Smart Glass vs Window Treatments: What Electrochromic and Switchable Glass Cannot Do, and What It Costs
Electrochromic, PDLC, SPD and thermochromic glass are sold as the window treatment you will never need. Here is what their makers' own guides, data sheets and FAQs say the glass does at 1% tint, after dark, in a power cut and on a 12 ft opening, what it costs on one window, and where it is still the right call.
Does smart glass replace shades and draperies? What the glass makers' own documents say
Smart glass is a glare and solar-heat product. It is not a privacy, blackout, insulation or decor product, and the companies that make it say so. SageGlass, Saint-Gobain's electrochromic glass, passes 1% of the visible light at full tint and "is not opaque and does not block visibility to the outside"; its own page adds that "for those seeking 100% privacy, day or night, electrochromic glass is not the answer". View's Gen 4 data sheet runs from 53% to 1% and stops there. The frosting product, PDLC privacy glass, does the opposite job: frosted, it still passes 62.8% of the total light (Gauzy's spec sheet), so a bedroom behind it is private but not dark; and SPD glass, in Gauzy's words, "does not become fully opaque".
It is also slow, blue-grey, powered, and sized by the pane. An electrochromic pane moves across 90% of its range "in a few minutes" and larger panes take longer (SageGlass); thermochromic glass takes 20 to 30 minutes (Suntuitive); View publishes no time at all. Tinted, SageGlass has "a bluish-grey hue" and View's colour rendering index falls from 92 clear to 86 at full tint. SageGlass returns to clear over an hour or two when the power fails, PDLC film frosts over the moment it does and draws 1 to 3 W per square metre the whole time it is clear, and SPD film goes dark without voltage. The largest electrochromic pane either maker builds is 72 in wide (SageGlass 72 by 121.8 in, View 72 by 120 in); Gauzy's frosting film stops at 59 in.
- Cost: $50 to $150 per square foot installed, $100 on average; by type, electrochromic $50 to $100, SPD $50 to $150, PDLC $85 to $130 (HomeAdvisor, June 2026; Angi, July 2026). On a 72 by 84 in window that is $2,100 to $6,300 for the switchable glass, fitted, before the frame system around it, the controls and the low-voltage runs. A manual roller shade on that window is $382 on our price list; a motorized one $833 to $2,287 by system.
- Choose smart glass for glass nobody can reach or cover: a skylight or a sloped atrium, a curtain wall with no pocket, a glass office wall that must frost at the touch of a button, a facade the architect wants uniform from the street.
- Choose the shade or the drapery for any room you sleep, watch or live in: darkness, night privacy, a stop at any height, a fabric you can change, a motor replaced in the room rather than a pane replaced by a glazier, and a battery that works through the storm.
- Both is the honest answer on a wall of glass in a new tower or estate: the glass for the glare at the pane, a drapery or a blackout for the night. SageGlass's own FAQ names its closest comparison as "low-e glass with an automated mechanical shade", not a manual roller.
Compiled by Exotic Shades & Draperies in Fort Lauderdale from the glass makers' product guides, data sheets and FAQs, the published cost guides and our own price list. We sell shades and draperies, not glass; the table below gives each technology its numbers in full, and the case against it is made in the makers' own words wherever they have printed them.
What "smart glass" is: four products, four behaviours #
The phrase covers four different products that fail in four different ways. Three of them tint (electrochromic, SPD, thermochromic) and never go opaque; one frosts (PDLC) and cuts neither light nor heat to speak of. The figures are the makers' own, from the documents linked under Sources.
Swipe sideways to see every column.
