Opening up a new store can feel daunting and overwhelming at times. ABC Sun Control has come up with 5 tips to make it easier for you! Contact ABC Sun Control today to get a free window film quote!
Read MoreWindow film is not a topic most people know a lot about, but can be extremely helpful. Start-up business owners have a lot on their plates but heat, glare and decorating does not need to be one of them. Check out our blog to learn ten different ways window film can benefit a start-up business owner.
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Five Ways Window Film Can Improve Commercial Spaces
This is a quick summary of a great article that published in Facility Executive Magazine on five ways that window films can be used to improve your facility. The article hits on several of the key ways that building owners and commercial property managers integrate window films to improve commercial spaces.
Energy Conservation: Up to 30% of any building’s cooling and heating load is through windows. Installing window film reduces the stress on a facility’s HVAC system. Many films block up to 80 percent of the sun’s heat, helping to cut cooling costs.
Safety and Security: Windows and doors are the most vulnerable parts of any building. They are easy points of entry for people who may mean harm to the occupants, the building itself, or its contents. When professionally installed safety film is added, the glass doesn’t shatter, delaying the intruder’s entrance, and allowing local authorities to get to the scene in a timely matter.
Health and Comfort:The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends solar control window film to protect healthy skin and prevent premature aging. Window film lets natural daylight in, but blocks up to 99% of the sun’s damaging ultraviolet rays, and up to 80% of the sun’s heat protecting the building’s occupants and preventing interior furnishings from fading. Employees are also more productive and comfortable thanks to window film reducing solar glare, not only on their computer screens but throughout the entire building.
Green Benefits: Nearly 75% of windows are not energy efficient, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Window film installation costs a fraction of new window replacement, and accomplishes many of the same goals, as well as going a long way in reducing a building’s carbon footprint.
Aesthetics: Window film can improve the aesthetics of any commercial building. By improving the look of dated windows with film, the whole building will appear as though it had a modern facelift. Many manufacturers also offer decorative films that can add style, privacy and create a unique interior design. With certain styles of decorative films, facility executives can even achieve the look of etched glass at a fraction of the cost.
You can check out the entire article by clicking HERE
If you would like more information on the ways that window film can improve commercial spaces, click HERE and contact us by calling 800-488-5099 or emailing us at sales@controlthesun.com.
In a very recent article entitled Designing Schools As a Deterrent For Mass Shooters in Interiors + Sources Magazine, the topic of improving school security and safety by utilizing facility design and retrofittable technologies like security window films to make it harder for someone to commit violent attacks in a school environment was discussed.
One item that was raised in the article was the topic of making it harder for someone to commit the crime by hardening the facility to restrict entry. From the article, Sean Ahrens, security market group leader for Affiliated Engineering Incorporated (AEI), said, “Regrettably, in this day and age, [those who don’t think it could happen to them] are the weakest neighbors. When you think of an aggressor, [they think in] the path of least resistance. Are they going to go to the most hardened facility, or are they going to go to the facility that’s easiest to get into?”
With respect to hardening a facility and making it harder to gain entry, this is precisely what security window films do. In a recent article in Business Insider entitled Here are the Best Ways to Protect Schools, Workplaces, and Ourselves from Active Shooters, the author states “Protective and intrusion resistant doors and windows create delays in an aggressor’s ability to gain entry. For pre-existing locations the addition of protective window film, improved locking mechanisms and / or frames as well as other reinforcement techniques can be effective.”
Security window films are installed as a retrofit to a school's existing doors and windows. These films can come clear, tinted or reflective depending on the application and preference. When someone tries to gain access through the glass of a protected door or window, the security window film would allow the glass to break, but it would maintain the glass in the frame. With work, this film / glass combination can eventually be penetrated to gain access, but as stated above, the objective is to create resistance. Slow the entry down. Give school officials and authorities time to act.
