California

How Window Film Helps Save Energy: Five Ways

July 30, 2024 by Carol S Leave a Comment

You might have heard some of the other ways window film makes you life better, but does it help you save energy? It reduces glare, prevents UV transmission through your glass, and helps you maintain privacy. We’ll tell you about how window film saves you energy, too. And that can help you lower your power bills, something we all love.

Reduces Heat Gain

Heat gain is not something you want in your life. Heat gain is when the temperature rises due to heat from the sun. And when it’s too hot, it’s hard to do anything except sit on the couch and fan yourself. But with window film, heat that could get through your windows is reflected back and away. We’ve talked about heat gain before here: Solar Heat Gain: Why Should it Matter to You?

Acts as a Thermal Shield

Now, Thermal Shield might sound like something out of Deadpool and Wolverine, but we assure you it’s not. A thermal shield protects you from the heat coming through your windows. 3M™ window film is a very good example of an excellent thermal shield. Come to think of it, they could’ve used it in Deadpool and Wolverine. Maybe there would’ve been less fighting. That extreme heat makes everyone cranky.

Uses Less Energy Heating and Cooling

With window film, you’ll use less energy heating and cooling your home or office. Since your temperature will stay more constant, you’ll have less reliance on your A/C or thermostat, thus driving down the cost of your energy. And if you don’t believe us, maybe the Department of Energy will sway you? Here’s a quote from 3M’s website: “The Department of Energy considers window film a top-tier technology for energy conservation with one of the fastest paybacks — approximately three years.”

Eliminates Hot Spots

If you’re a facilities manager, hot spots can mean a lot of complaints from employees. You don’t want to have to move people around every time the sun hits a certain spot–do you? Window film helps you eliminate the hot spots and provides more even temperatures in all the offices. At home, there’s the same problem with hot spots. You shouldn’t have to move your from your favorite spot because of a hot spot.

Acts as an Insulator

Window film can be an insulator for your windows. When you think of insulation, you might think of the big thick pink blanket living in your attic. But a thin layer of window film can also give you insulation and keep you cooler in the summer as well as warmer in the winter.

Saves Your Energy

Have questions about how to save energy and window film? Give us a call and we’ll give you some ideas! We’d love to help you choose the best window film for your overheated home or office. We work all over the greater San Francisco Bay Area, from San Jose to the East Bay to the Peninsula and Marin–and beyond! Give us a call at 415.623.8700.

Afraid of the Sun? You Should Be!

November 14, 2016 by Carol S Leave a Comment

Recently, during a Twitter chat, a few of us were talking about good blog posts, and Floors to Your Home, an Indianapolis-based Flooring specialist, suggested discussing window film and how it prevents premature aging. So here you go!

A1: Or, for us skincare nerds, how window film prevents premature aging. #constchat

— Floors To Your Home (@FTYHFlooring) October 13, 2016

Sunlight, Your Skin and UV Rays

Sunlight is made up of harmful UVA and UVB that can cause premature aging as well as more serious conditions. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation “UV radiation is considered the main cause of non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSC), including basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). These cancers strike more than a million and more than 250,000 Americans, respectively, each year.”

Window Film Blocks Harmful UV Rays

According to 3M™ “By reducing the amount of heat gained through transmission of sunlight, 3M™ Window Films let in the natural light you love while rejecting heat and UV rays.” And 3M Window Film blocks up to 99% of harmful UV rays–the rays that cause skin damage and premature aging. So imagine if you will having sunblock that encases all your windows and protects your skin against premature aging. It’s like that.

Want Younger-Looking Skin?

Stop thinking of window film as a luxury, and instead allocate some money to your health care budget. Window film takes the worry out of blocking UV rays, and it can be used on your home, your business, or your car. Skin damage is cumulative, so a little prevention goes a long way towards keeping your skin healthy. According to WebMD:

“Sun exposure causes most of the skin changes that we think of as a normal part of aging. Over time, the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) light damages the fibers in the skin called elastin.”

Elastin Keeps Skin Elastic

Without elastin, the skin can’t “bounce back” like it does with children. So keeping out of the sun, or protecting your windows with window film, help to prevent the damage from UV rays that cause the loss of elastin to your skin.

Every Little Bit Helps

While window film isn’t your entire skin care strategy, it certainly helps. Nobody wants to have to protect their skin indoors, but that’s exactly what you need to do if you have windows!

Got Questions?

Call our office in Santa Clara, California! We can help.

Commercial Window Film: Little-Known Facts

July 22, 2015 by Window Works 3 Comments

In our last blog post, we addressed the frequently asked questions people have about automotive window film. This is the second in the series, on how commercial window film can protect your business. Window film can protect your belongings, as well as provide you with comfort and security. Here are some little-known facts about commercial window film.

Let’s Cut to the Chase

According to FBI statistics, “Of all burglaries, 60.5 percent involved forcible entry.” Anything you can do to prevent that burglar from entering your business gives you the upper hand. You may have considered better lighting or closed circuit television to prevent break-ins, but what about commercial window film?

Safety Film

Safety film mitigates ‘Spontaneous Glass Breakage’ — modern structures are now made of so much glass (called Curtain Wall structures) — that some form of protection is necessary. You can protect passers-by and inhabitants from glass breakage using 3M Safety & Security Films. Prevent glass from becoming shrapnel.

According to this Construction Specifier article on Spontaneous Glass Breakage, poor edge quality and “Expansion and contraction of glass framing members may also lead to frame-related breakage.” Additionally, thermal stress can occur when the center of a piece of glass is hotter than its edges.

Preserve Your Investment with Surface Protection

Anti-Graffiti Film Protects

For commercial spaces, anti-graffiti film protects your investment “against scratches, acid-etching and gouges in retail, public facilities and any street-level glass applications.” Instead of constantly paying to repair, paint over, or scrub down walls in public places, why not try some anti-graffiti film instead? More information is available on the 3M website.

Eliminate Your Vulnerability with 3M Window Film

Security Film Creates a Barrier to Entry

3M security films used with 3M Impact Protection Adhesive will greatly slow or possibly prevent ‘smash & grab’ scenarios by creating a barrier to entry. Burglars are always trying to get in and steal your valuables as quickly as possible. So by making entry more difficult, that burglar will usually go someplace that’s easier to break into.

Protect Against Crimes of Opportunity

People can quickly and easily create thousands of dollars worth of damage in the blink of an eye. Civil unrest can occur in big cities when large groups gather, ruining your precious business almost instantly. Glass is expensive to replace and the sight of a boarded-up storefront does not give the appearance of a healthy business.

Still Not Convinced?

Watch this video on 3M Security film. And when your commercial building needs window film, give WindowWorksCA a call. We are in Santa Clara and service the San Francisco Bay Area.