| Technology | Light it passes, clear to dark | Time to change | With the power off; draw while working | Largest pane or film | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrochromic, SageGlass Classic (Saint-Gobain) | 60% clear, 18% light, 6% medium, 1% full tint; SHGC 0.41, 0.16, 0.11, 0.09 | across 90% of its range "in a few minutes"; larger panes slower, warm weather faster | power off: returns to clear over an hour or two; draw while working: low voltage to every pane, figure not published | 72 by 121.8 in double glazed; gradient (Harmony) needs 63 in of height, rectangles only | SageGlass FAQSageGlass IGU guide |
| Electrochromic, View Gen 4 | 53% clear, 30%, 5%, 1% at Tint 4 (0.5 to 53% by the features list); SHGC 0.37 to 0.09 | "transition speed varies by the size of the unit"; no figure published | power off: not published; draw: not published | 72 by 120 in; one side must be 72 in or less | View Gen 4 data sheet, April 2024 |
| Electrochromic, Halio (AGC) | "from very light tints to nearly opaque"; CRI 97 | "under three minutes" | not published | not published | AGC, Halio launch |
| PDLC privacy film, Gauzy HP-LCG (the frosting glass) | 80% of the light clear (ON); frosted (OFF) it still passes 62.8% of the total light, 4.8% in a straight line; haze 2.2 to 3.3% when clear | 10 milliseconds | power off: frosted, OFF is the opaque state; draw: 42 to 70 V AC, 1 to 3 W per m² the whole time it is clear; grade indoor | 59 in wide (71 in "coming soon"), any length | Gauzy HP-LCG spec sheetGauzy PDLC page |
| SPD, Research Frontiers and Gauzy (the tinting film) | "as high as 80% light transmission" to "as low as 99.5% light blockage"; "does not become fully opaque" | 1 to 3 seconds | power off: dark, "when no electrical voltage is present, the particles randomly orient and block visible light"; draw: 100 V AC square wave, about 1.5 W per m² (Gauzy), "as low as 0.06 watts/sq.ft" (Research Frontiers) | 71 in wide (1.8 m), no length limit | Research FrontiersGauzy SPD page |
| Thermochromic, Suntuitive (passive) | 54% to 8%; SHGC 0.36 to 0.16 | 20 to 30 minutes to tint in direct sun, the same to clear | no power at all, and no control at all: it tints when the pane is hot (77 to 150 F), not when you ask | 64 by 144 in | Suntuitive FAQ |
Reading the table. No single pane on it both darkens and frosts. The tinting products keep the view and give no privacy; the frosting product gives privacy and keeps most of the light. Gauzy pairs its SPD with its LC film where a window must do both, at the price of both. A roller shade does either with one fabric choice, a screen for the view or a blackout for the dark, and a dual roller does both on one bracket.
What the tint is for. View's own daylight study found that desks near the glass need "0.5% to 1.0% visible light transmission to control direct sunlight" and that "a 2% or higher visible light transmission produced an unacceptable frequency of intolerable glare". That is the job electrochromic glass is built for, direct sun on a workstation, and at 1% it does it better than any screen fabric we cut. Everything below is what it does not do.
Twelve things smart glass cannot do that a shade or a drapery does #
Each card quotes the maker where the maker has said it, and names the window treatment that does the job.
1 · Night privacy
It is see-through at night, by design
SageGlass at full tint "is not opaque and does not block visibility to the outside", and "for those seeking 100% privacy, day or night, electrochromic glass is not the answer". Suntuitive "is not considered a privacy glass". SPD "does not become fully opaque" (Gauzy). A tinted pane with the lights on inside works like a car window after dark: the lit side is the one on show. PDLC frosts, and frosted is the only privacy it has, with no view out while it is on. A blackout roller, a lined drapery or a dual roller with the screen up and the blackout down gives the night layer and keeps the day view.
2 · Darkness
One percent of the sun is still a lit room
Full daylight is about 10,750 lux and direct sun 107,500 (Engineering ToolBox); 1% of that is 108 to 1,075 lux in the room, against the 150 lux the same tables give for a home interior. That is the darkest state of the best electrochromic glass. Frosted PDLC passes 62.8% of the total light (Gauzy). SageGlass's own FAQ answers "Does smart glass block sunlight?" with "No": it manages the light, it does not stop it. For the 7 AM sun on an east bedroom, the only products on this page that make the room dark are a blackout roller in side channels and a blackout-lined drapery.
3 · Speed
Minutes, not seconds
SageGlass crosses 90% of its range "in a few minutes" and "larger panes take longer"; Suntuitive needs 20 to 30 minutes; Halio claims "under three minutes"; View prints no figure, only that speed "varies by the size of the unit". A cloud passes in less. A 24 V Somfy shade motor runs at 6 to 28 rpm (Sonesse 30 sheet): on a 1.5 in tube at 28 rpm that is roughly 130 in of fabric a minute, an 84 in drop in about 40 seconds, and 6 rpm where silence matters. A shade also runs on a sun schedule and reacts to a sensor, the same way the glass does, without the wait.
