With the rise of using green energy and becoming efficient and sustainable, builders and remodelers are looking at solar film for home windows as a cost-effective solution for boosting home efficiencies and reducing costs for clients. Applied to the window, sun protection film for house windows acts as a solar shield, blocking up to 80% of the sun’s heat and boosting a home’s efficiency.
Lack of awareness, misperceptions and the small additional cost is impeding the category’s growth.
Here are the Pros that you need to know in installing solar film for home windows:
- Window film can cut utility costs by 30% to 40 % and at $6 to $14 per square foot, making it much cheaper than replacing windows.
- Solar films block 99% of UV light that fades furniture, and with better technologies, now do it without looking reflective or dark.
- Films add security and utility programs offer rebates for window films.
- Sun protection film for house windows can make a low-cost new window more efficient compared to other types.
By managing the transmission of UV radiation, far-and-near-infrared (IR), and visible light from the sun, solar film for home windows creates energy efficiency and savings on heating and cooling costs.
By turning away the sun’s powerful rays, building managers and property owners can eliminate hotspots within a building, and insulate windows and glass from heat loss. When it comes to solar heat entering a building, more than half is infrared light, yet over 40% is in the visible light range.
Conventional window films lower both to provide good sun control performance. In addition, there are wavelength-selective films that are now available and designed to block specific regions of the solar light spectrum, from infrared to ultraviolet. These films can be virtually clear, rejecting a very high percentage of IR while still allowing a very high percentage of natural daylight into the interior of the building.
Now, let us see its Cons to weigh things better:
- Some window manufacturers warn that films will void their window warranty, however, several film manufacturers offer to match it. So choose your solar window installer wisely.
- Certain lites, latches, and frames make installation difficult, and a bad application can leave glass looking bubbly.
- Some homeowners may be skeptical of the benefits, which is why it is always better to educate the clients.
- It is costlier than normal windows.
- Disposal of old solar panels can be harmful to the environment
Still, the future is bright. Aside from the protection solar windows provide, they also give privacy and aesthetics. The choice you make in solar window film has a great impact on the exterior look, aesthetic appeal, and privacy of the building itself.
The good thing is there is an abundance of designs, patterns, and privacy levels you can choose from in solar film for home windows. Older, outdated window films often harshly reflected light, which created real disruption for people traveling near or around the building.
With modern solar window films, the reflectivity can be entirely eliminated, and decorative touches like frosting or shading can offer a unique look and a specific level of privacy.