If you love to let natural light stream in through your windows the trade-off is UV damage to your drapes, furniture, and carpets, and perhaps loss of privacy. That is, unless you have window film.
Sunlight can be extremely damaging to most materials including fabric, wood, pigments, and human skin.
Solar radiation streaming through windows can also cause a home to heat up dramatically, making it necessary to run air conditioning more often, wasting energy and money. Almost one third of a building’s cooling load is generated by energy from the sun. In winter, a significant portion of the heat in a home is lost through window panes.
Solar film applied to windows can block up to 99% of the damaging UV radiation from the sun. There are several types of window film available today. All consist of layers of optically clear polyester film and embedded layers of metal, dye, or ceramic particles.
There are two basic types of window film – reflective and non-reflective.
Non-reflective or dyed window films block and absorb solar radiation. Reflective or metallized films reflect rather than filter and absorb radiation. Ceramic films are the latest generation of reflective films.
Window films come in many colours and can be opaque or nearly clear depending on the application. Some reflective films have a metallic look that mimics bronze or stainless steel. Tinted films offer more privacy.
Window films aren’t just for blocking out the sun. Graphics and patterns can be printed on film for purely decorative purposes or to place advertising on the windows of a business or a vehicle.
Specialized window films can also be installed to prevent glass from shattering.
Some films are thick enough to withstand hurricane force winds or bomb blasts. The film holds glass shards together and prevents them from being blown into a building.
If you want to reduce solar heating or winter heat loss in your home, or you want privacy without having to sacrifice your view or natural light, visit a Normandeau Window Coverings location near you.
Written By Randy Normandeau. Visit Randy on Google+