Commercial Sun Control & Insulating Window Film

Improve Window Energy Efficiency With Commercial Insulating Window Film

Technological advancements have increased the energy efficiency of windows since the days when single pane clear glass was the universally accepted building standard in the United States. No matter how efficient a window is on paper, it is still an inefficient building material when compared to brick, concrete, plywood, and drywall installed with insulation.

Excessive heat transfer and heat loss create temperature imbalances that HVAC systems are designed to cure, albeit at a significant up-front and monthly cost. 3M commercial window film is a retrofit product that when properly installed can help reduce heat gain and loss by decreasing a window’s Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) and U-Value, respectively, often without changing the appearance of the window.

Definitions to Know

U-Value: U-Value measures the heat transfer that occurs through the inside and outside surfaces of glass. The U-Value is a function of temperature and is expressed in BTUs per square foot per hour per degree Fahrenheit (BTU / sq. ft. / hr. / F°). Better insulation systems, including insulating window film, have lower U-Values.
Solar Heat Gain Coefficient: Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) is the fraction of solar radiation admitted through a window, door, or skylight, either transmitted directly and/or absorbed, and subsequently released as heat inside a home. The lower the SHGC, the less solar heat it transmits and the greater its shading ability.

Cooling Season

During the cooling season (hotter months), window film increases the amount of the sun’s incident energy that is reflected and absorbed by the glass, thereby reducing what is transmitted into the building.

Heating Season

During the heating season (colder months), window film increases the amount of man-made heat from the HVAC system that is reflected back inside the glass, thereby reducing what is lost to the outside.

So what does that mean to the commercial building owner, property manager, or facility engineer?

Allow single pane glass to approximate the U-Value of double pane glass
Allow double pane glass to approximate the U-Value of triple pane glass
Reduce utility bills by up to 10%
Reduce temperatures by up to 16°F
Earn up to 11 LEED points
Improve Energy Star Portfolio Manager Score
Help comply with local energy efficiency legislation
May help qualify for utility rebates

Efficiency Before & After Installing 3M Thinsulate Climate Control 75 Window Film

Window film is a fraction of the cost and headache of window replacement and almost as effective. Refer to the table below to see how 3M’s Thinsulate Climate Control 75 Window Film can reduce the U-Value of a single pane window to almost that of double pane as well as offering a 35% improvement in reducing the sun’s total solar energy.

	U-Value Before	U-Value After	Improvement	SHGC Before	SHGC After	Improvement
Single Pane (1/4")	1.03	0.62	40%	0.82	0.53	35%
Double Pane(1/4", 1/2" air gap, 1/4")	0.47	0.35	26%	0.70	0.51	27%

Cost Savings from Utilizing Insulating Window Film

Commercial decision-makers can realize significant cost savings by addressing inefficiencies of a building’s envelope. Typical window film payback is 3-7 years before any applicable utility rebates. Prescriptive rebates range from $1-$2 per square foot while custom incentives generally cover 40%-50% of a project’s cost.