Question 1

How does Halio eliminate the need for blinds, shades, and curtains?

Accepted Answer

Shades, blinds, and curtains are designed to block glare and excessive heat caused by the sun. Motorized shades often become necessary options for hard-to-reach windows and for the sake of convenience. But curtains, shades, and blinds can be cumbersome, expensive, and they also block natural light and views. Halio blocks light and solar heat, but not the view – for which you probably paid a hefty premium. Halio can also provide daytime privacy, while Halio Black can provide privacy – day or night. With Halio, window treatments are a decorative choice rather than a necessity.

Question 2

How does Halio compare to other dynamic glass / electrochromic products?

Accepted Answer

Halio differs from first generation dynamic or electrochromic glass in multiple ways: Superior color. Halio looks like clear glass in the clear state and has a neutral gray color in the tinted state. There are no shades of honey yellow or bright blue. Tinting speed. Halio responds to tint commands within seconds to provide fast relief, achieving its darkest tint 10x faster than first-generation dynamic glass products. Halio is the first electrochromic glass fast enough, powerful enough, and smart enough to keep up with the fluctuations of the sun. Tint uniformity. Halio tints uniformly – no matter the size of the glass. No more tinting-from-the-outside-in, iris effect. Goodbye splotches. Protection from direct view of the sun. Halio Black is the only electrochromic product (aka dynamic glass) that can tint down to a visible light transmission of 0.1%. Visible light transmission rates of 1%, 0.5% or even 0.25% are not sufficient to protect against glare when the sun is in the direct field of view. Unlimited tint level options. Because Halio tints continuously, you can choose any tint level between clear and dark. Cloud-based automation. Halio was built from the ground up with a cloud computing architecture that delivers smart glass performance that cannot be matched by any other system currently on the market. Halio was also designed to ensure that it can work with and take advantage of rapidly changing technologies.User-friendliness. We like to think that Halio is the most user-friendly electrochromic glass available. We’ve thought through all the ways that people will want to interact with their smart-tinting windows, with the goal of giving them unprecedented control. For example, the windows can still tint or clear even if the power goes out. You can have your windows be their own standalone system OR you can integrate them with your home automation or building management system. You can use either our wall-mounted controls for manual use, or you can use voice commands. And you can stop the tinting or clearing at any stage of the process.

Question 3

What is Halio?

Accepted Answer

Halio is glass that electronically tints or clears when the sun gets too hot or too bright. It’s the only smart glass that looks like natural glass in its clear state. To block unwanted heat or glare, Halio can tint to any one of an unlimited number of neutral, cool gray shades - with the darkest tint resembling the color of the evening sky. Halio is also the only smart-tinting glass that provides privacy. Halio performance can be automated, but it can also be controlled manually using a mobile app, a manual switch, or a voice assistant.

Question 4

What sizes are available?

Accepted Answer

We provide standard sized panels of up to 5’ x 10’ (1.5 x 3 meters) of smart-tinting glass. We work closely with our customers to meet other size requirements.

Question 5

Is it possible to get frameless Halio?

Accepted Answer

No. Halio tints and clears to an electrical charge – which require wires that are hidden within the frames.

Question 6

Can I the glass without the frames?

Accepted Answer

Because we only sell the glass and not the frames, we’ll work with your architect or your contractor to help you achieve your goals. Contact us so that we can connect you with a Halio representative in your area.

Question 7

How much does Halio cost per square foot (or square meter)?

Accepted Answer

Conventional glass is priced by the square foot or square meter, so it’s not surprising that we get this question a lot. But Halio isn’t conventional glass. There are many factors to consider – your design goals, what type of glass is approved for your region, the level of automation and integration you need, and so on. The best thing to do is to contact us and tell us as much as possible about the project you have in mind, and we’ll promptly get back to you. While we can’t quote specific prices, we can tell you that the cost of Halio will be competitive to conventional low-E glass combined with automated solar shading systems.

Question 8

What happens to Halio during a power outage?

Accepted Answer

By default, a Halio window will remain in the state it’s in when the power outage occurs.  You can, however, program Halio to change to your preferred state in the event of a power outage; Halio's Energy Manager stores enough energy to tint each window at least once. The wall-mounted Halio Tint Selector is also battery-powered and can be used to control Halio during a power outage, so long as sufficient power remains in the Halio Energy Manager.

Question 9

How much power does Halio use?

Accepted Answer

Halio is a low-voltage, low-power device. It only uses electricity during transitions. Halio electronics, such as the drivers and gateway, go into sleep mode to minimize power usage; they draw power only while transitioning.

Question 10

Do you create custom frames or do you provide the glass only?

Accepted Answer

We deliver the glass as an insulating glass unit (IGU) or as a laminated glass unit without frame and can work with you to select the right framing.  We do not make frames.

Question 11

What is Halio Black?

Accepted Answer

Halio Black is the only electrochromic product that can tint to a visible light transmission of 0.1%, making it the only electrochromic product that completely eliminates glare, even when the sun is in direct field of view. (Visible light transmission rates of 1%, 0.5%, or even 0.25% are not sufficient to protect against glare when the sun is in the direct field of view.) Additionally, Halio Black is the only electrochromic product that provides privacy on demand. When the maximum tint level is selected, you can see out, but others can’t see in. Halio Black is ideal when privacy is desired or when people are expected to be seated in a way that the sun will be in their direct field of view.