How to Save on Home Energy Costs this Summer with Window Films

With Summer just around the corner, we wanted to share some ways that window films can help save you on home energy costs this season. While Summer is a favorite time of the year for many people, the high temperatures can cause your utility bills to skyrocket. In this article, we wanted to discuss how window film can reduce the load on your air conditioning system which saves you money on utility bills and also system maintenance. First, we wanted to explain how window film works to reduce the load on your air conditioning system. Simply, window film reduces the amount of heat that is coming into your home through the windows. During the middle of the day, when the Sun is the most intense, you air conditioning system might be struggling just to keep up with the demand. Unfortunately, this demand for air conditioning is also happening all throughout your area at the same time. This causes a peak demand period for energy and the utility company and enables them to charge a premium on the energy you use during this period. The good news is that 

window film is most effective at precisely this time by reducing the heat making its way into your home through the windows. This reduction in heat coming in translates to your air conditioning not having to work as hard, and use as much energy, to keep your home comfortable.

In addition, by reducing the heat entering the home, the air conditioning system will not need to run constantly to keep up. This not only saves you money on energy costs, but will also save you maintenance money from wear and tear on your air conditioning unit. Any air conditioning unit is made of of numerous components that each have an effective service life. The longer, and harder, a unit is forced to run, the faster these parts wear out and need replacing. Also, as parts degrade they often do not work as efficiently as they did when new. This inefficiency translates into more energy being needed to get the same results in home cooling.

We hope this brief article helped shed some light on how window film can be a vital component in helping you save on home energy costs this Summer and for many years to come. If you would like more information about window film and how they can be implemented into your home, contact us by calling 800-488-5099 or emailing us at sales@controlthesun.com.

Here Comes the Sun! Window Film Makes it Alright!

Hopefully the title of this article has The Beatles tune playing in the back of your head. That is what I was thinking about when I sat down to write this article. Summer is coming, and with it, we have the long daylight hours with plenty of sun. While most of us look forward to this time of the year, and all the fun things that it brings, that extra sun can also play havoc in your home, with your health and on your budget. In this article I wanted to focus on three ways that window film can help make all that extra sun alright.

• • Window Film Can Saves Money on Energy Costs - The extra sun that Summer brings also often brings high utility bills because your air conditioning system is working overtime. Through the use of modern window films, you can dramatically reduce the amount of heat entering your home through the glass and subsequently reduce how hard your AC unit has to work to keep the home cool. If your AC system is working less, you are using less energy and your utility bills will reflect that savings.
    In addition, although not specifically a utility bill, your AC unit working less throughout the Summer can extend the service life of that unit and reduce maintenance costs. So, window film can actually save both on the energy cost of running the AC and the maintenance costs associated with the usage of your AC.

• • Window Film Can Make Your Home More Comfortable - The longer Summer days can also bring about things that make your home less comfortable. Specifically, many homeowners deal with excessive glare and hot spots in the home at this time of the year. Whether it is for watching TV, using a computer or just kicking back with your favorite book, glare can make a room an uncomfortable place to be. By using window films strategically in your home, you can reduce the glare in rooms where that is an issue.
    Additionally, does your home suffer from hot and cold spots at this time of the year because one side is in sun most of the day while the other side is in the shade? You can use window film on the side of the home with excessive sun to reduce the heat entering in that area and equalize temperature throughout the home.

• • Window Film Can Preserve Your Furnishings and Your Health - The extra sun that Summer brings can also bring about fading issues with your flooring and furniture. Most windows offer no protection from the UV rays pouring through that account for a full 40% of the factors that cause fading. With modern window films, even the lightest shades block 99+% of the UV rays from entering through the windows. By eliminating this major cause of fading, you have taken a major step to extend the life of your flooring and furnishings.
    Also, The Skin Cancer Foundation has warned that this UV entering your home can also be detrimental to your health. In an article, they state,
    
    "While it’s understood that taking sun safety precautions is important outside, few people realize they can sustain sun damage indoors, too. While both ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation from the sun can harm the skin and lead to skin cancers, UVB is effectively blocked by glass. However, at least 50 percent of UVA rays can pass through windows. Window film is an increasingly effective solution, offering substantial indoor protection by blocking up to 99.9 percent of UVA radiation."
    
    The use of window film can help block these harmful UV rays and preserve your health in this area. You can read the entire article from The Skin Cancer Foundation by clicking HERE

So, be prepared to welcome in the sun this Summer by preparing your home with a modern window film. If you are interested in discussing the options available for improving your home with window film, contact us by calling 800-488-5099 or emailing us at sales@controlthesun.com.