Dynamic Glass Stocks

Why It Matters

Windows can make or break buildings' energy efficiency.

Glass windows are supposed to give light and visibility to those of us inside of buildings without letting in the weather. But windows do let in the weather - in the form of heat or cold. Windows are much less efficient than insulated walls at keeping room temperature in and outside temperature out - by a factor of 10 or more.

There are several conventional ways of guarding against temperature loss through windows. Double-pane windows are better than single-pane. Injecting insulating gas (often argon or krypton) between panes lowers emissivity. High-quality frames resist air leakage.

Dynamic glass is the future of windows.

But more adaptive technologies that improve building efficiency even more exist. These are called "smart glass" or "dynamic glass," and they make windows responsive in real time to weather and temperature.

Using very thin coats that are powered by electricity, these windows can change their tint in response to heat and light. They can also be controlled through smartphone or tablet apps by users.

The most advanced dynamic glass can separate light and heat for optimal performance. During the winter, it can let both light and heat through. During the summer, it can keep heat out while permitting light to penetrate.

Dynamic glass is still a new technology that hasn't been adopted widely. Project Drawdown estimates that if 50% of new commercial buildings in high-income countries install dynamic glass by 2050, it can help reduce 0.5 gigatons of greenhouse gas emissions from lower energy use.

We need to accelerate the use of dynamic glass.

Here is the list of dynamic glass companies that are traded on US stock markets. We choose companies that derive more revenue from this Drawdown solution than they do from fossil fuel-dependent products and services. And as always, we exclude penny stocks whose share prices were less than $0.50 in our last update.

If you are a Carbon Collective member, you own all of these companies through the Climate Index.