Commercial Solar Window Films: A Smart Investment for Your Building
If you own or manage a commercial building, you know how important it is to reduce energy costs, create a comfortable environment for occupants, and protect your assets and those of your tenants. Commercial solar window film offers a cost-effective solution to help achieve all three. In this article, I’ll share my expertise on commercial solar window films to help you better understand why they are a great solution for all commercial buildings, from benefits to ROI.
Quick Links
- Understanding Solar Radiation and Its Impact
- Top Reasons to Install Commercial Solar Window Film
- Types of Commercial Solar Window Film
- Key Specifications For Solar Window Films
- Factors Influencing Solar Window Film Selection
- The Lifespan of Solar Window Films
- In Conclusion
Key Takeaways
- Solar window films can significantly reduce energy costs by blocking up to 80% of the sun’s heat, leading to cooling cost reductions of 25–30%.
- These films block 99% of harmful UV rays, protecting interior furnishings from fading and reducing health risks associated with UV exposure.
- By reducing glare by up to 95%, solar window films enhance visual comfort in work environments, particularly for those using screens.
- Solar window films offer a cost-effective alternative to window replacement in older buildings, enhancing energy performance and aesthetics without significant structural changes.
- Various types of solar window films are available to meet different requirements, including transparent films that maintain natural light, tinted films for privacy, and reflective films for superior heat rejection.
Understanding Solar Radiation and Its Impact
Solar radiation comprises visible light, solar energy, and UV rays, with some UV radiation absorbed by the Earth’s ozone layer. Over the past few decades, temperatures have risen, and UV exposure has increased due to ozone layer depletion.
“According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, the national average temperature in 2023 was 2.8°C higher than the reference value, making it the second warmest year since 1948.”
In a commercial environment with multiple windows, solar radiation can seriously affect occupants’ comfort, whether by making the space too hot to work in or by creating glare on computer screens. UV rays, meanwhile, can damage the goods inside that space and are harmful to users.
Have you ever visited one of your office buildings and found that all your customers keep their window blinds closed in the middle of summer? Have your tenants ever complained about sun damage to their products, furniture or equipment? These are the results of commercial windows poorly adapted to the climate changes we’re experiencing. Fortunately, there are solutions to improve the energy efficiency of your buildings’ existing windows without breaking the bank.
Learn more about the negative impacts of UV radiation
Top Reasons to Install Commercial Solar Window Film
At Access Protection, we frequently assist commercial property owners and tenants dealing with the effects of solar radiation on their buildings, assets, and occupants. This is especially common in older buildings that were not designed to cope with today’s changing climate.
If this sounds familiar, commercial solar window films are attractive solutions that can be applied to your existing windows to help you better control solar energy and block harmful UV rays while maintaining your building’s aesthetic appeal.
Here are five reasons to install solar films on the windows of your commercial building.
1. Effective UV Protection
Solar window films for commercial windows, of which Solar Gard and 3M are the best known, block 99% of harmful UV rays and offer protection equivalent to SPF 285. Thus, they help protect furniture, floors, artwork, and merchandise from these harmful rays, but they do much more than that: they also protect humans.
Studies show that a person working near a window without UV protection can receive significant UV exposure during the working day, which can cause skin damage and affect health. Solar films, therefore, help to create a healthier space while protecting the goods inside.
2. Visible Energy Efficiency on Your Bills
If your goal is to improve the energy efficiency of your commercial building, you may want to consider adding solar films to your windows. With the addition of solar control window films, you could:
- Reduce your cooling costs by 25% to 30%, since solar films reject 80% of the sun’s heat.
- Reduce your HVAC energy costs by 10-20% by maintaining a more stable indoor temperature.
- Reduce your heating costs by 5% to 15% through better winter heat retention.
Potential annual savings are estimated at $0.75 to $1.50 per square foot of installed film, suggesting a typical payback period of 2-5 years.
3. Greater Comfort and Satisfaction for Your Customers
In recent years, numerous studies have demonstrated that access to natural light has a beneficial effect on workers’ health, well-being, and productivity. Windows are therefore at the forefront of the means used to increase this supply of natural light. But more light also means a potential increase in problems related to glare and eyestrain.
In addition to helping to better control temperature, installing window film helps to improve your tenants’ comfort and productivity by reducing glare by 95% and computer screen-related eye strain. When you consider that labor costs typically account for 90% of business operating costs, improving comfort with window film offers a significant return on investment for your tenants.
Another interesting aspect to consider is privacy. Some solar films reflect more light and provide more privacy, which is an important aspect for customers in the banking or medical sectors, for example.
4. Cost-Effective Building Improvements
Today’s windows are manufactured to be more energy-efficient, incorporating, for example, low-emissivity coatings to reduce heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer. But what about older buildings whose windows don’t necessarily meet recent standards?
If you own one of these types of buildings, instead of replacing all your windows (which can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars), you can opt to install commercial solar control window films. You can even kill two birds with one stone by opting for window films that offer both UV protection and enhanced security.
