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Sage Glass Smart Windows

Published 10.3.2016
For October 2016, LWRAS is analyzing markets related to optical technology. Sage Glass, a subsidiary of Saint-Gobain (S-G) is the focus today. Sage glass manufactures electrochromic (EC) windows aimed at the commercial market. Electrochromic windows darken when a voltage is applied to the active coatings (typically tungsten oxide). For commercial customers, EC windows can replace traditional window treatments and increase energy efficiency.

Sage started in 1989 in Valley Cottage, New York, then in 2010, Saint-Gobain invested $80 million. In 2012, S-G bought the rest of the company. S-G is a public company that trades on the Paris Stock Exchange, and it had revenues of almost 40 billion euros in 2015. S-G claims to be the largest flat glass manufacturer in Europe and the second largest worldwide. The year 2012 was tough for S-G and its earnings per share (EPS) declined. Since then the EPS has increased, but in 2015, the EPS was still less than 2011.

According to the company's website, it's EC windows are produced in this way:

We coat SageGlass panes with five layers of ceramic materials for a total thickness of less than 1/50th that of a human hair. When voltage is applied across the coatings, ions travel from one layer to another layer, prompting a reversible solid-state change that causes the coating to tint and absorb light. In other words, the glass gets darker. Reversing the polarity of the applied voltage causes the ions to migrate back to their original layer, untinting the glass.

Sage's manufacturing process is described here.

We invested in the world’s best manufacturing technologies to produce dynamic glass of uncompromising quality and reliability. Our patented process starts by coating float glass with nano-layers of metal oxides using a sputter deposition system. It’s a process similar to that used to make millions of square feet of low-e glass each year. We then fabricate SageGlass into an insulating glass unit (IGU) with another piece of glass using a stainless steel spacer.

An expanse of windows 2000 square feet in size needs less electricity than a 60 watt (incandescent) light bulb. Sage offers windows in multiple colors, with a warranty of between five and ten years, which is important, because electrochromic windows have a lifecycle, and over time the color changing of the window changes.

Electrochromic windows are still much more expensive than standard windows. Finding prices for the windows isn't easy, however, in 2012, the average cost of EC windows was $100 per square foot. Estimates in 2014 were $50 to $100 per square foot, but to be competitive, the price needs to be roughy $20 per square foot. The complaint in 2015 was the same, the prices are too high.

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