Sundown Window Tinting, Blinds & More

Sundown Window Tinting,

Blinds & More

Serving Western NC, Upstate SC, and Eastern TN
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April 26, 2018 by Sundo

Save Money Cooling Your Home this Summer With Home Window Films

Save Money Cooling Your Home this Summer With Home Window Films - Serving Western North Carolina, Upstate South Carolina, and Eastern Tennessee
It won’t be long now. Summer will be here before we know it! The warm Summer weather is something many of us look forward to all year long, but it also brings higher energy bills as we use our air conditioning to keep our home cooler and comfortable. With that in mind, we wanted to share some ways that home window films can help save you on home energy costs this Summer season. This article discusses how window film can reduce the load on your air conditioning system which saves you money on utility bills and also HVAC system maintenance.

The first thing we want to explain is how home window films work to reduce the load on your air conditioning system. The simple explanation is that window film installed on your existing house windows reduces the amount of the sun’s heat coming into your home through the glass. On a hot Summer day, you 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. Now, the good news. Home window film is very effective reducing the heat making its way into your home through the windows on those hot Summer days. By reducing the heat coming through the glass, your air conditioning will not having to work as hard, and use as much energy, to keep your home comfortable.

In addition, as a result of reducing the heat entering the home, the home’s air conditioning system will not need to run constantly to keep up with demand. This not only saves you money on energy costs as mentioned above, but will also save you system maintenance costs from wear and tear. The 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 wear out and need replacing. 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.

Our hope is that this brief article shed some light on how home window films can help save on home energy costs and system maintenance this Summer and for many years to come. If you would like more information about home window films and how they can be implemented into your house, check out the link located HERE and call us at 866-411-1728 or email us at Info@SundownWT.com. We would be happy to provide a free, no obligation consultation and estimate of implementing a window film solution in your western North Carolina, upstate South Carolina or Eastern Tennessee home before Summer.

Filed Under: Home Window Tinting, Latest News Tagged With: Air Conditioning Maintenance, Cut Energy Costs, Eastern Tennessee, Energy Efficiency, Home Comfort, Home Energy Costs, Home Improvement, Summer, Upstate South Carolina, Western North Carolina

April 11, 2018 by Sundo

Utilizing Window Films to Improve School Security & Student Safety

Utilizing Window Films to Improve School Security & Student Safety - Serving Western North Carolina, Upstate South Carolina, and Eastern Tennessee
In a very recent article entitled Designing Schools As a Deterrent For Mass Shooters in Interiors + Sources Magazine, the topic of improving school security and safety by utilizing facility design and retrofittable technologies like security window films to make it harder for someone to commit violent attacks in a school environment was discussed.

One item that was raised in the article was the topic of making it harder for someone to commit the crime by hardening the facility to restrict entry. From the article, Sean Ahrens, security market group leader for Affiliated Engineering Incorporated (AEI), said, “Regrettably, in this day and age, [those who don’t think it could happen to them] are the weakest neighbors. When you think of an aggressor, [they think in] the path of least resistance. Are they going to go to the most hardened facility, or are they going to go to the facility that’s easiest to get into?”

With respect to hardening a facility and making it harder to gain entry, this is precisely what security window films do. In a recent article in Business Insider entitled Here are the Best Ways to Protect Schools, Workplaces, and Ourselves from Active Shooters, the author states “Protective and intrusion resistant doors and windows create delays in an aggressor’s ability to gain entry. For pre-existing locations the addition of protective window film, improved locking mechanisms and / or frames as well as other reinforcement techniques can be effective.”

Utilizing Window Films and Design to Improve School Security and Safety - Photo credit: Robert Benson, courtesy Svigals + Partners

Security window films are installed as a retrofit to a school’s existing doors and windows. These films can come clear, tinted or reflective depending on the application and preference. When someone tries to gain access through the glass of a protected door or window, the security window film would allow the glass to break, but it would maintain the glass in the frame. With work, this film / glass combination can eventually be penetrated to gain access, but as stated above, the objective is to create resistance. Slow the entry down. Give school officials and authorities time to act.

