With increasing interest in saving energy and controlling UV ray damage, more homeowners are turning to 3M Window Film to meet their needs. One of the significant advantages of window film today is the numerous options available.
Looking for more security? There are numerous excellent options for privacy window film available. Or perhaps you’re hoping to liven up your living space with decorative window film. Again, there are multiple options to choose from. That’s why we’re here. The ClimatePro team is dedicated not only to helping you choose the right window film for your home but also to offering education on the many benefits of professionally installed window film.
The 3M Prestige series offers a range of films that can significantly reduce interior glare while keeping your windows clean and clear. You can read more about this innovative film here. Also, to discover more about the 3M Prestige Series, including a unique testing system to help you select the best window film for your home, request more information, and, of course, the ClimatePro team is ready to assist you with any of your questions. You can contact us to arrange a complimentary consultation.
The second privacy window film we recommend is the Ultra Series, another innovation from 3M Window Film. The Ultra Series is an exceptional product that consistently receives rave reviews. This film offers superior privacy protection and performance while maintaining a high level of clarity. It can also be combined with other 3M Window film products for the best of both worlds. Perhaps, though, you’d like to know how window film can truly benefit you. We’re going to discuss four ways that it can.
Energy Savings
For good reason, we all care about saving on our energy costs. We’ve found that many of our customers understand that window film can play a part in this endeavor, but not all understand how. Here are a few facts that can help you, as a homeowner, understand just how beneficial professionally installed window film can be in this regard.
As noted by the EPA, or Environmental Protection Agency, in a report in their Energy Star building upgrade manual, during the winter months, a homeowner can lose more heat through their windows than the Sun brings in. Their suggestion? Use reflective window film to keep the Sun’s heat inside your home.
What about in the summer months? You might think that having blinds and shades would keep the Sun’s heat out of your home sufficiently. The truth is, even with those protections, the Sun’s rays still penetrate the room, causing a rise in cooling costs as your air conditioner struggles to maintain a cool temperature.
We’ve found that installing window film throughout the San Francisco Bay Area has led to substantial energy savings for our customers. The Bay Area boasts a remarkable diversity of weather zones, ranging from the coastal cool of Marin and San Francisco to the intense summer heat on the other side of the Caldecott Tunnel.
Some homeowners might be tempted to replace their current windows rather than adding window film. Actually, a tremendous amount of money can be saved by simply installing window film on your current windows. Professionally installed window film can deliver up to seven times the energy savings per dollar spent compared to a complete set of replacement windows. Doesn’t that sound more reasonable?
Additionally, many of our San Francisco Bay Area customers are also environmentally conscious. With that in mind, think of the impact of replacing a complete set of windows versus installing window film. The tear-out, disposal, and installation of new windows generate a significant amount of waste that will end up in our landfills. That doesn’t include the time and expense involved in finding the right company to do the removal and installation. With window film, you get a clean installation with little waste. Plus, the energy savings is good for the environment as well. That is indeed a win-win for everyone!
3M offers 3 window film series specially designed to help homeowners save money on their heating and cooling costs. Here’s a rundown on each:
- Prestige Series: From 3M: “The Prestige Series window films use non-metalized, multi-layer optical film and nano-technology to reject up to 97% of the sun’s infrared light and reject up to 60% of the heat coming through your windows. These films also reject up to 99.9% of damaging UV rays, reducing the fading of your furnishings. These industry-leading, spectrally-selective films are designed to keep you cool, comfortable, and protected.”
- Ceramic Series: From 3M: “Amazing clarity. Advanced ceramics allow these films to maintain their color and appearance over time. The Ceramic Series films reject up to 80% of the sun’s infrared light and up to 59% of the heat that comes through your windows. Ceramic Series films also block 99% of UV rays, significantly reducing fading of your furnishings. The Ceramic Series films allow 30% to 50% of the natural light into your home.”
- Night Vision: From 3M: “Better sight at night. Night Vision window films help block the sun’s damaging UV rays, reduce glare, and reject up to 71% of the sun’s heat. These darker-shaded films are designed to reject solar heat that is produced from visible light while providing significant glare relief. Night Vision films allow 15% to 35% of the natural light into your rooms during the day, and thanks to their low interior reflectivity, you can still enjoy the view at night. Plus, higher exterior reflectivity means you can enjoy enhanced privacy with your windows both day and night.”