4 · Colour
The room goes blue-grey
SageGlass: "the interior color, when tinted, will have a bluish-grey hue", deeper the darker the state. View's Gen 4 sheet gives a colour rendering index of 92 at clear, 90, 88 and 86 at full tint, with the outside view's colour fidelity (Rf) falling from 93 to 87. Halio claims 97. A screen fabric is chosen by colour for the room: charcoal for a neutral view and the least glare, white or linen to keep the room bright, the trade-offs on dark or light solar shade fabric; and a drapery is the colour the designer picked, not the one the coating has.
5 · The power
Each product fails its own way
When the power goes, SageGlass "returns to a clear (untinted) state" over an hour or two, so the glare and heat control are gone until the utility comes back, which after a hurricane can be days. PDLC film frosts over at once and, while it is clear, draws 1 to 3 W per square metre (Gauzy); SPD goes dark, "the particles randomly orient and block visible light" (Research Frontiers); View does not say. The battery shades on our outage page keep working through it, the Pico and RTS remotes with them, and the wired shades stop and keep their settings.
6 · Part of the window
All of the pane or none of it
A tint state covers the whole pane. SageGlass Harmony adds four gradient states, in rectangles only, with a minimum height of 63 in, and is "not recommended for skylights" (IGU guide). A shade stops wherever you stop it: a screen two thirds down for the 4 PM sun with the sky still showing, a top-down bottom-up that covers the street and leaves the tree, a dual roller with a screen by day and a blackout by night on one bracket.
7 · Size and shape
72 inches wide, and mostly rectangles
SageGlass builds to 72 by 121.8 in in double glazing, from 13.8 by 13.8 in, and "holes, cut-outs, notches, radius shapes and bent glass are not offered"; View to 72 by 120 in with one side 72 in or less and every angle 30 degrees or more; Gauzy's PDLC film is 59 in wide and Research Frontiers' SPD film 71 in. A 12 ft opening in a tower is two or three smart panes with mullions between them, or one roller shade to 12 ft; an arch, a trapezoid gable or a curved corner gets a shade or a drapery made to it.
8 · Repair
A failed pane is a glazier's job
SageGlass: a broken unit is "deglazed like ordinary glass, unplugged, and replaced"; the IGU is "warranted for up to ten years, depending on the building application", the electronics, electrochromic function and coatings for five. View's IGU warranty is ten years from delivery; Suntuitive's ten. View itself went through a pre-packaged Chapter 11 in April 2024 and emerged privately held, with orders fulfilled and customers supported through it (GlassOnline). On a motorized shade the motor is the serviceable part: it comes out of the tube and a new one goes in, in the room, without touching the glass; what the motor makers cover, part by part, is on original vs generic parts.
9 · New construction only
It is a window, not an add-on
Every electrochromic pane has a pigtail into the frame and a frame cable to a control panel: SageGlass runs 16 or 64 units per control panel on frame cable up to 125 ft (350 ft with its 8-conductor extension) and requires "a 4-side supported system"; View's connector is a 5-pin M8 through a 7/16 in hole with wiring room in the glazing pocket. On an existing home that means new insulating units or new windows. The film retrofit is an aftermarket film, and PGT's residential warranty is "null and void" when "aftermarket products, such as window films, are applied". A shade needs a bracket, and a motorized one a wire or a battery (pre-wire guide).
10 · Hurricane approval
Ask for the NOA, not the brochure
Every impact window installed in the High Velocity Hurricane Zone, all of Miami-Dade and Broward, carries a product approval; Miami-Dade's is the Notice of Acceptance, which states that the product "has been designed to comply with the Florida Building Code, including the High Velocity Hurricane Zone" (the wording of NOA 25-0911.01). SageGlass's guide says the inboard laminate provides the "hurricane and wind-borne debris protection" and that a substitution "may require a verification test or a certification ... by a professional engineer"; View's Gen 4 sheet lists laminated inboard options and no impact rating. The approval belongs to the whole assembly. A shade touches the frame, not the glass, which is the point of impact windows and window treatments.
