Electronic breakthrough as new ‘transparent’ window coating to help with ACs and bias bills | Science | News | Rare Techy

Drivers may in the future be able to stop using their air conditioners, as researchers have developed a new type of transparent window coating that, when exposed, can reduce the temperature of the vehicle or house without using energy. When available, this coating can significantly reduce the cost of running your car or cooling your home on hot days. As the global average temperature increases due to climate change caused by human activities, the demand for greenhouse gases is increasing around the world. Even in the UK, the Government says that by the end of the century, air conditioning could increase energy consumption by 15 percent in the summer.

Now scientists from Kyung Hee University in Seoul have unveiled an alternative solution to cool buildings without using electricity, through transparent window coatings.

Previous studies have calculated that air conditioning is responsible for 15 percent of the energy used in homes around the world.

When using plain glass windows, the ultaviolet and infrared light of the Sun easily passes through, heating the room and reducing the energy of the house.

To solve this problem, scientists sought to create a window coating that can block the ultraviolet and infrared rays of the Sun, and also create a coating to absorb the heat from the window screen at wavelengths that radiate heat to the ground.

In a statement, the group, led by Eungkyu Lee, explained: “However, it is difficult to design materials that can meet these criteria at the same time and can also emit light clear, meaning they don’t interfere with the view.”

Their “transparent cooling” consists of different thin layers of silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, aluminum oxide or titanium dioxide on a glass base, filled with a polydimethylsiloxane film.

Researchers can adjust the type, order and combination of coating layers with the help of machine learning.

They added: “We came up with a coating design that, when manufactured, beat the performance of TRCs designed to complement one of the best heat-reducing glasses on the market.”

READ MORE: EDF unveils black lifeline and ‘Superhub’ energy to 100,000

They said that when used in hot and dry cities, TRC can reduce cooling energy consumption by 31 percent compared to buildings with windows.

They also said it can also be applied to car and truck windows to keep them cool.

Even though the winter weather has set in, sunny days can still find a place to keep your car warm and comfortable on a long trip. Although air conditioning is a lifesaver these days, being a bit biased about when and how you use it can cost you money.

Mat Watson is the chief information officer for carwow and one of the driving forces behind the Youtube page of the same name, sharing useful tips for drivers across the country.

When it comes to saving money, his first tip is to remember how you use the various functions that your vehicle offers.

Speaking to Express.co.uk, he said: “Thinking about how you use your car will cost you money, and turning off the gas when you don’t need it is a good example. It’s very easy to be lazy and just let it run, but your fuel economy can suffer as much as 10 percent.

Fuel consumption from the use of air conditioning is most noticeable on short trips. This is because it takes a lot of energy for your car’s air conditioning system to convert fresh air into frozen air.