5. Additional Benefits
Solar window films offer much more than just energy savings. In addition to protecting against the sun’s harmful rays, they bring many other benefits that help increase the value of your building. Here are just a few of them:
- Enhanced building aesthetics with different reflectivity options
- Increased property value thanks to better energy performance and improved appearance
- Increased protection against impacts and intrusions with window reinforcement options
Types of Commercial Solar Window Film
At Access Protection, we offer several types of solar film, each with its own specific characteristics. You’ll find a brief overview below. Please don’t hesitate to contact us for more information on these products. Please note that all our solar films block 99% of UV rays.
| Type of Solar Films | Benefits | Most Common Applications |
|---|---|---|
| Transparent |
|
Heritage buildings, museums and galleries, retail stores, etc. |
| Tinted |
|
Residential buildings, restaurants and cafés, office buildings, etc. |
| Reflective |
|
Office buildings, warehouses, manufacturing facilities, healthcare facilities, and banks. |
| Ceramics |
|
Hospitals, schools, groceries, and retail. |
| Low-emissivity |
|
Hotels, commercial buildings, and office complexes. |
For a comprehensive overview of the various window film options available for commercial buildings, including decorative, security, and bird-deterrent films, refer to our complete guide on types of window films.
Key Specifications For Solar Window Films
Choosing the right commercial solar window film requires, among other things, an understanding of the various film performance parameters. Here are the most important ones we consider when selecting films for our customers.
Visible Light
- Visible Light Transmission (VLT): This parameter indicates the amount of natural light that passes through the film. The higher the VLT percentage, the brighter the space will remain.
- Visible Light Reflection: This parameter measures the amount of light reflected by the glass surface. This value is available for both interior and exterior applications. A low reflection rate preserves the window’s natural appearance and avoids the mirror effect.
- Glare Reduction: This value indicates the film’s ability to reduce the intense light that causes visual discomfort and eye fatigue, particularly useful in work environments or spaces with computer screens.
Solar Energy
- Total Solar Energy Rejection (TSER): This parameter indicates the percentage of solar energy that the film prevents from entering. The higher the TSER, the more effective the film is at reducing solar heat gain, which is particularly important in hot climates.
- Solar Factor (g): The solar factor measures the amount of solar heat entering through the window. A low factor means that the film rejects more heat, which is essential for reducing air-conditioning costs.
Thermal Energy
- Emissivity: This value indicates the film’s ability to absorb or reflect radiant energy. Low emissivity promotes thermal insulation and reduces heat loss in winter. Our EcoluxTM films are good examples of low-emissivity (Low E) films.
- Winter U-factor: The U-factor measures heat loss through the window during the cold months. A low U-factor is crucial to saving on heating costs.
Fade Protection
Fade Reduction: This factor indicates the film’s ability to minimize the effects of sunlight on interior materials such as furniture, artwork, and textiles. A high reduction means better protection against fading caused by UV and visible light, which is an important consideration for retail stores that are accessible directly from the outside, such as those in strip malls.
Factors Influencing Solar Window Film Selection
In addition to film types and specifications, other factors are just as important to consider when choosing the right product. Here is a list of additional factors that we, at Access Protection, will consider when recommending the best window films to our customers.
1. Building characteristics
Understanding your building ensures maximum compatibility and efficiency. Elements to consider include :
- Window type and age
- Building orientation
- Existing glass specifications
- Condition of frames
- Total window area
- Type(s) of building use
2. Climate Considerations
Access Protection serves commercial customers across Canada, which means we know which optimal solutions to recommend by region. Indeed, what works in Vancouver’s mild climate may not be suitable for Montreal’s colder temperatures. That’s why we look at :
- Local temperature ranges
- Seasonal variations
- Sun exposure patterns
- Extreme weather conditions
- Humidity levels
3. Performance Requirements
Each project has unique objectives that influence film selection:
- Heat reduction objectives
- Privacy needs
- Energy efficiency objectives
- Aesthetic preferences
- Safety requirements
The Lifespan of Solar Window Films
The lifespan of commercial solar window films depends on several factors, including film quality, type of glazing, exposure to sunlight, and climatic conditions. In general, high-quality films installed indoors have an average lifespan of 10 to 15 years, and even up to 20 years under optimal conditions.
To maximize this lifespan and ensure optimal performance, it’s essential to hire certified professionals for installation. Expert installation guarantees perfect adhesion, without bubbles or wrinkles, and respects the glazing’s technical specifications. What’s more, this type of installation enables you to benefit from the manufacturer’s warranties, which generally cover defects such as delamination, yellowing, or cracking of the film.
In Conclusion
The installation of solar films for commercial windows represents a strategic and cost-effective solution for improving the comfort and energy performance of your buildings. By blocking 99% of harmful UV rays, these films effectively protect occupants and property from the sun’s harmful effects. They also help reduce glare by up to 95%, improving visual comfort and user productivity. In terms of energy efficiency, solar films help reduce cooling costs by 25-30%, offering a return on investment generally observed between 2 and 5 years. In addition, they can increase the property value of your building by 1-3% while preserving its aesthetic appeal.
If you’re considering commercial window tinting for your property, we invite you to contact us. We offer free consultations and can provide a detailed analysis of potential energy savings for your building.
Access Protection has over 18 years’ experience in specifying and installing window films. Contact us to find out more about our window films, including solar, security, anti-graffiti, and anti-birdstrike films. Protect your property and create a more comfortable environment for your occupants and customers today.