Smart is a buzzword and a trend. The more people hear the word, the more they ask, “What makes a home smart?” Smart buildings have become an important trend globally due to their ability to reduce costs, improve the occupant experience, increase sustainability, and facilitate real-time decision-making. But how do you make a building smart?
As buildings become more digitalized and interconnected, different building technologies are becoming smarter as well. Analysts at Guidehouse Insights note one element that has been overlooked in the smart house trend, smart windows. Integrating smart windows into building automation systems can translate into lower energy usage, higher comfort levels for building occupants, and facilitate preventive maintenance rather than reactive maintenance.
Smart window and glass technologies are defined as glass solutions that can automatically alter their light and heat transmission properties to reduce heat and glare penetration in a building and provide occupant privacy at the same time. Some of the benefits derived from having smart windows include HVAC (heating ventilation and air conditioning) and lighting systems energy savings, increased occupant comfort and wellness, clear outside views, and improved building aesthetics.
The global market for smart windows and glass for architectural applications has had slower than expected growth since 2016. This is mainly due to the high price of the products compared with the price of regular flat glass windows, lack of widespread education on smart windows among building owners, facilities managers, contractors, and other market stakeholders, and the lack of market competition needed for product prices to decrease.
However, heavy investment in the industry and adoption from verticals, such as office buildings, and consumer education in recent years could lead to higher growth rates in the coming years. A new report, Smart Windows and Glass Overview, from Guidehouse Insights examines the global market for smart windows and glass in light of the global increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and policy changes by governments around the world.
The demand for smart windows globally has been increasing year-over-year because of the popularization of smart buildings, leading to the prediction that global revenue for the smart window and glass market will experience a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 31.2%, reaching more than $1.8 billion in revenue by 2030.
Of course, smart windows are only a niche piece of the smart building movement. For example, intelligent building solutions experienced double-digit growth in the past decade. These systems connect multiple building automation systems so that they can operate as an integrated whole. This integration produces operational efficiencies, helps better manage capital assets, and offers tools for building management all while managing the tradeoffs associated with the competing priorities of operational efficiency, tenant comfort, health, and safety.
The global intelligent building solutions market trends vary by building type and region, reflecting differences in needs for different building types among the regions, the level of economic prosperity, the rate of adoption of new building technology among the building owners and managers, and differences in regulatory mandates. Another Guidehouse Insights report examines the global market for commercial solutions that enable building owners, managers, and operations to remotely manage and control major automation systems such as HVAC controls, lighting controls, fire and life safety, security and access, and building management systems.
Original Article: https://constructech.com/smart-and-transparent/
