SAGE’s SageGlass, an electronically tintable glass, will be used as the model window in a novel research and development project for designing energy-efficient buildings at the Greater Philadelphia Innovation Cluster (GPIC) for Energy-Efficient Buildings.
GPIC, one of the Innovation Hubs of the U.S. Department of Energy, has been set up to increase creation of green jobs and national energy independence. SAGE’s SageGlass, part of the new research and development project at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, will evaluate and demonstrate sophisticated energy-efficient technologies, policies and methods.
This project is one among seven introductory Opportunity Research Fund grants distributed by GPIC to investigate innovative window and lighting amidst other building design goals. The research grant amounts to $1.3 million. SAGE contended for the grant along with Penn State as well as Saint-Gobain, the company’s strategic partners who were given $200,000 for the leading proposal.
The SageGlass technology was selected to study the occupant comfort and energy efficiency that can be attained through electrochromic glazing in facilities exposed to direct sunlight. It tints or untints to change visible light, glare and heat gain by just pressing a button and allows the occupants of the building to enjoy outdoor views and natural light. By controlling solar heat gain, SageGlass reduces lighting energy costs in buildings by up to 60%, HVAC requirements by up to 30% and energy consumption by up to 20%.
GPIC has instituted The Navy Yard in Philadelphia as the center for making energy-efficient research, policy, education and commercialization. The goal of GPIC is to convert the building retrofit industry to integrated systems methods from serial fragmentation in order to enhance building systems, design tools, market incentives, workforce skill and public polices required to attain a 50% decrease in the use building energy and to accelerate quality job creation and private investment in Greater Philadelphia.
GPIC’s research and demonstration project on SageGlass will investigate a combined building retrofit solution to promote these goals.