Do you feel like you are out on the front lines of the window film industry and when you turn around there isn’t anyone behind you? In our continuing efforts to encourage you personally and encourage your business success, we want you to know that HanitaTek and the IWFA are working hard to help you succeed in this tough marketplace.

For our part, we are developing online training for you and your customers as well as selling tools such as energy modeling reports that can help you from the first cold call through getting referrals for your next satisfied customer. As for the IWFA, check out what was published in the Sustainable Facility magazine by Darrell Smith, Executive Director of the IWFA.

Consider Window Film First

Sustainable Facility

By Darrell Smith

July 5, 2011

http://www.sustainablefacility.com/articles/87403-consider-window-film-first

Facility managers tend to look at window film as a last
resort, when it should be one of the first options considered for saving money,
reducing energy, and protecting occupants and interiors.

Like any renovation, retrofitting a commercial building envelope
to be more efficient requires careful planning. Before the decision is made to
go ahead with the project, it is important to clearly identify the areas that
need improvement. The installation of window film can play a major role in
achieving a high-performance building envelope. Window film can be an appealing
retrofit option to increase a building’s overall efficiency due to its ease of
implementation and relative low cost. Facility managers tend to look at window
film as a last resort, when in fact, they should be looking at it as one of the
first alternatives. No matter what the particular goals of a renovation may be
—extending the life of furniture and furnishings, minimizing occupant
disruption, saving energy and reducing demand, downsizing the HVAC system,
interior comfort, or even just restoring some of the building’s architectural
integrity — installing window film should be considered from the very
beginning.

Lower Cost and Less Disruption

Once the decision has been made to upgrade the windows in a
building, the cost of a full window replacement versus window film installation
should be considered. At one-fifth to one-tenth the cost of replacement windows
(depending on the application) window film offers a less expensive alternative.
Installation of window film is also less time intensive, with start to finish of
a given office completed in just a few hours, many times done during unoccupied
timeframes such as in the evening. Replacing windows can shut down the use of a
commercial building, room by room, section by section, as windows are replaced,
since in many cases not just the window but the entire framed area must be
replaced. Window film can be installed with minimal disruption, allowing tenants
in occupied areas continued use of the space. From both an economic standpoint
and the lack of inconvenience to clients and tenants alike, window film is a
viable option.

Heating and Air Conditioning Capacity

If looking to change the heating and air conditioning capacity
of a building, or overhaul a low-performing building’s systems, the potential
benefits of window film should be considered before system replacement.
According to the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, improving window
performance will reduce the load on the HVAC system, and in many cases, allow
buildings to downsize HVAC equipment or, in cases where more capacity rather
than replacement is needed, avoiding a capital outlay altogether. Factoring the
potential efficiency increases of window film installation into a renovation may
reduce the load on a building’s HVAC system and lower overall capital and
operating costs. A building’s air conditioning needs can be calculated with or
without window film and the results may show that a capacity increase is either
unnecessary or a smaller system than previously estimated may be sufficient,
lowering overall capital and operating costs.

Reduce UV
Exposure

In large commercial buildings, there is a great demand for large
expanses of windows to create interiors with lots of natural light. Though
structurally appealing, this can be detrimental to the furniture, draperies and
carpet, from the resulting ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which is known to cause
40-60 percent of all fading and sun damage. Curtains and blinds can be used to
block the sun, but they also block the natural light and may be subject to UV
degradation over time themselves. Applying window film helps reduce the UV
radiation from entering the room (up to 99 percent depending on the film) while
still allowing the natural sunlight in. This can increase the length of a
replacement cycle for the furniture and carpet and other window coverings, and
even improve the life of the less expensive furniture in the room. In addition
to protecting the furnishings in the building, window film also serves as UV
protection for the tenants, aiding in their health.

General
Comfort

Installing window film helps reduce glare from excess light, as
well as helps with temperature regulation, making it more comfortable for people
sitting in front of a window. This is especially true with large window arrays,
where it can get hot or cold quickly. Initial instinct would be to put up shades
or blinds, but, as mentioned above, these block the natural light. Limiting the
natural light would mean that artificial light would need to be provided, thus
increasing energy use and cost.

The denial of natural light to building occupants can also
negatively impact their productivity and well-being. Studies conducted by the
California Energy Commission demonstrate a relationship between low levels of
natural light and less than optimum performance on the part of building
occupants. People who spend significant time in artificially lit or generally
dark spaces tend to feel less energized, get sick more often and be less
productive than their counterparts that work and live in natural light. In
addition, persons who have extreme skin or eye sensitivity to either intense
light or UV are afforded better working environments.

Maintain
Architectural Integrity

When working on a retrofit or remodel, the façade of the
building needs to be considered. On original architectural plans, the aesthetic
remains consistent across all the windows of the entire building. Many older
buildings, constructed with clear or lightly tinted glass, begin to take on a
different look as tenants moved in. For example, one person may put up curtains
in his or her office, another, shutters, and one may have an array of plants.
Because of the clear glass, everything is on display, and the original
architectural integrity of the exterior of the building has been lost. If a
window film with color or colored reflectants is used, then the windows look
alike from the exterior view, thus restoring the original architectural
integrity to the building and making what is happening inside the building
irrelevant to its appearance.

Apart from potential cost and commissioning savings, from a
green perspective, choosing window film has less of an environmental impact than
creating a new window and disposing of the old one. Window film, both carbon-
and cost-effective, reduces a building’s carbon footprint more effectively and
for less money than new windows. When looking to renovate an existing structure
to achieve a high-performance building envelope, window film installation should
be included as an option among other retrofit choices.

Darrell Smith is executive director of the International Window
Film Association (IWFA). Smith has over 40 years experience in marketing, sales
and distribution, with the last 30 years in the window film industry. Smith
represents the film industry as an officer and member of the Boards of Directors
of the Protective Glazing Council, the Glazing Industry Code Committee and the
Secretariat (GISC) of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).