In the Interiors + Sources article, Julia McFadden, AIA—associate principal at Svigals + Partners who recently designed the new Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn. stated, “You want to have layers between someone who may be coming to the school with ill intent and the vulnerable population. The more opportunities or barriers gives you more time to react and determine if there is ill intent before they reach the target." She goes on to say "Retrofit situations may call for applied window films or improved glazing. Interior partitions and some furnishing may also improve the school’s readiness in emergency situations.”
The hard realities of a tragedy like a violent attack at a school is that there is not a one size fits all solution. As these articles discuss, solutions to improve school security must be thought of in layers. We must make a school an unattractive target for any potential aggressor. The design and technologies utilized must work together to buy the individuals inside the school and authorities time to respond to the threat. In these situations, every moment matters. While we do not claim that security window films are the sole solution, they can provide a valuable layer of protection that works in conjunction with other design elements and technologies to improve school security and student safety.
If you would like more information about security window films and how they can help with school security and safety, click HERE and contact us by calling 800-488-5099 or emailing us at sales@controlthesun.com. We would be happy to provide you with a property assessment and estimate on implementing security window films in your Seattle, Washington area school.
As a result of the events of the past several years, there is an increased emphasis on school safety. Most notably, discussing what steps can be taken to avoid incidents from occurring in the future. A recent article in District Administration entitled "Building Blocks of a School Security Plan" discussed strategies that can be implemented to improve the safety of a school. One of the items discussed was utilizing Security Window Film to make it harder for someone to forcefully enter a school. The article states:
"Make your building perimeter harder to penetrate.
If you already have locks on your outside doors, the next item you should consider on your list is security film for your windows. After the doors, the next obvious place a person with bad intentions will try to enter the building is through your windows. Security film maintains the integrity of the window, even if the glass is broken. It helps to hold the glass in place, acting as a screen that is difficult to breach, even with a sledge hammer or baseball bat. I believe that simple is better. Make sure that your plan is based on principles such as distance or time. Ask yourself, Does this security device offer my community additional time by delaying the threat?"
To read this article in its entirety, click HERE.
One of the best things about a security window film is that, when installed professionally, it can be hard to know that anything is even on the glass. This serves to buy authorities even more time to respond as a typical would be intruder does not expect the delayed entry that the film produces. In these situations, every extra moment counts and security window film delivers additional time.
If you would like more information on how security window film can add a layer of security to school safety, click HERE and contact us by calling 800-488-5099 or emailing us at sales@controlthesun.com.
Summer is officially over, the kids are back in school and you know cooler temperatures are right around the corner. Whatever the reason, Fall is a great time to take on a home improvement project. After reading an article in the Huffington Post by Sam Cohen titled "Build Superior Homes By Installing Window Films — Valid Reasons To Add Them To Your Windows", I wanted to summarize four reasons he lists in the article that you might consider window film as a great choice for your next home improvement project.
What are the Actual Benefits of Installing Window Film on Your Home?
You can read the complete article by clicking HERE
We hope that you found this brief list informative and that you would consider window film on your next home improvement project. If you would like to learn more, click HERE contact us by calling 800-488-5099 or emailing us at sales@controlthesun.com.
We recently came across an article is Business Insider titled "Here are the best ways to protect schools, workplaces, and ourselves from active shooters." This article talks about a variety of ways to increase school safety, and they specifically mention security window film. The article states the following in the section on the use of technology to improve safety:
"Protective and intrusion resistant doors and windows creating delays in an aggressor’s ability to gain entry. For pre-existing locations the addition of protective window film, improved locking mechanisms and/or frames as well as other reinforcement techniques can be effective."
With that being said, we wanted to explain what security window film is and how it can be used to increase school safety?
Security window film is typically a clear layer of polyester film that is applied to a building's existing windows on the interior surface of the glass. The film comes in a variety of different thicknesses and can be installed in several different ways depending on the level of safety or security required. Once installed, this film will hold the glass fragments of the window together in the event of a break. As it relates to school safety and security, this film will hold glass fragments together and reduce the potential of injury from broken or flying glass in a natural disaster, an act of terrorism or inadvertent breakage.
