The feel of a space can be dependent on a variety of factors—temperature, access to daylight, even the direction the building faces. As a building owner or manager, making sure your occupants are healthy and comfortable in their home or office environment is important and one way to do that is by having a professional install window film.
While sunlight streaming in an office window is beautiful, one in five Americans will develop skin cancer by age 70, and each year over 5.4 million cases of nonmelanoma skin cancer are treated in the U.S., according to the Skin Cancer Foundation. In addition, repeated exposure to UV light can cause eye issues including blurry vision and cataracts and the average modern dual pane window that accounts for 50 to 60 percent of all windows in the U.S. blocks only about 51 percent of UVs.
Prevention is possible and a professional installation of window film provides a useful strategy. Once installed, window film blocks 99 percent of UV rays, helping reduce the risk of skin cancer and eye damage.
Among other benefits, professionally installed window film helps avoid interior temperature swings and keeps building occupants comfortable. Window film may help retain heat in the colder months, and in warmer months allows in less than 25 percent of solar energy versus 90 percent without film, keeping the temperature further regulated.
The view to the outside doesn’t have to be compromised either. There is little or no visible change to the look of the windows, since window film is available in a variety of shades, from virtually clear, to medium or dark. In addition, since the product is always in place, there is no operator involvement needed to enjoy its benefits.
Furthermore, professionally installed window film can ameliorate glare while still providing adequate light. By reducing excessive sunlight, window film can offer a more productive workspace so occupants can focus on the task at hand and home dwellers can enjoy doing their favorite activities without distracting glare.
Instead of a full window replacement, which is costly and produces more landfill waste, professionally installed window film allows occupants to enjoy the space with high UV protection, while building operators benefit from avoiding costly window replacements and are also able to reap significant energy savings.
A professional installation of window film is a wise investment that will bring back a measurable return. Federal, state or local incentive programs may be available for which installed window film may qualify. To view available tax incentives, visit here.
About the author
Darrell Smith is the executive director of the nonprofit International Window Film Association. With over 40 years experience in marketing, sales and distribution and the last 30 years in the window film industry, he has served as organizational and planning consultant with trade associations, Internet related businesses and investment firms.