11 · The room
The glass stays glass
Tint changes the solar heat gain, not the insulation: "the U-value remains constant for a given insulated glass unit makeup" (SageGlass). In Fort Lauderdale, with 113 heating degree days a year against 4,730 cooling, that costs little either way, as our heat ranking says of honeycomb R-values. Sound is the room point. Large panes absorb 0.03 to 0.05 of the sound that hits them (Engineering ToolBox); an 18 oz velour drapery hung 4 in off the wall absorbs 0.33 at 256 Hz, 0.45 at 512 and 0.52 at 1,024 (Olson, via SFU). In a tiled, glass-walled South Florida room the drapery is the soft surface, and the glass, tinted or clear, is the hard one.
12 · Decor
Fifteen years of the same look
The coating is the window's for the life of the window, and so is its colour. A shade's fabric is the room's: the screen gets a new colour with the sofa, the sheer gets replaced for the next owner, the drapery we made gets re-hemmed, re-lined or re-pleated when the room changes. SageGlass's own FAQ says low-e facades "usually need blinds or shades" and that those may be "replaced several times over the glass's life"; it is right, and that is the feature.
What smart glass does better than a shade, by the same numbers #
Solar heat, at full tint. SageGlass and View both publish a solar heat gain coefficient of 0.09 at full tint on a double-glazed unit. That is where the exterior screens at the top of our heat ranking land (0.07 to 0.22 with the glass) and below every interior product on it, because the tint stops the sun at the pane instead of inside the room. The catch is the state: 0.09 comes with 1% of the light and the blue-grey room. SageGlass's "light" tint, the one you would live in by day, is 0.16 at 18% light, which is where the best white-backed blackout rollers and honeycombs sit on the same ranking.
Glare at a desk, with the view. At 1% a tinted pane is darker than any screen fabric and still shows the horizon; GSA's 2015 field study found more than 90% of occupants said the glass improved visual comfort and that "blinds were no longer needed" at those workstations. For a trading desk or a studio facing the water, that is a real win while the glass is dark.
Glass nobody can reach. SageGlass lists skylights among its ideal applications and Suntuitive works sloped or curved; a skylight shade exists, and it is the harder install. A curtain wall with no pocket, a stair window three storeys up, a sloped atrium: the glass is the only product that gets there.
Instant frosting, and a uniform facade. PDLC switches in 10 milliseconds, which no drapery matches on a glass conference room. And SageGlass's point about the street view is fair: shades at different heights make a checkerboard, a tinted facade does not; some architects will pay for that uniformity, and no window treatment answers it.
What each one costs on a 72 by 84 inch window #
Swipe sideways to see every column.
| Option | Published rate | On a 72 by 84 in window (42 sq ft) | What the number leaves out | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrochromic glass | $50 to $100 per sq ft (HomeAdvisor, June 2026; Angi, July 2026); "at a minimum of $45/ft²" in GSA's 2015 field study | $2,100 to $4,200 | the guides price the switchable glass and its fitting; the window frame system around it, the control panel, the low-voltage run to every pane and the electrician's visit are separate lines (Angi: an outlet and switch $125 to $200) | HomeAdvisor smart glass costGSA GPG-023 |
| PDLC switchable glass | $85 to $130 per sq ft (HomeAdvisor), $85 to $150 (Angi): "the most expensive option" | $3,570 to $5,460 | a 42 to 70 V AC supply and 1 to 3 W per m² the whole time it is clear; indoor grade unless the outdoor grade is specified | Angi smart glass cost |
| SPD glass | $50 to $150 per sq ft (HomeAdvisor, Angi) | $2,100 to $6,300 | a 100 V AC controller; dark without power | HomeAdvisor smart glass cost |
| Smart film retrofit on existing glass | $30 to $45 per sq ft (HomeAdvisor), $25 to $50 (Angi); about 10 years of life (Angi) | $1,260 to $1,890 | an aftermarket film: PGT's residential warranty is "null and void" if "aftermarket products, such as window films, are applied" | PGT warranty |
| Manual roller shade, Mermet or Phifer screen, fascia, installed | Exotic Shades & Draperies price list, October 2026 | $382, before tax | $225 at 36 by 60 in, $767 at 144 by 120 in; the fabric chosen by colour and openness for the exposure | Roller shade prices |
| Motorized roller shade, same fabric | Exotic Shades & Draperies price list, October 2026 | $833 Essential, $933 Somfy WireFree, $1,133 wired Somfy, $1,293 Lutron Triathlon, $2,287 Lutron Sivoia QS, before tax | fabric, motor, measure and installation included; HomeAdvisor's own line for "smart blinds or curtains" is about $500 per window | Published price list |
Reading the cost table. The glass figures are per square foot of switchable glass, fitted; the shade figures are the finished, installed product. On a wall of glass the gap is wider than the table shows: the smart pane still needs the frame system around it, a control panel, a low-voltage run to every unit and an electrician, and on a tower the mullion spacing decides how many panes a wall is. GSA's study is the one published comparison of the two by a buyer rather than a seller: "at a minimum of $45/ft² for EC windows" against "approximately $5/ft²" for an automated film or shade, in 2015. Our motorized price covers fabric, motor, measure, installation and programming, by system, on the price list.