In addition, and in the way the article was referring to, this film by keeping the glass intact will slow down or impede potential intruders from gaining access to the building and give authorities time to respond. Often, intruders are looking for the fastest and easiest point of access and because doors and gates have been fortified in recent years, the next easier access point would be through a window. That is why safety and security film should be considered as a way to fortify this vulnerability.
To read the complete article in Business Insider, click HERE
We hope this list helped you understand how security window film can be used to enhance school safety. If you have any questions about safety and security window films, click HERE and contact us by calling 800-488-5099 or emailing us at sales@controlthesun.com.
We recently came across an article published by Proud Green Home that discussed how home window films could make your house more energy efficient. However, in addition to energy efficiency, the article mentioned six additional noteworthy benefits of utilizing home window films. We have summarized them below as thought you might be interested in all of the ways that window film can compliment your next home improvement project.
We hope this list helped you understand the variety of ways home window films can help on your next home improvement project. If you would like more information, click HERE contact us by calling 800-488-5099 or emailing us at sales@controlthesun.com.
Unfortunately, for all of us, school safety has become a critical topic of concern in our daily lives. As a result, school systems are being stretched too quickly to establish effective safety measures that can increase protection and improve the safety of school children and educational staff. As many of you are already aware, the glass on windows and doors of a school building can be a very vulnerable entry point into a school. And most schools do not have laminated glass to prevent shattering, resulting in potentially easy access through the glassless frame. Currently, several hundred schools across the country have already contacted 3M for assistance to help protect this potential entry point. We are proud to say that 3M School Safety Film has already been incorporated into over 200 U.S. schools year to date.
This school safety film solution because of the following:
The team at ABC is very concerned about increasing the safety of our local Seattle and Tacoma schools. If you would like more information on 3M School Safety Film, Contact ABC Sun Control by calling 800-488-5099 or emailing us at sales@controlthesun.com.
When tenants complain about rooms that are too hot or you notice that your energy costs are trending skyward, 3M Window Films can help improve commercial windows by helping increase tenant comfort, conserve energy and even increase safety and security. 3M commercial window films offer enhanced protection from accidents, natural disasters, break and entry, bomb blasts and flying glass fragments. They could also simply help upgrade your glass to code.
3M was issued the first sun control window film patent in 1966, and our innovative window film products have helped provide protection from the sun’s harmful rays for 50 years. Today, millions of square feet of 3M Window Film have been installed all around the world. Upgrade your building with 3M Window Film, and you’ll be reaping the rewards for years to come.
We’re ready to help you find the right solution to improve commercial windows in your facility.
Are your energy costs going through the roof? 3M Window Films can significantly reduce the amount of heat coming through your windows to help lower utility costs. Your tenants get a more comfortable environment, and you get increased energy savings.
Help keep your tenants comfortable, and you’ll keep them for the long run. 3M Window Films can significantly increase the comfort level of your building by virtually eliminating hot spots and cold spots, reducing glare and increasing safety without changing its aesthetics.
Accidents and natural disasters can wreak havoc on your building operations, but you can be better prepared to cope with the aftermath. 3M Window Film can help hold broken glass together, preventing flying glass shards, the leading cause of injuries and fatalities.
Your tenants want to know they’re in a secure building, and you want to protect your data and merchandise. 3M Window Films can help protect people and property from outside threats like forced entry, vandalism and even bomb blasts.
Give your tenants custom and elegant interiors that provide enhanced privacy without sacrificing natural light. 3M Glass Finishes let you define spaces without confining them.
Brighten your building’s interior and brighten your chances of landing a long-term tenant. 3M™ Daylight Redirecting Film uses micro-replication technology to cast light as far as 40 feet (12 meters) from the window.
We hope this article shed some light on all the ways 3M Home Window Film can be used to improve commercial windows. If you would like any additional information about 3M Commercial Window Film, contact ABC Sun Control by calling 800-488-5099 or emailing us at sales@controlthesun.com.
