Five Ways Window Film Can Improve Commercial Spaces

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.

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

Save Energy, Reduce Utility Bills & Keep Cool This Summer With Window Film

Even though this Winter did its best to hang on, the warmer temperatures of Summer are on the way. We recently came across an article in Forbes Magazine entitled "Six Tips To Save Energy, Reduce Bills And Keep Cool During Summer". This article discussed several strategies that could be implemented, but number two on the list was installing window film. The article states, "External window film prevents the heat of the sun from penetrating the window, while internal window film prevents heat from transferring to the space. Studies have shown that filming your windows results in a 60% heat reduction."

It is great to see window films being recognized as a cost effective, energy saving retrofit. With modern window film technology, you can achieve great heat rejection without noticeably changing the appearance of your existing windows. By reducing the heat entering your space, you save energy and reduce bills because your HVAC system does not need to work as hard to keep up with demand. Depending on the type of windows installed at your facility, it is possible to see energy savings pay for the window film installation within the first 24 months after install.

In addition, window film is at its most effective during peak times of the day. The article also mentions the strategy of reducing electrical consumption in peak load hours saying,

"Daily summer temperatures are highest between 2:30 and 3:30 in the afternoon. Consequently, air conditioning equipment consumes much more power than usual during this peak..".

In many cases, energy rates during peak hours of the day are at their highest, so anything you can do to cut demand during these peak times has a larger impact on the overall energy costs. With window film blocking a large portion of heat from coming through the glass during these peak hours, you are reducing your energy demand at the very best time of the day.

You can check out the complete Six Tips To Save Energy, Reduce Bills And Keep Cool During Summer article in Forbes by clicking HERE.

If you would like to learn more how commercial window film options can help save energy, reduce bills and keep you cool this Summer, click HERE and contact us by calling 800-488-5099 or emailing us at sales@controlthesun.com. We would be happy to provide a free, no obligation consultation and estimate of implementing an energy saving window film solution in your space. We service Seattle, Washington and the surrounding communities.

Utilizing Window Films to Improve School Security & Student Safety

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.

How Security Window Film Helps Increase School Safety

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.