Electronically Controlled Window Tinting Helps Schools Earn LEED Certification

ELK RIVER, Minn. — Twin Lakes Elementary School in the Elk River Area School District installed SageGlass’ Electrochromics, a glass tint that is electronically controlled, to help it earn LEED Silver certification.

The tinting can help earn LEED credits in the following categories: optimization of energy performance, controllability of systems, thermal comfort and daylight and views. The system helps earn the credits by reducing the amount of the sun’s energy that is permitted to enter a facility to 9 percent, compared to about 30 percent for standard nonresidential windows.

The $19 million school features the windows in its science center, where the design called for taller windows and natural light. The tinting enables teachers to control light intensity and glare while teaching, without eliminating natural light in the room.

Though the system is controlled electronically, it requires a limited amount of electricity to operate the window. It takes the same amount of power to operate about 1,500 square feet of SageGlass as it does to power a 60-watt light bulb.

The tintable window can reduce a building’s annual energy expenditures by as much as 28 percent and cut on-peak demand for electricity by up to 25 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Controls for the tinting can be integrated into the facility’s building management control systems, panel-mounted or controlled wirelessly. Twin Lakes uses pushbutton technology that allows teachers to change the tint.

Electrochromics also blocks about 98 percent of visible and ultraviolet radiation when in its tinted state. By reducing the amount of UV rays inside the facility, interior furnishings such as artwork, furniture, carpet and other materials will not fade as quickly, according to SageGlass.

In the science center, the window tinting has the potential to be used as a teaching tool for students studying the benefits of green systems. Students can compare and contrast energy usage and savings data between the science center and other classrooms that use different technology, says Dan Collins, the school’s principal.