Envelope

Window Films Cut Cooling Costs

If you can't stand the heat, leave the heat out of the kitchen! A building had many offices with large windows facing south. Even with the shades drawn, the air conditioning could not keep up. The owners considered increasing chiller capacity by 50 percent. Instead, an energy engineer suggested window films. Now the offices are comfortable without the addition of chiller capacity. The electric bills have gone down. And the occupants can leave their shades open to enjoy the view. Window films not only reduce air conditioning loads but also help reduce heating energy use. In optimum situations, energy savings frequently pay back the cost of film installation in a year or less. In a surprisingly large number of cases, building owners have been able to pay back the cost of window film installation directly from energy savings.