Electric Glass (also known as electro-chromatic glass) is a suspended particle device technology that controls the opacity of glass via a switch, remote or control panel. This means that the glass surface can be set with varying degrees of opacity/frosting as required. Electric Glass technologies are being used in large building facades, product display areas, boardrooms, medical interiors, vehicle interiors and advanced automated homes throughout the world.

Here are some of the reasons building automation experts, architects, interior specialists and mechanical engineers are using electric glass:

1.Immediate Control of Light

Light control on demand is convenient for larger buildings as an automated system can be set in place to control the opacity of large areas of glass at the same time. The advantages of solar control stretch beyond day and night and into the seasons so that the glass surfaces allow more light in during winter and less light in during summer. More advanced applications of electric glass can also be tuned to automatically adjust according to preset light requirements.

2. Energy savings through reduced cooling and lighting costs

Building Energy Ratings are becoming a huge concern for Corporates because of the long term costs a bad building design can entail. The control of light as mentioned in the point above is directly related to the amount of heat allowed to pass through the electric glass to warm the building. More warmth in winter and less heat in summer add up to more efficient building energy management.

3. Improvement in users' comfort and health

Apart from the protection of people and interior furniture (other valuable items) from UV damage electric glass has an added health advantage. The smooth surfaces are more easily cleaned and do not trap dust and germs as much as traditional blinds and curtains would.

4. Greater security and privacy

Electric Glass has been applied in reception partitions, security booths and health service areas for instant privacy and security.

5. Durability

Electric Glass which is manufactured properly is a solid state technology with no moving parts. This means that there is less chance of breakage and fewer parts to replace in the long run. Ask around to find out which suppliers have breakage/stress testing results on hand. A good supplier will be transparent about their testing processes.

6.Exceptional optical qualities in a smaller space

The last item looks at how aesthetically please most applications of electric glass are. An installation allows a more flexible approach to interiors. Interior designers can create cubicles/ boardrooms/ display areas which can be "frosted" during use for privacy and then switched back to 'opaque' to get the full open effect of the interior space. This type of application has been particularly useful in the aviation industry as aircraft interiors tend to be limited.

If historians are accurate then the first use of glass started just a little over 5000 years ago. Glass manufacturing techniques have been adjusted since then but the advent of electric glass brings together glass and technology in an entirely new way. A small low energy current turns a pane of glass into a multi-purpose surface as never before.