If soaring energy costs at your home or business find you turning down the AC, blame your windows. Heat gain through
untreated windows accounts for up to 30 percent of annual cooling bills, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
But before you invest in heavy draperies or expensive retrofitting, consider an easier, more affordable solution:
solar control films.
Solar control films cut energy costs by reducing the amount of infrared radiation (heat) that enters your building.
When sunlight strikes conventional window glass, 87% of solar energy passes through, raising indoor temperatures. By contrast,
high-performance window films keep your rooms cool by blocking up to 88% of solar energy.
A commercial energy audit by Solar Control Films Inc found that applying an inexpensive film called Sky 10 could cut yearly air-conditioning costs
at a Houston business by $2.25 per square foot of glass. This translated into hundreds of dollars in energy savings each year.
Solar control films also eliminate indoor "hot spots," reduce glare and protect skin and furnishings
from harmful ultraviolet radiation. And better energy efficiency means a smaller carbon footprint for your home or business.
Window film can be applied at a fraction of the cost of retrofitting and quickly pays for itself in energy savings.
DOE1 - U.S. Department of Energy, "What's New in Building Energy and Efficiency" (newsletter).
Film companies toss out even more impressive stats, but this is the highest one I can find in a DOE site or publication.