by Peter Davey, President, American Window Film, Inc.
Windows are the weakest link in any building…an architectural Achilles’ heal. Consider your vulnerability as you look out the window. Not only are you vulnerable to injuries caused by flying shards of glass due to severe weather, bomb blasts and vandalism, but as an owner or manager, you are equally vulnerable to seasonal heat loss and gain, nuisance temperature imbalances and exposure to damaging UV rays.
Virtually invisible, shatter-resistant, and recommended by the Skin Cancer Foundation as effective UV protectants, 3M™ Window Films afford peace of mind as they improve your bottom line. Although we cherish beautiful views, we suffer the consequences of that luxury. Before you close the drapes, consider an alternative. Window films reduce the sun’s glare that precipitates closed drapes and compromise beautiful views, and they dramatically reduce UV light that fades fine fabrics and are a contributor to skin cancer. Additionally, they reduce the amount of heat escaping through windows in cold weather, minimize heat gain in warm weather and reduce nuisance temperature imbalances.
3M™ Scotchtint™ All Season Films feature Wavelength-Selective metals which block more of the solar spectrum than conventional metals. These Low-E window films can reduce air conditioning costs by blocking 55% to 73% of the sun’s heat. They also reduce heat loss by up to 23% to 30%. Patented construction enable their metal coating to reflect more interior room heat back into the room. Personal comfort is improved and reduction in drafts and fluctuations in temperature can generate considerable savings on fuel expense. Applied to the inside of windows, a quick, professional installation creates little disruption to the flow of business. Inexpensive compared to window replacement, it can pay for itself with the energy cost savings it provides.
If your building is equipped with Low-E windows already, 3M™ Scotchtint™ All Season Films can enhance their performance. A well made Low-E window can block up to 90 percent of UV radiation. The same window with 3M™ Window Films installed will block more than 99 percent of the UV radiation that contributes to heat loss and gain. In addition, by holding broken shards of glass in place, 3M™ Scotchshield™ Films will improve the safety of Low-E windows that do not typically protect against flying glass unless they are tempered. Also, Low-E windows do not ordinarily reduce glare since most have a visible light transmission greater than 70 percent. 3M™ Window Films can reduce glare up to 80 percent.
As a 3M Authorized Window Film Dealer and member of the Prestige Dealer Network, we have access to sophisticated software that projects energy cost savings. Using monitoring equipment, we can accurately record differences in temperature inside of filmed and unfilmed adjacent windows. For large commercial customers, we often provide a comprehensive energy analysis that includes Return-OnInvestment projections. Depending upon the type of window–clear, tinted, insulated, single or double pane–and the desired effects–energy conservation, security, UV protection or aesthetics– there is an appropriate window film for each application.
A $22 billion diversified technology company and an ISO9002 certified facility, 3M Company invests heavily in research and development. With the introduction of their latest innovative series of Prestige Window Films, they continue to position themselves as a leader in the industry. These films reject up to 97% of the Infrared without using metals–a critical advantage over 3M Company’s window film competitors. Metals can corrode over time in moist conditions and can interfere with cell phone signals and Wi/Fi transmissions. 3M™ Prestige Window Films unconditionally guaranty against corrosion. They offer high optical clarity, low reflectivity and incomparable performance. They reflect and absorb 99.9% of the UV light that fades fine furnishings, and they do this by aligning more than 200 layers of polymers in a total thickness that is less than 1/2 the thickness of one 3M Post-It™ Note.
Unlike other manufacturers, 3M’s UV inhibitors are included directly in their adhesives, ensuring lifelong clarity and long-lasting protection from fading of fabrics. 3M produces their own raw materials such as adhesives, polyesters, metals and scratch-resistant coatings, and their patented micro-layered construction has proven itself in the field. No other manufacturer has more experience in the window film industry than 3M.
Products that pay for themselves are hard to find. Those backed by multi-billion dollar research and development teams are even more rare. Window films help prevent injuries, reduce seasonal heat gain and loss, provide UV protection…and pay for themselves with their energy cost savings. If you want to improve your bottom line choose the top of the line…3M™ Window Films.
Peter J. Davey is president of American Window Film, Inc., a 3M™ Authorized and Certified Prestige Window Film Dealer, located in Foxboro and Boston, MA, 800-274-TINT, www.americanwindowfilm.com. Published in the New England Real Estate Journal, April 2007.
American Window Film, Inc. is your 3M Window Film Dealer serving all of MA, RI and southern NH, including Boston, South Shore, North Shore, Cape Cod & the Islands, Providence, Nashua, Manchester, Worcester, Springfield and surrounding communities.
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