Smart glass, shade, or both: the honest split #
Our practice We sell shades and draperies. These are the cases where we say the glass is right, and the cases where we do not.
Smart glass
Glass nobody will cover
A skylight or a sloped atrium, a curtain wall without a pocket, a glass office wall that must frost on demand, a facade the architect wants uniform, a workstation in direct sun where the 1% state earns its keep. Ask the glazier for the NOA that covers the switchable unit, the maker's figure for the time to full tint on your pane size, and what the pane does when the power fails.
Shade or drapery
Any room you sleep, watch or live in
Bedrooms, media rooms, living rooms, kitchens: darkness when you want it, privacy after dark, a stop at any height, a fabric you chose, a motor that moves in seconds and is replaced in the room, a battery that runs through the storm, and the impact glass and its approval left exactly as the window maker delivered them. On Lutron, Somfy or Crestron the shade joins the same keypads and scenes the house already has.
Both
The glass wall in a new tower or estate
Where the budget runs to electrochromic glass on a great room's west wall, it takes the glare at the pane and the drapery or the blackout takes the night, the softness and the sound. The glass maker's own closest comparison is "low-e glass with an automated mechanical shade", and on the same wall the two are not rivals. Specify the pocket at the shop-drawing stage, with the wiring for both.
Smart glass vs shades and draperies: questions
Does smart glass replace blinds and shades? #
Not for a bedroom, a media room or any room that wants privacy after dark. SageGlass's own page says that at full tint the glass is not opaque and that for those seeking 100% privacy, day or night, electrochromic glass is not the answer; its FAQ names its closest comparison as low-e glass with an automated mechanical shade. It replaces a shade on glass nobody will cover: a skylight, a sloped atrium, a curtain wall with no pocket, a workstation in direct sun.
Does smart glass give privacy at night? #
Tinting glass does not. SageGlass at 1% visible light transmission is not opaque and does not block visibility to the outside; Suntuitive is not considered a privacy glass; SPD does not become fully opaque (Gauzy). With the lights on inside, the lit room is the visible side. PDLC privacy glass frosts, which is private, but frosted it still passes 62.8% of the total light and gives no view out. A blackout roller, a lined drapery or a dual roller gives the night layer.
Can smart glass make a bedroom dark? #
No. The darkest electrochromic state is about 1% of the visible light (SageGlass full tint, View Tint 4). Full daylight is about 10,750 lux and direct sun about 107,500, so 1% is 108 to 1,075 lux in the room, more than the 150 lux the same tables give for a home interior. Frosted PDLC passes 62.8% of the light. A blackout roller in side channels or a blackout-lined drapery is what makes a bedroom dark.
How long does smart glass take to tint? #
SageGlass says an average pane crosses 90% of its range in a few minutes, larger panes take longer and warm weather is faster; Halio claims under three minutes; Suntuitive thermochromic glass takes 20 to 30 minutes in direct sun and the same to clear; View publishes no figure, only that speed varies by the size of the unit. A 24 V Somfy shade motor at 28 rpm on a 1.5 in tube moves about 130 in of fabric a minute, an 84 in drop in about 40 seconds.
What happens to smart glass in a power outage? #
Each product fails its own way. SageGlass returns to a clear, untinted state over an hour or two, so the glare and heat control are off until the power returns. PDLC privacy film frosts over at once, and while it is clear it draws 1 to 3 W per square metre. SPD film goes dark: without voltage the particles block visible light (Research Frontiers). View's data sheet does not say. Battery-powered shades keep working, and wired shades stop and keep their settings.
