PPG Industries and Pleotint have agreed to jointly market a commercial window glass system that combines Sunlight Responsive Thermochromic (SRT) interlayer technology by Pleotint, with Solarban low-emissivity (low-E) glass by PPG, to control solar heat gain and reduce energy costs in buildings.

Pleotint’s patented technology is a lightly tinted thermochromic interlayer that warms up and darkens in direct sunlight, but clears in indirect sunlight to allow light to pass into a building. Visible light transmittance for windows with the SRT interlayer adjusts through the day, without the need for wiring, power supplies or controls.

When the SRT interlayer is combined in a window system with Solarban low-E glass that also blocks solar heat and transmits visible light, these adaptive windows can dramatically reduce the amount of energy required to cool buildings. Because the windows clear up in indirect sunlight, they also decrease the need for artificial lighting, reducing energy costs.