“We need to make materials (used in making the smart window) more cost affordable and overall manufacturing cost acceptable to users,” explains Chen.

The more cost-affordable we make extracting raw materials and manufacturing, the greater the environmental cost of the products we make from them becomes.

Before we manufacture more stuff to achieve lower energy consumption, a lifecycle energy and environmental impact assessment would be in order. Though there's less profit potential in simply using double-paned windows, reflective coatings, and smart placement of windows in new homes, they would do more to lower energy consumption than any smart window.

As long as fighting climate change rewards consumption, making progress will be an uphill battle.