How much does smart glass cost per square foot? #
$50 to $150 per square foot installed, $100 on average, with a $25 to $200 full range (HomeAdvisor, June 2026; Angi, July 2026). By type: electrochromic $50 to $100, SPD $50 to $150, PDLC $85 to $130, a film retrofit $30 to $45. On a 72 by 84 in window that is $2,100 to $6,300 for the switchable glass, fitted, before the frame system, the controls and the low-voltage runs. GSA's 2015 field study put electrochromic windows at a minimum of $45 per square foot against about $5 for an automated film or shade. A manual roller shade on that window is $382 on our price list, a motorized one $833 to $2,287 by system.
Can I add smart glass to my existing impact windows? #
Electrochromic and SPD glass are insulating units, so an existing window gets new units or a new window, with a low-voltage cable to every pane. The retrofit option is a switchable film applied to the glass, and on impact glass that is an aftermarket film: PGT's residential warranty is null and void when aftermarket products, such as window films, are applied. Ask the window maker in writing before any film goes on laminated impact glass.
Is smart glass blue? #
Electrochromic glass tints to a blue-grey. SageGlass says the interior colour, when tinted, has a bluish-grey hue, deeper the darker the state. View's Gen 4 sheet gives a colour rendering index of 92 clear falling to 86 at full tint, and Halio claims 97. Suntuitive looks dark grey from outside. A screen fabric or a drapery is the colour you chose.
How big can a smart glass pane be? #
SageGlass builds to 72 by 121.8 in in double glazing, from 13.8 in square, with no holes, cut-outs, notches, radius shapes or bent glass; its gradient Harmony product needs 63 in of height and is rectangles only. View builds to 72 by 120 in with one side 72 in or less. Gauzy's PDLC film is 59 in wide and Research Frontiers' SPD film 71 in, at any length. One motorized roller shade runs to about 10 ft wide in most fabrics and 12 ft in the widest.
Does smart glass block heat better than shades? #
At full tint, yes: SageGlass and View both publish a solar heat gain coefficient of 0.09 on a double-glazed unit, which matches the exterior screens at the top of our heat ranking and beats every interior product on it. That state is 1% of the light and a blue-grey room. SageGlass's light tint, 18% of the light, is 0.16, level with the best white-backed blackout rollers and honeycombs. The tint does not change the U-value: the insulation of the window is the same clear or tinted.
What is the difference between electrochromic, PDLC, SPD and thermochromic glass? #
Electrochromic (SageGlass, View, Halio) tints over minutes on a small voltage and holds its state; the view stays. PDLC (Gauzy and others) frosts in milliseconds for privacy, is opaque without power and draws power while clear; it does not darken. SPD (Research Frontiers, Gauzy) tints in seconds, is dark without power and does not go opaque. Thermochromic (Suntuitive) tints by itself when the pane is hot, over 20 to 30 minutes, with no control at all.
When is smart glass the right choice? #
On glass nobody will cover or reach: a skylight or a sloped atrium, a curtain wall with no pocket, a stair window three storeys up, a glass office wall that must frost on demand, a facade the architect wants uniform, or a workstation in direct sun where the 1% state earns its keep. In a home it pairs with a drapery or a blackout on the same wall rather than replacing it, and the pocket and the wiring for both belong on the shop drawings.
Where the numbers come from #
All documents accessed 22 October 2026. Figures and quotations are reproduced as the glass maker, the cost guide or the reference prints them; our shade prices are from our own published price list. Makers revise their documents, and we will update the page when a figure changes.