In the Interiors + Sources article, Julia McFadden, AIA—associate principal at Svigals + Partners who recently designed the new Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn. stated, “You want to have layers between someone who may be coming to the school with ill intent and the vulnerable population. The more opportunities or barriers gives you more time to react and determine if there is ill intent before they reach the target.” She goes on to say “Retrofit situations may call for applied window films or improved glazing. Interior partitions and some furnishing may also improve the school’s readiness in emergency situations.”

The hard realities of a tragedy like a violent attack at a school is that there is not a one size fits all solution. As these articles discuss, solutions to improve school security must be thought of in layers. We must make a school an unattractive target for any potential aggressor. The design and technologies utilized must work together to buy the individuals inside the school and authorities time to respond to the threat. In these situations, every moment matters. While we do not claim that security window films are the sole solution, they can provide a valuable layer of protection that works in conjunction with other design elements and technologies to improve school security and student safety.

If you would like more information about security window films and how they can help with school security and safety, contact us at 866-411-1728 or emailing us at Info@SundownWT.com. We would be happy to provide you with a property assessment and estimate on implementing security window films in your western North Carolina, upstate South Carolina, and eastern Tennessee area schools.

Filed Under: Latest News, Safety and Security Window Film Tagged With: Deter Violent School Attacks, Eastern Tennessee, Enhanced Safety and Security, School Safety, School Security, Security Window Films, Student Safety, Upstate South Carolina, Western North Carolina

March 29, 2018 by Sundo

Reduce Operating Costs and Adopt Green Building Tech with Window Film

Reduce Operating Costs and Adopt Green Building Tech with Window Film - Serving Western North Carolina, Upstate South Carolina, and Eastern Tennessee
We recently came across an article on Ecopreneurist that discusses how window film can be part of your business embracing green building technology to cut business costs while going green. Most business and building owners would like to adopt green building strategies as it is beneficial for the environment, but the cost of many of these technologies are often prohibitive when taking the bottom line into consideration. This is what makes commercial window film so attractive. This technology not only helps a building operate more efficiently, it often pays for itself in just a few years through utility cost savings.

As the article states, “When window tint is applied to a building it forms a protective barrier from many unwanted elements. On top of rejecting virtually all incoming UV light (a health benefit in its own right), tinting is also highly effective in heat absorption. Films are capable of absorbing up to well over 60% of incoming heat. When this happens, the propensity for cooling your buildings interior is all but certain to decrease. That, in turn, works to effectively slash energy costs for the business. While reduced energy costs might add to your businesses’ bottom line, it profits the environment as well. With less energy usage, more emissions are saved from being released into the atmosphere. While emissions saved by one business (alone) may not be enough to save our environment, collective action may bring us incredibly closer.”

It is certainly understandable that any business needs to keep an eye on the bottom line. With that in mind, in 2018 it is also important for any business to take steps to operate in an environmentally friendly way when possible. As the article continues, it states “it’s time for companies to take more action towards being environmentally sustainable. Window tinting offers a grand opportunity for just that. Unlike most eco-friendly activities, tinting provides direct, tangible savings on the balance sheet. As companies continue to tighten their belts, and consumers become more eco-conscious, the backdrop may be set for something truly incredible.”

If you would like to learn more about how window film can bring your business into the green building movement in a cost effective way that makes sense on the bottom line, click HERE and contact us at 866-411-1728 or emailing us at Info@SundownWT.com. We would be happy to provide a free, no obligation consultation and estimate of implementing a window film solution into your space.

Filed Under: Commercial Window Tinting, Latest News Tagged With: Cut Business Expenses, Eastern Tennessee, Energy Savings, Green Building, Green Technology, Lower Utility Bills, Upstate South Carolina, Western North Carolina

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About Sundown Window Tinting

Sundown Window Tinting, Blinds and More is one of the oldest and most trusted window film companies, serving Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina customers since 1987. To learn More, Click HERE

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