Residential Window Film

Renovation of a building's exterior glass does more than improve the aesthetics, energy performance and safety of existing curtainwall. The viability of a building's interior design is often enhanced by renovation of exterior windows resulting in increases in the productivity, comfort and morale of building occupants.

Let us count the ways exterior and interior building design are a function of exterior windows.

• Window glass can be clear, moderately or heavily tinted, even mirrored. It can significantly add to or detract from the appearance of a building;
• Windows control the amount of light entering a building. Too little light requires the need for more artificial and costly illumination. Too much light may cause glare especially on computer screens;
• Windows contribute to heat loss and heat gain. Too much of either results in floor space near windows not being useable because it is either too cold or too hot. Too much heat loss and heat gain necessitates increased HVAC balancing and operating costs;
• Windows control the amount of ultraviolet radiation (UV) entering a building. UV is a major cause of fading damage to furnishings, carpets and draperies. UV is also linked to causing skin cancer;
• Windows control the amount of electromagnetic radiation both entering and exiting buildings. In offices, incoming electromagnetic radiation can negatively impact sensitive electronic equipment. Outgoing electromagnetic radiation can create a risk for loss of data via electronic eavesdropping; Windows obviously keep out the weather. Some windows do a better job at minimizing the impact of damage from wind blown debris, earthquakes and accidents;
• Windows can contribute to increased security problems by increasing risk from forced entry or injury from sabotage and terrorism. Some windows can reduce these risks.

So what are the options for renovating existing exterior windows?

Building managers should not be surprised to discover that in most cases existing windows contribute to one or more of the performance problems and aesthetic deficiencies identified.

The most expensive option is to replace existing glass and frames with a new window system designed to deal with a building's performance needs and aesthetic character. A less expensive option is to keep existing frames and replace only the glass. New glass can be selected that will be designed for the precise geographic orientation of any given building or section of a building. In either case, managers may be understandably reluctant to replace existing windows or glass whose performance and appearance is generally adequate though not optimum.

A better option

The least expensive option to dramatically improve the performance of existing windows is applied window film. The selection of the appropriate film for any given building can increase window performance in the areas identified as critical to exterior and interior building design and operation.

Many dark, silver and tinted applied films are effective at blocking unwanted solar heat, a major problem in most office buildings. For many buildings, the most desirable applied films are clear and almost colorless and therefore do not change the aesthetics of existing glass. These films are spectrally selective, meaning they offer comprehensive performance and are particularly successful at blocking heat, UV and electromagnetic radiation while transmitting almost normal levels of daylight.

Among V-Kool's family of applied films are the only virtually clear (non-tinted and almost colorless) films capable of blocking over half the sunâs heat without changing the appearance of existing glass. These V-Kool applied films are transparent and only one percent more reflective than clear glass. They are coated with a clear ultra-thin spectrally-selective layer of exotic metals only a few hundred atoms thick. In addition to optimum energy performance, other V-Kool applied films employ color tinting. They enable a buildingâs glass curtainwall to present a uniform facade no matter the appearance of interior window treatments and furnishings.

V-Kool's solar control films are manufactured by Southwall Technologies, Palo Alto, CA, whose window film technology was recognized by Popular Science as one of the 100 greatest inventions of the past millennium. V-Kool is a trademark of V-Kool, Inc., a sales and marketing distribution company of heat reflective applied films for architectural, automotive and specialized vehicular applications.