Downsize Your Energy Bills When the Mercury Rises

press release

April 25, 2012, 9:33 a.m. EDT

Reduce Cooling Costs up to 30% By Using Window Film

WASHINGTON, April 25, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The International Window Film Association (IWFA), a non-profit organization, is offering a consumer guide that explains how to gain similar benefits of replacement windows at a fraction of the cost by installing window film on existing residential and commercial windows. Indeed, professionally installed window film can reduce cooling costs by up to 30 percent, while making homes and buildings more comfortable in warmer months.

"In the heat of the summer; electric bills skyrocket as everyone turns on air conditioners just to survive. Shades are drawn to block the solar heat beating in and lights are turned on in place of the natural sunlight," said Darrell Smith, executive director of IWFA. "This pattern during a season of peak energy demand is a fast track to exorbitant energy bills. Window film can eliminate uncomfortable hot spots and block solar heat, while saving significant money," he added.

Window film, which comes in a variety of shades from visually clear to dark, also prevents most harmful UV rays from penetrating into the home and causing harmful exposure to your skin and interior furnishings. Window film installation costs can range from $3 to $11 per square foot, depending on the type of application and the process can be completed in one or two days.

A recent independent analysis found window film to be the most cost-effective energy saving choice for Californians when it was used in retrofit applications on homes and buildings. Window film offered the best means to improve energy performance, surpassing R-38 ceiling insulation on existing California homes with single pane glass, according to the study.

The IWFA's free guide also outlines how window film can bring older windows that are in good condition, up to modern standards. The booklet explains how window film delivers up to seven times the energy savings per dollar spent, as compared to installing replacement windows.