How Window Film Can Change Your Home and Life
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Window film that protects against the harmful effects of Ultraviolet (UV) rays can save your life and home. In order to appreciate the protective impact of window film, it is important to understand the dangers of UV rays. Premature aging and skin cancer are caused by UV rays. There are three types of UV rays. These are UVA, UVB, and UVC. UVA rays are longer than UVB and UVC. The shorter rays are more dangerous. The good news is only UVA and UVB rays get through the earth’s atmosphere.
UVA rays make up 95% of the radiation that reaches Earth’s surface. It penetrates the second layer of the skin and causes wrinkles and premature aging of the skin. It has also been linked with skin cancer. It easily penetrates pane glass windows.
UVB rays affect the top layer of the skin. It damages DNA on your skin and causes sunburn. In as little as 15 minutes, it can burn your skin. It is even more strongly linked with skin cancer. It is important to note that the effect of UV rays is cumulative. It adds to the previous sunburn and grows each time unprotected skin is exposed to those UV rays.
There’s a false belief that you need to be outdoors to be negatively impacted by UV rays. As a result, sunblock is often applied when people go outdoors. However, it is rarely applied when people are primarily indoors. This practice ignores the way UV rays work. UV rays can travel through unprotected glass windows and doors and negatively impact people. This means that UV rays can harm you while you are sitting indoors by a window, sunroof and even a sunroom. The danger is evident by research that shows the parts of one’s body that get hit by UV rays are more likely to age and contract cancer. This research was monitors drivers of left handed and right handed cars. In each case, the half of the driver’s body that was closer to the driver window was negatively impacted by UV rays. Many car companies coat the car windshields with anti-UV film but not the driver and passenger side windows. Window film has been available for the past 50 years and a majority of car manufacturers and owners have not installed these protective films that are very efficient at keeping out harmful UVA rays.
As stated previously, the threat of UVA rays just as serious in your home as it is in your car. People spend many hours by windows performing daily household chores, relaxing and sleeping. Protective window film can keep out more than 99.9% of harmful UVA rays. An investment in this solution lessens the cumulative impact of skin damage when people install it on all outside glass surfaces. An additional benefit is protecting people who suffer from photosensitivity including xeroderma pigmentosum and lupus. Children may have inflammatory effects due to exposure to UV rays. More serious effects include subcutaneous infections, neurological degeneration, eye malignancies, and skin cancer. People with Lupus may have a wide range of reactions to photosensitivity. There may be rashes, fever, fatigue, joint pain, and flu-like symptoms. Lupus afflicted people need to avoid direct sunlight especially between the hours of 10 am and 4 pm (when the sun is at its most intense). Staying indoors as much as possible in windows with protective film mitigates harmful UV rays.
Window film that protects against UV rays also keeps your home cooler during summer so you can be comfortable and save on your electric and gas bill. According to Energy Star, as much as half your electric bill each summer is due to cooling costs. In Florida, the summer season is almost all year round so the hit on your finances is even more severe. You can do a lot to reduce the electric bill and installing window film is an excellent solution. According to the Department of Energy, untreated glass windows can account for 25% of the heat that enters your home. Window film coupled with blinds and/or curtains can really reduce the ‘solar gain’. There are two types of film that are proven effective in keeping out the heat. The reflective film has a mirror type finish and it is often more effective at keeping out the heat. Tinted film changes the color of rays entering your home. At the very least the Department of Energy recommends installing window film on east facing and west facing windows. Shop around because there are experienced window film companies that offer reasonable prices. You may be able to get it installed on all windows.
Conversely, window film also keeps the heat in during cold spells. A thermal window tint can reflect the heat back to its source. The heat inside your home can be kept inside during winter. This product is known as a low emissivity window film and contains a special coating that reflects radiant heat and can reduce the amount of heat lost by as much as 40%. This is a much cheaper alternative to full window replacement. The window film upgrades a single pane to effectively a double pane.
UV rays not only impact your skin but also degrade your furniture and window fixtures. Fading of carpet, rugs, furniture, wallpaper, paintings, and curtains can result in lighter shades where sunlight hits in a room. Homeowners are left with two-tone rooms. The cost to replace furnishings and even redoing the entire room can be very expensive. It is much cheaper to install window tints and protect the entire room.
Advances in window film technology allow leading window tint companies to offer a clear tint. This gives you no color altering vistas of the outdoor with the benefits of window tint. Tinted nanoceramic solar controlled films soften glare without reflective shine. You have the additional benefits of longer warranties. Specially engineered window tints also offer protection from shattered glass. This may be caused by a natural disaster such as a hurricane, a freak accident like a tree falling on your home, or simply a slip and fall. In such cases, window tints can hold the glass together in chunks and prevent ‘showers’ of glass raining on family members and guests. An investment in state of the art tint can keep your home comfortable and safer.
