How to Make Older Home Windows More Energy Efficient

Whether we like it or not, Summer is coming to an end and now is the best time to begin considering home improvements to make your house more energy efficient before the cooler temperatures arrive. One of the best ways to improve energy efficiency is by making your window openings perform better. We came across a great article in Times Square Chronicles that discusses ways you can make your older windows more energy efficient. While the article discusses several ways to improve the energy efficiency of your windows, they specifically the benefits of using window films as well. The article states that:

"Window film is an energy efficient layer that can be added to windows, improving how you heat and cool your home. There are solar film options that block ultraviolet rays so it can not just help with heating and cooling issues, but also protect your rugs and furnishings against sun damage."

The window film products we offer can help reject heat in the Summer to saving on cooling costs and retain heat in the Winter to save on heating costs. Not only will your home be more comfortable, but you will be able to keep it that way at a lower cost.

If you would like to check out the entire article in Time Square Chronicles, click HERE.

If you would like more information on the window film products that we offer and how they can make your home more energy efficient, click HERE contact us by calling 800-488-5099 or emailing us at sales@controlthesun.com.

School Safety - Is Your School Safe? Security Window Film Can Help.

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.

Seven Noteworthy Benefits of Utilizing Home Window Films

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.

Benefits of Home Window Films

• Reduces Glare – Applying tint to your home windows can result in blocking significant amount of the sun’s glare from passing through the glass.
• Protects Your House Interiors –The sun's UV rays penetrate through windows of your house. With prolonged exposure, your house furnishings, carpet, rugs and upholstery can become faded and damaged. Window tinting offers a great solution for fading issue as it typically blocks 99% of the UV while still allowing you to enjoy your windows.
• Energy Savings –Window tint can act as a window insulator keeping heat out in the Summer and retaining heat in the Winter. This can help home owners decrease their utility bills by reducing how hard their heating and air conditioning system needs to work to keep the house comfortable.
• Increased Privacy – Window films can be used strategically throughout your home to offer additional privacy through certain windows without the need for blinds or curtains.
• Enhanced Safety – Accidents happen and a window can bet broken. When this happens with a typical home window, the glass breaks in a way that can be dangerous. Home window film can keep the broken glass in place and reduce the danger.
• Added Security – Security home window film exists that can provide the other benefits listed and make uninvited entry into your home more difficult. This makes these types of films a perfect compliment to a home a security system.
• Affordable Alternative to Window Replacement – At some point nearly any window may need to be replaced, but by using home window films you may be able to significantly extend the useful life of your existing windows while achieving the benefits you desire. Having a professionally installed window film applied is much less costly and far less disruptive to your home than window replacement.

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.

How to Protect Against Sun Damaged Floors and Furniture This Summer

Summer is here and while most of us welcome the sun, we don't always appreciate the damage it can bring. The extra daylight hours combined with the heat and UV rays can cause sun damaged floors and furniture in your home. This article is designed to examine the true causes of this sun damage and guide you through one of the best ways to avoid ruining a floor or piece of furniture like you see in the picture above. First, let's discuss what exactly causes this type of sun damage. A common misconception is that the sun's UV rays are what cause sun damaged floors, furniture and furnishings. While these UV rays are certainly the largest component that causes fading, as this chart illustrates, they only account for 40% of the total. Solar heat, or the heat you feel passing through your windows and the visible light streaming in are also major contributors. These account for an additional 25% each of the causes of fading. The last factor is listed as "other" as it is comprised of a variety of things that are harder to control and are not major overall contributors. These are things like interior lighting, humidity, etc.

One of the first things you might realize from this chart is that you cannot "stop" ading completely. The fact is that unless the item you want to protect in a dark, climate controlled room, it will typically fade over time. However, if you plan to have the flooring and furniture in a place that will be exposed to these elements, the most you can do is attack the major contributors of fading. By significantly attacking these contributors, you can slow down this fading process and extend the life of your floors or furnishings. For these reasons, one of the best ways to attack the primary causes of sun damage and fading is with window film.

Why Is Window Film a Good Solution?

As mentioned above, most people do not want to "close-up" their home in an effort to stop the damage from occurring. So, assuming the windows will not be covered, you need to attack the factors before they enter the home. Window film is a great option because it attacks all three major contributors of fading before they enter your home. Most professionally installed window films will block 99%+ of the UV rays. In addition, many window films can significantly reduce the heat coming through the window. Finally, it is possible to block up to 60% of the visible light coming through a window without noticeably darkening the window. When you combine the overall reduction in these three factors of fading, you can take a large slice out of the pie shown above. The best part is this protection can be accomplished while retaining the open feel of your home by using window film.

We hope this post shed some light on what the factors of sun damaged floors, furniture and furnishings are and how utilizing window film is one of your best options to address this issue. If you are interested in learning more, contact us by calling 800-488-5099 or emailing us at sales@controlthesun.com.

Did You Know These Six Benefits of Home Window Film?