- SageGlass (Saint-Gobain), FAQ: in a power outage the glass returns to a clear, untinted state over an hour or two; dynamic range about 60% to 1% visible light transmission and SHGC 0.41 to 0.09 on a typical double-glazed unit; all IGUs laminated; installs like a standard IGU with care for the pigtail and frame cable. www.sageglass.com
- SageGlass, FAQ: an average pane moves across 90% of its range in a few minutes, larger panes take longer; the interior colour when tinted has a bluish-grey hue; IGU warranted up to ten years by application, electronics, electrochromic function and coatings five years; a broken unit is deglazed, unplugged and replaced; four tint states, Harmony four gradient states; BACnet integration through the customer's integrator. www.sageglass.com
- SageGlass, FAQ: lifespan comparable to low-e glass, which usually needs blinds or shades that may be replaced several times over the glass's life; smart glass does not block sunlight; the closest comparison is low-e glass with an automated mechanical shade, not a manual roller shade; the glazier buys the units and a low-voltage electrician the controls. www.sageglass.com
- SageGlass, Misconceptions about electrochromic glass: at 1% the glass is not opaque and does not block visibility to the outside; for those seeking 100% privacy, day or night, electrochromic glass is not the answer; the U-value remains constant for a given IGU makeup; shades at different heights create a checkerboard effect. www.sageglass.com
- SageGlass, IGU product guide (MKT-382, 2026): double glazing 13.8 by 13.8 in to 72 by 121.8 in; Classic VLT 60/18/6/1% and SHGC 0.41/0.16/0.11/0.09; Harmony minimum height 63 in, rectangles only, not recommended for skylights; no holes, cut-outs, notches, radius shapes or bent glass; frame cable up to 125 ft; panels for 16 or 64 units; 4-side supported system required; hurricane protection from the inboard laminate, substitution may require a verification test or a professional engineer's certification. www.sageglass.com
- View, Gen 4 Smart Glass IGU data sheet (QDM-02-000210 Rev 4, April 2024): Tvis 53/30/5/1%, CRI 92/90/88/86, Rf 93 to 87; SHGC 0.09 to 0.37; 72 by 120 in maximum with one side 72 in or less, 14 by 20 in minimum; angles 30 degrees or more; M8 5-pin connector, 7/16 in hole; transition speed varies by the size of the unit; standard IGU warranty ten years from delivery. static1.squarespace.com
- View, Smart glass glare control performance and durability (blog): optimal glare control requires 1% Tvis or lower; 0.5 to 1.0% to control direct sunlight; 2% or higher produced an unacceptable frequency of intolerable glare. www.view.com
- GlassOnline, View, Inc. reaches agreement to become a private company (11 April 2024): pre-packaged Chapter 11 in the District of Delaware; orders to continue to be fulfilled and customers supported; emergence as a privately held company. www.glassonline.com
- AGC Glass Europe, Halio launch (2017): transitions under three minutes; colour rendering index 97; tints from very light to nearly opaque. www.agc-glass.eu
- Gauzy, HP-LCG specification sheet (White HP): parallel transmittance 4.8% OFF (opaque) and 78% ON; total transmittance 62.8% OFF and 80% ON; haze 2.2% at 70 V AC, 3.3% at 42 V AC; 42 to 70 V AC; 1 to 3 W/m²; switching 10 ms; operating -20 to +70 C; maximum width 1,500 mm, 1,800 coming soon; grade indoor. www.gauzy.com
- Gauzy, PDLC smart film page: 42 to 70 V AC; 1 to 3 W/m², about 3 W/m² on average; maximum width 1.5 m; haze about 2.8%; indoor and outdoor grades. gauzy.com
- Gauzy, SPD smart glass page: blocks up to 99% of light; switches in under 3 seconds; 100 V AC square wave; about 1.5 W/m²; 100% UV; does not become fully opaque, so paired with LC film for privacy. www.gauzy.com
- Research Frontiers, SPD-SmartGlass (museums page and FAQ): as high as 80% light transmission to as low as 99.5% light blockage; 1 to 3 seconds; when no electrical voltage is present the particles block visible light; UV up to 99.5%; heat blockage up to 95% dark; power as low as 0.06 W per sq ft; width up to 1.8 m, any length; hurricane-resistant composites available. smartglass.com
- Suntuitive, FAQ: tints on the sun's heat with no electrical input; 20 to 30 minutes to full tint and the same to clear; active between 77 and 150 F pane temperature; VLT 54% to 8%, SHGC 0.36 to 0.16; not considered a privacy glass; dark grey from outside; maximum 64 by 144 in; ten-year warranty; cannot be applied as a film. suntuitiveglass.com
- HomeAdvisor, How much does smart glass cost (updated 17 June 2026): $50 to $150 per sq ft, $100 average, $25 to $200 range; PDLC $85 to $130, SPD $50 to $150, electrochromic $50 to $100, film $30 to $45; smart blinds or curtains about $500 per window. www.homeadvisor.com
