Eco Factor: Eco-friendly glazing with heat-storing phase-change material creates a passive solar-control mechanism.
GlassX AG, a Swiss company has developed a new type of eco-friendly glazing that was introduced to the North American market at the AIA convention in Miami earlier this month. Dubbed the “GlassX”, this high-tech glazing comes with heat-storing phase-change material (PCM). This innovative window system features two panes of glass with PCM in the middle.
The outer insulated glazing unit has a suspended prismatic filter between the panes of glass that reflects most of the higher-angle sunlight, while transmitting low-angle sunlight, creating a passive solar-control mechanism that keeps the high summer sun out and lets the lower-angle winter sun in.
The PCM that melts and freezes around 79-86 degrees Fahrenheit converts into a heat-absorbing, transparent liquid when heat is absorbed and crystallizes back into a solid when sun sets. This process releases the retained heat and helps in keeping the building warm. Even during times when the PCM is solid, certain amount of light still enters in, making your house bright. Weighing 20 pounds per square foot, GlassX is available at $60-90 per square foot.
Via: BuildingGreen/GoodCleanTech
