“Smart Glass” Is About To Revolutionize Privacy Concerns In Our Homes

Smart glass, also referred to as switchable glass, is an integrated feature that allows you to manage privacy and the amount of sunlight coming into your home. At the touch of a button, it can switch opacity from a hazy, covered look to completely transparent.

“I think of smart glass as like a dimmable light,” Michael Feazel, CEO at Roof Maxx says. “The embedded technologies, like electromagnetic glass, shift particles in the glass, which causes it to tint or act clear depending on the setting. Suspended particle glass works similarly, but uses microscopic particles that align to block or allow light when voltage is applied.”

The name itself is a broad term that encompasses two primary types of technology. One type is integrated directly during the window’s construction. Peter Miles, principal at The Drawing Board, describes it as a laminated layer that’s added to your typical window and wall assembly. The layer changes its opacity depending on the electrical current running to it.

However, for existing builds, you can still integrate the smart glass technology with a retrofitting option. A film can be placed over an existing window, making it look like the “smart glass” feature was always there. While a retrofit is typically a fraction of the cost, Miles advises that there can be downsides to this smart glass shortcut.

“It might not look as clean or cohesive, or you have a [visible] wire somewhere, or it could delaminate eventually,” Miles says. “If you have it integrated as one system, you get all those benefits. You have a single warranty, a sole source for supply, installation, troubleshooting, things like that.”

Originally, smart glass was looked at with commercial potential. Imagine conference rooms in an office building that can turn opaque when an important meeting is underway. This would work even better for a home office, where no one can walk through the background during a Zoom.

Designers are now thinking beyond work-from-home solutions to any room that could use some privacy. Swabb would place them in bathrooms, so you can let natural light in without feeling too exposed. Eva Lindsell, principal designer at Lindsell Interiors, loves smart glass for transom windows in a bedroom, or to disguise a lofted bedroom visible to a lower living area. She even placed them in a client’s home gym, allowing them to hide bulky gym equipment when guests come over.

Daniel Cook of Cook DFW Roofing & Restoration says that any windows that face neighbors or streets can benefit from the privacy features of smart glass. However, be wary about their sun exposure as they do heat up. “Watch out about installing them to face the sun,” Cook advises. “Turn them off after six hours so that they don’t get hot.”

Another important thing to remember? Smart glass requires an electrical current to work, so think about nearby outlet placement. Maintaining either an opaque or a transparent look doesn’t require a lot of power, Miles says. So you don’t need to worry about it having a major impact on your electric bill.

“You’re hardwiring this to a switch or control system,” Miles says. “If you’re doing it as a retrofit, a lot of contractors aren’t used to having power provided to a window. But it’s not really different from shades that are powered, where they have to run a low voltage line and coordinate with the electricians.”

Benefits of Using Smart Glass:

• Maintaining a Sleek Aesthetic: By avoiding bulky window treatments, you can keep a modern look.
• Adaptability: Choose when you priortize privacy or view at the touch of a button (or home automation).
• Minimize Heat: By darkening your windows, smart glass helps regulate the temperature indoors. “In warmer months, it will help block heat and glare which reduces the need for A/C and in cooler seasons, it allows natural light and heat in which better warms the inside,” Feazel says.

Drawbacks of Using Smart Glass:

• Cost Can Be Prohibitive: It’s a much higher-end feature offered by a select few manufacturers.
• Complicated Installation: If not installed at the original build, smart glass can involve complicated demolition and remodeling.
• Questions About Longevity: There might not be a lot of smart glass repair experts out there because it’s such a new technology. “What’s the durability and longevity of it?” Miles says. “If you have kids and they break it, how easy is it to repair or replace?” Patterson anticipates a smart glass installation to have a life expectancy of 10 years.
• Outward-Facing Windows Are More Difficult: “An interior application is not thermal, so you don’t have to worry about double-pane glass and all the things that exterior building windows have,” Miles says. “That’s compared to an interior partition with the same temperature on both sides.”

Remember: Smart glass requires an electrical current to work, so think about nearby outlet placement.

Smart glass is definitely a premium feature, both because of its high-tech design and how few companies are offering it. It’s typically offered by boutique companies that specialize in the technology, like Lindsell’s go-to, Smart Glass International. Fully integrated smart glass can start at $100–200 per square foot for materials. Compared to the typical $18–30 per square foot for an average window, Miles says, that’s quite the up-charge.

The current shifting federal tariffs are another caveat affecting the cost of smart glass. “The big caveat is the cost can change by the day, depending on what tariffs are or are not in effect,” Miles says. The switchable film option is typically much cheaper, at about $20–35 per square foot.

Beyond the aesthetic and privacy potential with smart glass, Swabb is particularly excited about its sustainability features. By changing the opacity, you can control the sunlight or heat that enters a building, helping keep your electric bill and power usage under control. Smart glass on the southern exposure of a home can keep the A/C bill down in the summer.

“There might be an opportunity to generate electricity through something like this,” Swabb says. “There’s a next wave of it that could be a money maker for places that get significant sunlight. I’m thinking of mountain homes, river homes, or even ranch-style homes where there’s just such a significant amount of sunlight. Places like Tahoe, where you don’t want to ruin your view, and so you have all of these windows.”

With new technology like this, you need to take into account the life expectancy prior to repairs. When products degrade over time, you might have to go back to the same small manufacturer to get it fixed. “On any high-end home, we’re in it for the long haul,” Miles says. “Most of the contractors we work with will be the person maintaining that home for 20 or 30 years.”

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Janae McKenzie is the Associate Shopping Editor at House Beautiful, where she regularly covers the best of the best in home brands. Since joining the House Beautiful team in 2023, Janae regularly creates seasonal in addition to reviewing and evaluating home decor, bespoke furniture, and accessories. Janae also routinely tests viral products, from to , determining quality and guiding readers to the best purchases possible. Janae holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and began her career at Food Network shortly after graduation. She also covers relevant and in the home space, a skill she honed during her tenure as a news writer at Glamour. When she’s not writing or scoping out the to test, you can find her hunting for trinkets to add to her bookshelf or artfully arranging her Playbill collection.