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Smart Electrochromic Windows to Enhance Building Energy Efficiency and Visual Comfort

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  • Alessandro Cannavale

    (Dipartimento di Scienze dell’Ingegneria Civile e dell’Architettura, Politecnico di Bari, Via Orabona 4, 70125 Bari, Italy
    Istituto di Nanotecnologia, CNR Nanotec, Via Arnesano 16, 73100 Lecce, Italy)

  • Ubaldo Ayr

    (Dipartimento di Scienze dell’Ingegneria Civile e dell’Architettura, Politecnico di Bari, Via Orabona 4, 70125 Bari, Italy)

  • Francesco Fiorito

    (Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Ambientale, del Territorio, Edile e di Chimica, Politecnico di Bari, Via Orabona 4, 70125 Bari, Italy)

  • Francesco Martellotta

    (Dipartimento di Scienze dell’Ingegneria Civile e dell’Architettura, Politecnico di Bari, Via Orabona 4, 70125 Bari, Italy)

Abstract

Electrochromic systems for smart windows make it possible to enhance energy efficiency in the construction sector, in both residential and tertiary buildings. The dynamic modulation of the spectral properties of a glazing, within the visible and infrared ranges of wavelengths, allows one to adapt the thermal and optical behavior of a glazing to the everchanging conditions of the environment in which the building is located. This allows appropriate control of the penetration of solar radiation within the building. The consequent advantages are manifold and are still being explored in the scientific literature. On the one hand, the reduction in energy consumption for summer air conditioning (and artificial lighting, too) becomes significant, especially in "cooling dominated" climates, reaching high percentages of saving, compared to common transparent windows; on the other hand, the continuous adaptation of the optical properties of the glass to the changing external conditions makes it possible to set suitable management strategies for the smart window, in order to offer optimal conditions to take advantage of daylight within the confined space. This review aims at a critical review of the relevant literature concerning the benefits obtainable in terms of energy consumption and visual comfort, starting from a survey of the main architectures of the devices available today.

Suggested Citation

  • Alessandro Cannavale & Ubaldo Ayr & Francesco Fiorito & Francesco Martellotta, 2020. "Smart Electrochromic Windows to Enhance Building Energy Efficiency and Visual Comfort," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-17, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:13:y:2020:i:6:p:1449-:d:334652
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Tavares, P.F. & Gaspar, A.R. & Martins, A.G. & Frontini, F., 2014. "Evaluation of electrochromic windows impact in the energy performance of buildings in Mediterranean climates," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 68-81.
    2. Anna Llordés & Guillermo Garcia & Jaume Gazquez & Delia J. Milliron, 2013. "Tunable near-infrared and visible-light transmittance in nanocrystal-in-glass composites," Nature, Nature, vol. 500(7462), pages 323-326, August.
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    4. Myunghwan Oh & Jaesung Park & Seungjun Roh & Chulsung Lee, 2018. "Deducing the Optimal Control Method for Electrochromic Triple Glazing through an Integrated Evaluation of Building Energy and Daylight Performance," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-22, August.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Troy Malatesta & Gregory M. Morrison & Jessica K. Breadsell & Christine Eon, 2023. "A Systematic Literature Review of the Interplay between Renewable Energy Systems and Occupant Practices," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-27, June.
    3. Zhina Rashidzadeh & Negar Heidari Matin, 2023. "A Comparative Study on Smart Windows Focusing on Climate-Based Energy Performance and Users’ Comfort Attributes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-29, January.
    4. Lantonio, Nicole A. & Krarti, Moncef, 2022. "Simultaneous design and control optimization of smart glazed windows," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 328(C).
    5. Anna Fensel & Juan Miguel Gómez Berbís, 2021. "Energy Efficiency in Smart Homes and Smart Grids," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-2, April.
    6. Elissaios Sarmas & Vangelis Marinakis & Haris Doukas, 2022. "A data-driven multicriteria decision making tool for assessing investments in energy efficiency," Operational Research, Springer, vol. 22(5), pages 5597-5616, November.
    7. Syrrokostas, George & Leftheriotis, George & Yannopoulos, Spyros N., 2022. "Lessons learned from 25 years of development of photoelectrochromic devices: A technical review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    8. Chiang, Yu-Jou & Chang, Ling-Yu & Cheng, Chao-Yuan & Chang, Ching-Cheng & Yeh, Chia-Lin & Huang, Chen-Jui & Jiang, Shi-Kai & Ho, Kuo-Chuan & Hwang, Bing-Joe & Yeh, Min-Hsin, 2022. "Designing highly transparent electropolymerized PANI/rGO nanocomposite as a Pt-free electrocatalytic layer in photoelectrochromic device for self-powered green building," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 103-111.
    9. Alessandro Cannavale, 2020. "Chromogenic Technologies for Energy Saving," Clean Technol., MDPI, vol. 2(4), pages 1-14, November.
    10. Marcin Brzezicki, 2021. "A Systematic Review of the Most Recent Concepts in Smart Windows Technologies with a Focus on Electrochromics," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-25, August.
    11. Emily K. Schwartz & Moncef Krarti, 2022. "Review of Adoption Status of Sustainable Energy Technologies in the US Residential Building Sector," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-18, March.
    12. Atthakorn Thongtha & Piromporn Boontham, 2020. "Experimental Investigation of Natural Lighting Systems Using Cylindrical Glass for Energy Saving in Buildings," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-12, May.
    13. Jae-Hyang Kim & Jongin Hong & Seung-Hoon Han, 2021. "Optimized Physical Properties of Electrochromic Smart Windows to Reduce Cooling and Heating Loads of Office Buildings," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-30, February.

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