7 Reasons to Install Solar Film on Your Windows

If you want to save money, energy, and the environment, then you should consider installing solar films on your home's windows. Click here to learn more.

Every year, people make the decision that it's time to give up on apartment life and buy a home. In 2021, for example, people bought over 6.1 million existing houses. Once you buy your own home, though, it's time for renovations or home improvements that will convert that house into your home.

For some, that simply means serious redecoration. For others, it means more serious home improvements. Some people like DIY home improvement projects, while others prefer that contractors handle that kind of work.



One option that often gets overlooked but has several benefits is solar film for your windows. Not sure what solar film is or how it benefits your home? Keep reading for about seven reasons you should install solar film on your home.

What Is Solar Film?

In essence, solar film is a kind of laminate that goes on the exterior of your windows. The exterior surface of the film typically offers scratch resistance and helps reflect some of the sunlight that would otherwise enter your home.

The side of the laminate that faces the window has an adhesive that keeps it secured against the surface of your windows. With the essentials of this kind of window film out of the way, let's look at the benefits it provides.

1. Reduced Energy Costs

One of the biggest reasons that many people get solar film installed on their windows is that it cuts down on their energy costs. By reflecting some of the sunlight that gets into your home through your windows, the film helps reduce the amount of heat in your home during the summer.

That cuts down on the work your HVAC system must do. It kicks on less often to maintain comfortable temperatures. That, in turn, helps you save money on your energy costs.

As an added bonus, that reduced load can also reduce your total maintenance costs for your HVAC system. The less stress you put on it, the longer it will take before it needs repairs. On top of that, the lower demands let you extend the overall working life of your HVAC units.

2. Save Energy

Saving energy comes as a natural byproduct of putting less pressure on your HVAC system. The less often it must come on to reduce the heat in your home, the less energy it uses for temperature control.

This can prove especially useful if your utility company charges for energy using a peak-hours billing system.

3. Help the Environment

While a lot of progress has been made in terms of alternative energy options, such as solar and wind farms, a lot of energy production still depends on fossil fuels. While window film on your home won't make a huge dent in total demand, it does make a dent in your personal energy demands.

Reducing those demands goes a long way toward keeping your carbon footprint to a minimum. In the bigger picture, every reduction in fossil fuel use will contribute to a healthier environment by trimming the amount of greenhouse gases that end up in the air.

4. Improve Privacy

Like other window film treatments, solar film can also provide window tinting. Some people prefer a mild amount of tinting. Other want window tinting that makes it all but impossible to see inside, at least on the first floor.

The second kind of window tinting can help improve your privacy. Instead of closing the curtains every time you want to keep nosy neighbors at bay, the tinting does the work for you. That lets you keep enjoying the sunlight without giving up on having a private life.

5. Preserve Your Belongings

Many homeowners don't realize it, but most windows let in a lot of UV rays. Those UV rays don't look like an immediate threat, but they can inflict a lot of damage on your belongings.

For example, too much UV can leach the colors out of fabrics like your couch or your carpeting. It can also damage artwork in much the same way.

Even hardwood flooring and solid wood antique furniture can suffer damage from too much UV exposure. By reducing the total UV rays that enter your home, solar film helps you preserve your furniture, flooring, antiques, and even artwork.

6. Safety Improvements

Solar film, particularly tinted solar film, can boost the overall safety of your home. Heavily tinted windows make it very difficult for burglars to get a look at your possessions. If a burglar doesn't know that they can make a profit from you, they'll often look for a surer bet.

Window film can also improve safety during severe weather or extreme weather. Regular windows will often shatter when struck by something, such as a stick in high winds.

Window films cannot prevent the window from breaking, but they can help keep the window from shattering and sending glass shards into your home. The film holds some or even all of the shards in place.

7. Better Curb Appeal

Home buyers these days often look for things that will ultimately reduce their homeownership costs. A window treatment that will help them control their utility costs can make your home a very attractive investment.

Knowing that the window film helps reduce the risks of windows shattering during severe weather can also prove attractive. That will prove even more true in areas where severe or extreme weather is a common occurrence.

While it won't add huge amounts to the value of your home, it can let you boost your asking price a bit.

Solar Film and Your Home

Solar film might not jump right to the top of your list of home improvements when you buy a home, but it's worth some serious consideration. If nothing else, it will help you reduce your carbon footprint, control your energy costs, and do a little good for the environment.

If you go in for tinting, it can also help you preserve your privacy and discourage burglars.

EcoArc Home & Office Window Tinting offers solar film installation in the Knoxville, TN area. For questions or an estimate, contact EcoArc today.