- Angi, How much does smart glass cost (updated 9 July 2026): $100 per sq ft average; electrochromic $50 to $100, SPD $50 to $150, PDLC $85 to $150, film $25 to $50; labor 20 to 40%, $100 to $300 per window; outlet and switch $125 to $200; repairs $175 to $610; smart film about 10 years. angi.com
- GSA Green Proving Ground, GPG-023, EC windows for land ports of entry (May 2015): a minimum of $45/ft² for EC windows against approximately $5/ft² for an automated film or shade; Tvis 0.60/0.20/0.06/0.01; more than 90% of respondents said visual comfort improved and blinds were no longer needed; retrofit risks to warranties. origin-www.gsa.gov
- PGT, all residential products limited warranty (2020): null and void if aftermarket products such as window films are applied. www.pgtwindows.com
- Miami-Dade County, Notice of Acceptance 25-0911.01 (example): the product has been designed to comply with the Florida Building Code, including the High Velocity Hurricane Zone; large and small missile impact; RER may revoke the acceptance. www.miamidade.gov
- Somfy, Sonesse 30 24 V DC product sheet: 2 Nm, 6 to 28 rpm. service.somfy.com
- Engineering ToolBox, illuminance levels: direct sunlight 107,527 lux, full daylight 10,752 lux, overcast 1,075 lux; homes 150 lux. www.engineeringtoolbox.com
- Engineering ToolBox, sound absorption coefficients: glass, large panes heavy plate 0.03 to 0.05; ordinary windows 0.1 to 0.2. engineeringtoolbox.com
- Simon Fraser University, Handbook for Acoustic Ecology, absorption coefficient table after Olson: 18 oz velour draperies hung 4 in from the wall 0.09, 0.33, 0.45, 0.52, 0.50, 0.44 from 128 to 4,096 Hz. www.sfu.ca
Discerning homeowners, designers, and developers across South Florida trust Exotic with their most important spaces.
“I’m absolutely blown away and in love with my ripple food curtains !! Everything about them from the install to the fabric and quality . My house feels so much more like a home I couldn’t have asked for anything better . I recommend to everybody !”
“I couldn’t believe how much of a change these new drapes could make! This company upgraded my apartment overlooking the water and it now has a fresh, art deco’ish vibe I can only picture in my head. The space feels modern and elegant without losing its at home feeling. From start to finish top notch work. I highly recommend them if you want your place to look like something out of a magazine.”
“I’m really happy with my new curtains! The team from Exotic Shades came to my place helped me choose the right fabric, and guided me through the whole process. Everything happened exactly as it was supposed to. Great service and beautiful results. Highly recommend A+”
Exotic Shades & Draperies, Fort Lauderdale and Miami Beach
Exotic Shades & Draperies is a South Florida window-treatment company that designs, sews and installs its own work: Lutron and Somfy motorized shades, custom draperies sewn in our Fort Lauderdale workroom by five in-house seamstresses, plantation shutters and blinds. Established in South Florida in 2024, backed by more than 20 years of window-treatment manufacturing and installation experience. Lutron certified dealer, Somfy Expert, Crestron and Control4 integration. The same in-house team measures, installs and programs every project; when shading has to integrate with another control system, we bring in our smart-home partner Adom Smart Home.
Fort Lauderdale workroom and showroom
4539 Powerline Rd, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309 · 954-881-9331
Miami Beach showroom
500 South Pointe Dr #150, Miami Beach, FL 33139 · 954-872-9007
Where we install
Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties: Miami Beach, Sunny Isles and Aventura through Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale and Pompano Beach to Boca Raton, Delray Beach and West Palm Beach, with projects in the Caribbean and New York.
How a project runs
Free in-home measurement, a written quote from the same engine as our published prices, fabrication in our own workroom, installation and programming by our own team, and service on the systems we install.
Shades and draperies on the glass walls smart glass is sold for, from Miami to Palm Beach
Motorized screens, blackouts and draperies on Lutron, Somfy and Crestron in the new towers and oceanfront estates where electrochromic glass gets specified, measured, built, installed and programmed by one in-house team from Miami Beach to West Palm Beach, with the pocket and the wiring agreed at the shop-drawing stage.
Been told the glass means no shades?
One free hour with our team routinely saves owners thousands in avoidable mistakes. Book a private, complimentary consultation - we read the glass maker's submittal and your window's NOA, and tell you plainly which rooms the glass covers and which ones it does not.