High-Tech Home Windows: Options You Have Now And What The Future Holds In Window Technology

If you are looking to replace your home windows, then now is the perfect time to look into all of the options you have in windows today that go above and beyond the basics. Of course, you want your windows to be energy efficient, attractive, and low-maintenance, but there are many extra window features you can consider adding today to improve your home life. Window technology is advancing, and there are some great advanced window options available right now. There are also some window technologies that aren't quite ready for the market yet, but you can look forward to adding to your new windows one day in the future. 

Best Feature for Animal Lovers

If you love animals and have watched a bird fly into your window in the past and felt the pain of watching it injure itself, then you will be interested in a new window technology that makes sure birds know that your windows are solid glass and that they cannot fly through them. 

You can purchase bird-safe glass that has a pattern only visible to birds while still appearing clear and transparent to humans. These windows have been used in Europe since 2006, but they have only been available in the US for a couple of years now. This window is likely more popular than you think -- because you wouldn't even know it was different glass if you saw it. If you decide to wait on purchasing the special glass, you can try some of these low-tech solutions in the meantime to help keep local birds safe.

Best Window for Nappers or Those Indecisive About Window Tints

If you are like many people, then you may look into having window tint placed on your home windows, but you may have a difficult time deciding on a tint that you are happy with. You might think a darker tint would be great when it is time to take a nap on the living room couch, but you may also wonder if you will miss the bright sunshine once you have dark window tint applied. 

Windows with switchable glazings can now let you have the exact level of window tint that you want, when you want it. Electrochromic switchable glazings allow you to adjust the window tint manually when you want to, while windows with photochromic glazing automatically darken when the sun begins to shine brightly. There are also other types of glazings that control how much heat is allowed to enter through the windows, so you can take advantage of the free heat in the winter and block it out during the summer. 

These windows work by conducting electricity through suspended particles between two panes of window-glass and have earned the nickname "Smart Windows".

Best Window for Environmentalists and the Budget-conscious 

A new type of window that is still in the design stage will make installing solar panels on rooftops to harness solar energy for your home a thing of the past, or at least just an extra option to supplement your main solar-power supply. Fully transparent solar cells have been already been designed and tested, but the final product is still being perfected before it is put onto the window market. 

These transparent cells could make it possible for every home and building in the world to one-day collect solar energy that can then be used to light the homes and buildings at night and power every other electronic item in them. Instead of bulky solar panels that must sit on rooftops and require difficult maintenance when they become covered in snow during the winter or leaves in autumn, the panels will be invisible and much easier to clean and maintain.  

These windows can help conserve energy while helping you cut your electricity bill down to close to zero. 

If you thought that windows were not advancing in technology like many aspects of daily life are today, then think again. Just as flat-screen televisions were once a rare luxury item that soon became a standard item in most households, these window technologies will likely follow the same pattern and soon be common in every household. For more information about the options for your window replacement, visit www.fivestarwindows.com


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