The benefits of home window film are wide-ranging. Windows open your home to natural lighting, warmth and views of the outside world. Unfortunately, they also open you up to high energy costs, heat build-up, excessive glare, and the premature fading of interior furnishings. Tinting your home’s windows with a quality window film allows you to bask in the sunlight, worry-free. Cut Your Home Cooling Costs Up to 50% According to the EPA Energy Star Buildings Manual in the United States, approximately half of a home’s utility bills are wasted by loss of heat and heat gain through untreated windows. Home window tinting can significantly improve energy efficiency. With a thin, virtually invisible addition to your home’s existing windows, window films can help you save up to 50% on cooling costs.

Reduce Heat and Glare Open your blinds, shades, or draperies and let the sunlight in. In addition to blocking heat, home window tint reduces glare by up to 87%, making it easier for you to watch television or work on a computer in the comfort of your home. Because home window films are made with ultra-clear, distortion-free materials, you won’t even know it’s there.

Lessen the Effects of Harmful UV Rays Most fabrics, furnishings and artwork can fade simply by allowing daylight to pass through an untreated window. Home window tinting will block up to 99.9% of all UVA and UVB rays, helping to protect your family and preserve the color of your furnishings, fabrics and carpets.

Corrects Temperature Imbalances Window films can help eliminate hot and cold spots within your home by using film that reduces heat gain coming through the glass in hot areas. This will create a more balanced temperature across the space and reduce the load on your air conditioning system.

Protect Your Home and Family Glass can be a real hazard in the home when broken from accidents, storms, or break-ins. Safeguard your family and your property with home safety window films. This transparent but powerful barrier helps hold glass in place should an impact occur, help keep an intruder out and help defend you against the unexpected.

Affordable Alternative to Replacement Windows While damaged or deteriorating windows simply have to be replaced, home window tinting provides an affordable alternative to replacement when your goal is to improve energy efficiency. In fact, the cost for quick, professional installation is about one-tenth the cost of replacement windows!

To learn more about these site benefits and all of the other things a Home Window Film can do for you, contact us by calling 800-488-5099 or emailing us at sales@controlthesun.com.

Three Reasons Window Film Should Be On Your Home Improvement List

As we head into Summer, most of us likely have a home improvement list we plan on working on in the coming months. In this article, we are going to give you three reasons why implementing a high quality window film should be on that list.

• Increased Home Comfort - Window films work to block excessive heat and glare from entering your home through the glass. Most homes have some windows that get a lot of sun throughout the day. In these areas of the home, there can be hot spots from the heat entering which is often accompanied by irritating glare. Often, in an effort to keep these areas of the home comfortable, your need to adjust your air conditioning. The problem then becomes that the home is often too cool in other areas where the sun is not shining in. By using window films on these specific windows, you can reduce the heat and glare specifically where the problem lies without covering the window with a blind or drapery.
• Reduce Energy Costs - Continuing with the point above, if you have windows that are allowing excessive heat to enter the home, your air conditioning is likely having to work overtime to keep your home comfortable. All that extra running is costing you money. When you reduce the heat entering the home, your air conditioning will not need to work as hard to keep the home comfortable and you will save money on utility bills as a result.
• Preserve Floors, Furniture and Furnishings - Our guess if that other things on your home improvement list may be things like new flooring, some furniture, artwork, etc. If that is true, you want to be sure to protect those things from premature fading and sun damage. The primary sources of sun damage and fading are UV, Heat and Visible Light. Window film works to reduce all three of these primary areas of sun damage. In fact, most films reduce over 99% of the sun's UV rays which accounts for 40% of the total causes of sun damage.

Hopefully these three points have you placing window film on that home improvement list. If you have any questions or would like to arrange a free, no obligation assessment of your home and how window film can help, contact us by calling 800-488-5099 or emailing us at sales@controlthesun.com.

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.

3M Fasara Decorative Glass Finishes Transform Ordinary Glass

Enhance your privacy while customizing your space with 3M Fasara Decorative Glass Finishes. Ideal for foyers, entryways, partitions, shower doors, bathroom windows, verandas or other glass surfaces. 3M Decorative Window Films are available in a variety of patterns from subtle to sophisticated design statements.

• Let natural light in while enhancing privacy
• Create an open feel, even in small spaces
• Create the illusion of etched, treated or texturized glass with 3M Fasara Films
• Get the elegant look of textured glass with 3M Crystal Glass Finishes

We hope this information opens your eyes to all the great ways you can integrate 3M Fasara Decorative Glass Finishes into your space. If you are interested in learning more, check out our decorative window film page by clicking HERE, or Contact ABC Sun Control by calling 800-488-5099 or emailing us at sales@controlthesun.com.

Superiors Builders in Tacoma Uses 3M Fasara to Add Privacy

Superior Builders in Tacoma, Washington had an issue with their internal office glass partitions near the waiting room. They loved the open feel that the glass created, but it left a bit to be desired on the privacy side. They called ABC Sun Control in to evaluate the situations and suggest some options. After discussing their wants and needs with the, we suggested 3M Fasara Gradient films SH2FGIM and SH2FGLU. These gradient films enables the staff to get the privacy they wanted while still retaining an open feel and some visibility.

We hope this post gave you some ideas on how 3M Fasara Glass Finishes might be utilized in your space. If you are interested in learning more, check out our decorative window film page by clicking HERE, or Contact ABC Sun Control by calling 800-488-5099 or emailing us at sales@controlthesun.com.