Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have designed a new material to
make smart windows even smarter. The material is a thin coating of nanocrystals
embedded in glass that can dynamically modify sunlight as it passes through a
window. Unlike existing technologies, the coating provides selective control
over visible light and heat-producing near-infrared (NIR) light, so windows can
maximize both energy savings and occupant comfort in a wide range of climates.
“In the US, we spend about a quarter of our total energy on
lighting, heating and cooling our buildings,” says Delia Milliron, a chemist at
Berkeley Lab’s Molecular Foundry who led this research. “When used as a window
coating, our new material can have a major impact on building energy
efficiency.”