-conductive; it’s used as an insulator in a variety of applications. Making glass conductive opens up some new possibilities for energy conservation, including the creation of “programmable” windows that can either reflect or absorb heat, based on the needs of the occupants.

Using windows to control heat gain or loss is especially interesting in Canada, where 70% of the country’s energy usage is devoted to maintaining the temperature in buildings. The experimental glass was created using a vacuum deposition technique, and added a metallic layer just a few nanometers thick.

You can use Glassprimer™ glass paint to help control heat gain and loss in building interiors. Ordinary glass allows UV-radiation to pass through it virtually unimpeded. In the winter, any additional heat is welcome, but often the angle of the winter sun doesn’t lend itself to heat gain via glass. On the other hand, you can also use coatings on the glass to help retain heat during the winter.

Glassprimer™ glass paint allows natural light to penetrate the glass, but provides exceptional UV resistance. Glass coated with Glassprimer™ glass paint will resist solar heat gain, and can also help prevent heat loss at night and during the winter months.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is economical as well. You can apply Glassprimer™ glass paint and achieve complete coverage for a cost of about $1.00 per square foot. Because Glassprimer™ glass paint makes a permanent bond with the glass, it will not chip, fade or delaminate, even in direct sunlight.

No one knows how well “smart” windows will work, or even if they’re practical, but we do know that Glassprimer™ glass paint offers a practical, affordable solution for limiting heat gain and loss. If you’d like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Drew Mackie, via Flickr.com

Glass plays an important role in energy efficiency

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Glass plays a big role in energy efficiency

Glass plays a big role in energy efficiency

In yesterday’s post, we looked at energy efficiency and glass, and how technological advances in glass have given commercial interiors the edge in reducing energy consumption. Today’s post looks at the most recent energy efficiency developments in glass, and how modern coatings like Glassprimer™ glass paint can help conserve energy and improve comfort.

Glassprimer™ glass paint contributes to energy efficiency

In the late 1980s and early 1990’s, new research was aimed at developing dynamic glass – glass that could automatically change tint based on conditions, reduce heat build-up and reduce glare while still providing a high degree of light-transmission. Comfort and convenience were the primary drivers of glass technologies, even though a clear benefit was a reduction in energy consumption. By the mid-1990s, sales of low-e glass hadn’t changed much; if anything, they declined slightly.

Today, energy efficiency is a greater concern, and while low-e glass doesn’t dominate the residential market, more than half of commercial windows are low-e. The need for a significant amount of natural lighting in commercial spaces, combined with mandates to reduce energy consumption drive the commercial low-e market. Low-e glass is now combined with energy-efficient fabrication techniques and new materials and coatings to create highly efficient, highly functional windows.

Specialized glass coatings, like Glassprimer™ glass paint can also contribute to an increase in energy efficiency. Glassprimer™ glass paint offers exceptional UV-protection, which reduces heat build-up, discourages heat loss and resists peeling and fading over time. Glassprimer™ glass paint is also cost-effective. A single gallon of Glassprimer™ glass paint can cover about 265 square feet of glass. The paint can be used to achieve full coverage or partial coverage, and can be used to create a frosted effect.

The nanotechnology that underlies Glassprimer™ glass paint actually modifies the surface of the glass, creating a permanent bond with the glass. Being able to create this bond is key to delivering superior UV-protection and performance, even under the most challenging conditions.

Glassprimer™ glass paint works with any kind of glass. A window coated with Glassprimer™ glass paint will provide UV protection and reduce the build-up of heat while still preserving light transmission.

If you’d like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint’s energy efficiency applications, please check out the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .
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Photo Credit: Hing-Cheung Li, via FreeImages.com

Architectural glass and Glassprimer™ glass paint

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Architectural glass and Glassprimer™ glass paint

Architectural glass and Glassprimer™ glass paint

Glass has been used in decorating and interior design throughout recorded history, but it fell out of the residential landscape during the post-World War II housing boom, when materials were hard to come by. Architectural glass has remained a staple in commercial buildings, in both interior and exterior applications.

Using Glassprimer™ glass paint with architectural glass

The use of architectural glass in buildings poses a challenge. By itself, glass isn’t energy-efficient. In the summer, glass tends to trap heat in buildings. That requires significant amounts of energy to make the building comfortable. In the winter, heat readily escapes. Just as in the summer, the low insulating ability of glass means increased energy use to make the building comfortable.

Nonetheless, glass has made a comeback in interior design, and in a variety of ways. Glass is an extremely versatile material, and can be shaped in a variety of ways, and incorporate a limitless number of textures. Using shapes and textures, glass makes an ideal material for doors, walls, partitions, furniture and countertops.

In some cases, it may be desirable to treat the glass to improve its performance, create additional privacy or even improve the energy efficiency of a space. Because of its nature, glass doesn’t typically take paint or other coatings very well. This limits your ability to modify the glass.

Enter Glassprimer™ glass paint. Glassprimer™ glass paint is specially formulated to bond to the surface of glass. This makes Glassprimer™ glass paint an ideal coating for surfaces like textured glass, which won’t retain applied films. With Glassprimer™ glass paint, you can apply a permanent surface coating to the glass that will remain beautiful for years.

Glassprimer™ glass paint reflects UV light, which reduces the amount of trapped heat in buildings in the summer, and allows the glass to better reduce heat losses in the winter. Glassprimer™ can help improve the overall energy efficiency of building windows. It also offers an option for decorating or improving architectural glass used in building interiors.

Glassprimer™ glass paint comes in virtually any color and can be tinted to match the color palette of any major paint manufacturer. It is also more cost-effective than acid-etched glass.

Photo Credit: Romina Chamorro , via FreeImages.com