It may not feel like it on some of these Spring days, but Summer is just around the corner and will be here before we know it. For many of us, the warm Summer weather is something we look forward to all year long. However, it often also brings higher energy bills as we use our air conditioning to keep our home cooler and more comfortable. With this in mind, we wanted to share some ways that residential window films, retrofitted to your existing windows, can help you save on home energy costs this Summer season. This article will discuss how residential window films can reduce the load on your air conditioning system which saves you money not only on utility bills but also HVAC system maintenance.
The first thing you may be wondering is how these films can lower your utility bill by reducing the load on your air conditioning system. The simple explanation is that window film installed on the interior surface of your existing windows will reduce the amount of the sun’s heat coming into your home through the glass. By stopping a portion of the heat from entering at the window, your home does not get as warm and the AC system does not need to work as hard to keep interior temperatures comfortable. This reduction in work by your AC unit saves you on energy costs by reducing your usage at the best time of the day as many utility companies charge a premium at peak hours.
For example, on a hot Summer day your air conditioning system might be struggling just to keep up with the demand to keep your home comfortable. Unfortunately, this demand for air conditioning is also happening all throughout your area at the same time. This spike in demand for energy allows the utility company to charge a premium on the energy you use during this period. The good news is that residential window films are reducing the heat making its way into your home through the windows during these peak hours. This reduction allows your air conditioning to not work as hard, and use as less energy to keep your home comfortable during these peak hours.
In addition, as a side benefit, the home’s air conditioning system will not need to run as often to keep up with demand. Not only does this save you money on energy costs as mentioned above, but will also reduce you system maintenance costs from wear and tear from extended use on the AC system. Your air conditioning unit consists of numerous components that each have an effective service life. The longer, and harder, a unit is forced to run, the faster these parts will wear out and need replaced. Furthermore, as parts degrade they often do not work as efficiently as they did when new. The resulting system inefficiency translates into more energy being needed to get the same results in home cooling.
We hope is that this brief article shed some light on how residential window films can help save you money on home energy costs and system maintenance not only this Summer, but for many years to come. If you would like more information about these innovative home window films and how they can be retrofitted onto your home’s existing windows, click HERE and contact Michigan Glass Coatings today by calling (248) 364-6667 or emailing us at info@michgc.com. We service the greater Detroit and Ann Arbor, Michigan area with quality window films from 3M.