Utility Bills

At a Glance

12-Month Utility Savings

Reduce SHGC & U-Value

Carbon Footprint Reduction

3M Insulating / Sun Control Window Films reduce the Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) and U-Value of glass. That slows down the rate of heat transfer, which, in turn, lessens a building’s reliance on heating and air conditioning. That translates into reduced utility bills, prolonged HVAC life, and increased occupant comfort.

The Science of Heat Transfer

Heat travels from places of hot to cold. During the summer, the sun’s heat goes where it’s colder – inside your building or home. During the winter, man-made heat from your furnace goes where it’s cold – outside. Heat transfer from outside to inside, or inside to outside, depending on the season, happens through the path of least resistance – which is typically your windows. Because of this phenomenon, we pay a financial penalty every month to pump cold air into interior space during the summer and hot air into interior space during the winter. That financial penalty is your monthly utility bill.

How Window Film Lowers Utility Bills

Window film reduces the heat transfer that occurs through glass. It lowers a window’s Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC), which increases the amount of the sun’s incident energy (ultraviolet, visible light, infrared) that is reflected and absorbed by the window, thereby reducing what is transmied inside. It also reduces a window’s U-Value, increasing the amount of manmade heat reflected back inside, thereby minimizing what is lost outside. Window film can improve the SHGC and U-Value of an existing window almost to the point of window replacement but at a fraction of the price and without the disruption.

Reducing an existing window’s SHGC and U-Value should translate into reduced heat transfer, which in turn means less reliance on HVAC and the corresponding utility bills.