We feel confident that there is an energy-saving window film that is the right fit for your home. With the options available, it’s little wonder that so many San Francisco Bay Area residents have decided that installing window film makes perfect sense in their energy-saving efforts.
UV Protection
A discussion about UV protection usually centers around sunscreen, and for good reason. Using sunscreen is an essential part of your skincare regimen. It’s well known that using the right sunscreen can not only keep your skin youthful and radiant, but it is also a leading way to protect yourself from skin cancer. The question is, can you bring that same UV protection into your home? Surprisingly, the answer is yes. Not only can window film protect your skin from UV damage, but it can also protect your furnishings.
First, let’s discuss what UV rays are. UV or ultraviolet rays come from the Sun and have three wavelength ranges: UVA, UVB, and UVC. The first two pose the greatest threat to your skin, even though they make up the smallest amount of the Sun’s rays. On National Window Film Day, we shared the video you see below. It’s interesting to see what people think about UV rays and residential window film.
As you can imagine, the sun’s rays indeed pass through your windows and impact anything they touch, including your skin. Hence, professionally installed window film is a great way to offer a measure of protection for you and your family from the Sun’s harmful UV rays. With one in five Americans affected by skin cancer, the benefits of using window film become obvious. Your family deserves the best protection possible, and we believe that window film can help provide it. Even the Surgeon General of the United States recommends protective window film as a viable way to reduce sun damage that can cause skin cancer.
What about your furnishings? You’ve probably seen it for yourself if you’ve ever moved a piece of furniture in a sunny room that has been stationary on a rug for some time. The fading that occurs becomes instantly noticeable when you see that the shaded area under the furniture is darker than the faded area around it. Window film helps protect both your furniture and flooring from the sun’s harmful rays, adding years of usability to both. Artwork stays unfaded and protected, and furniture retains its color, thanks to window film.
You may wonder whether applying window film will make your rooms appear dark and less inviting. We’re pleased to report that, thanks to advancements in window film technology, your room can maintain its bright and cheerful appearance with the application of 3M Window Film. Recent innovations have created films that allow a significant amount of light to pass through the spaces they protect. For instance, the Prestige 70 window film from 3M provides up to 70% of the natural light in while offering superior UV protection.
Safety and Privacy Window Film
One of the primary concerns for homeowners today is safety and privacy. After all, your home is supposed to be a haven, and keeping your family safe and secure is a top priority. Many San Francisco Bay Area residents are discovering that professionally installed window film can assist with both.
When it comes to safety, there are two areas of concern that we’ve seen with our customers. The first is making sure that residential windows contribute to theft prevention. For instance, in the summer months, many homeowners hit the road and want to know that their homes are secure. For good reason, then, the International Window Film Association recommends using window film. They noted that the FBI’s statistics indicate an increase in home invasions for the months of July and August, the two busiest travel months of the summer. By using window film in entryway windows, especially “Safety window films, when professionally installed on windows, may slow down a thief by holding the glass together and making it harder for a thief to get through the glass, which may discourage them from breaking in.”
3M offers a selection of window films designed to provide superior protection. One is the 3M™ Safety & Security Film Ultra S600. Watch this video to see the level of protection this innovative window film provides.
Reading the list of qualities that make this film so unique helps you to understand why so many of our customers prefer it for their security needs. This leads us to our second area of concern regarding the use of safety window film: earthquake protection. Read here to see how window film can help to keep your family and home safe during an earthquake.
Decorative Window Film
Based on our website traffic and the questions we receive from customers who contact us, decorative window film is growing in popularity. The good news is that there are numerous options available for decorative window film for the home. Decorative window film can enhance your space while still providing the protection you’ve come to expect from 3M Window Film.
One of the films that 3M offers is the Fasara decorative window film. This film is so flexible! You can change the texture of the film and vary the degree of opacity to suit your needs. We find that many of our customers are familiar with decorative window film being used in commercial applications, but are surprised to see how versatile it is for residential spaces. Take a look at the gallery below for some of the jobs we’ve completed.
