With the cost of utilities rising and expected to go even higher, most of us are looking to save a little money these days and would love to take a bite out of these high utility bills. However, we also want to maintain a comfortable house as many are spending a great deal more time in our homes these days. We wanted to do our part to help by summarizing five energy saving tips provided by Duke Energy in a recently published article. While this is not meant to be a comprehensive list, this could get you on the way to saving some money each month.

Five Energy Saving Tips From Duke Energy

1. Use ceiling fans and set them to rotate in the proper direction for the season. Fans allow users to set thermostats in a way that can reduce energy use.
2. Have your heating and air conditioning system serviced and change the air filter each month or according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Date the filter or set a reminder to help track when it’s time for a new one. This can help the unit run more efficiently.
3. Install attic insulation rated R-30 and seal attic leaks. This will reduce heating and cooling escaping and could qualify for bill credits. Check with your utility company for more information.
4. Install home window films or keep blinds, curtains and shades closed during the hottest part of the day, especially on south and west facing windows. This helps keep heat out and the AC from running constantly. However, most of us do not want to keep our blinds or shades closed, and this is where we can help. Modern home window films that can block a significant amount of this heat without even changing the appearance of your windows. We even have low-e options that can potentially save energy in both the warmer and cooler months. Contact us for more details.
5. This is an area most people are unaware of. Unplug phones or other electronic devices once fully charged. Many chargers use energy even when they aren’t connected to a device.

The article at Duke offer several more tips as well and you can read the entire piece by clicking HERE.

We hope that this summary gave you some energy saving tips that you could use to start driving down your utility bills. If you would like more information about the home window films mentioned in the article, click HERE. If you have questions about our services, call us at 801-810-8468 or email us at info@shadedglass.com. We would be happy to provide a free, no obligation consultation and estimate of implementing a window film solution in your Orem, Utah home.

Are you aware of the benefits of glare reducing window film and why it might be even more important in the Fall and Winter? We wrote this article to explain why glare is worse at the time of the year and how these innovative films can help.

It may seem counterintuitive, but it’s not your imagination, the sun’s light and glare actually appear brighter in the Fall and Winter. From October through Spring, the sun is much lower in the sky and that presents itself as an irritating glare that you might not notice as much at other times of the year. This lower angle of the sun’s rays hitting your windows results in a corresponding lower angle light passed through into the space. The combination of a brighter sun and the lower angle of the rays result in excessive glare that make a space less comfortable and make seeing a computer or television screen more difficult.

Furthermore, when you combine this lower angle and brighter sun with reflection off water or snow, the resulting glare can be even worse. Finally, the leaves on tress that provide a barrier to glare in the warmer months are missing giving the sun an unobstructed path to your windows.

For these reasons, Fall and Winter are the best time to consider retrofitting your existing windows with a glare reducing window film. Much like a quality pair of sunglasses, window films can significantly reduce the glare and increase visibility and comfort without negatively impacting your views. In fact, when the glare is reduced, your eyes can actually relax and result in an enhanced view.

In addition, significant glare problems are often accompanied by the issue of floors, furniture and furnishings getting sun-bleached prematurely. An added benefit of this innovative window film is that it also will typically reduce 99% of the sun’s harmful UV rays, which is the primary contributor to fading.

If you would like more information or have any questions about glare reducing window film, contact us at 801-810-8468 or email us at info@shadedglass.com. We would be happy to provide a free, no obligation consultation and estimate of implementing these solutions in your Orem, Utah area space.

Many people have been making investments in their homes in these past months. With the investment in home improvement, it only makes sense that you would want to protect against sun damaged floors and furniture. This article is designed to explain the true causes of sun damage and why window films retrofitted to your existing windows can be a good solution. If you don’t want your new floors or furniture to end up looking like the floor above or to the right, check out the information below.

WHAT CAUSES SUN DAMAGED FLOORS AND FURNITURE

First, let’s discuss what causes this type of fading and sun damage. A common misconception is that the sun’s UV rays are what cause sun damaged floors, furniture and furnishings. While UV rays are certainly the largest component that causes fading, as the chart below illustrates, they actually only account for 40% of the total. Solar heat, or the heat you feel passing through your windows and the visible light streaming through are also major contributors. These factors account for an additional 25% each of the causes of fading. The last factor accounts for the remaining 10% and is listed as “other”.  It is comprised of a variety of things that are harder to control like interior lighting, humidity, etc.

One thing this chart might help you realize is that you cannot “stop” fading completely. The facts are that unless the items you want to protect are placed in a dark, climate controlled room, they will typically fade over time. However, most of us plan to have the flooring and furniture in a place that will be exposed to UV, heat and light. This being the case, the most you can do is attack these major contributors of fading. By significantly attacking these contributors, you can slow down this fading process and extend the life of floors and furnishings. With that in mind, one of the best ways to attack these primary causes of sun damage and fading is with window films.

WHY ARE WINDOW FILMS A GOOD SOLUTION?

As mentioned above, you cannot completely stop fading and most people do not want to “close-up” their home in an effort to stop the damage from occurring. So, assuming windows will not be covered, you need to attack these fading factors before they enter the home. Window films are a great option because they attack all 3 major contributors of fading before they pass through the glass and enter your home.

Most professionally installed window films will block 99%+ of the UV rays, so that is nearly 40% of the factors removed. In addition, many window films can significantly reduce heat coming through the window, so that eliminates part of that 25% piece. Finally, it is possible to block up to 60% of the visible light coming through a window without noticeably darkening the window. When you combine the overall reduction in these 3 fade factors, you can take a significant portion of the fading pie shown above. The best part is that this protection can be accomplished while continuing to retain the open feel of your home through the use of window film.

We hope this article has served to shed some light the factors of sun damaged floors, furniture and furnishings and how utilizing window film can be one of your best options to address this issue. If you would like more information, click HERE and contact Shaded Glass today by calling 801-810-8468 or email us at info@shadedglass.com. We can provide you with a free, no obligation assessment and estimate on the work you are considering. We are based in Orem, Utah and proudly service the surrounding area.

We recently came across an article published by Proud Green Home that discussed how house window tinting could make your house more energy efficient. However, in addition to energy efficiency, the article mentioned six additional noteworthy benefits of utilizing home window films. We have summarized them below as thought you might be interested in all of the ways that window film can compliment your next home improvement project.

7 Benefits of House Window Tinting

• Reduces Glare – Applying tint to your home windows can result in blocking significant amount of the sun’s glare from passing through the glass.
• Protects Your House Interiors –The sun’s UV rays penetrate through windows of your house. With prolonged exposure, your house furnishings, carpet, rugs and upholstery can become faded and damaged. Window tinting offers a great solution for fading issue as it typically blocks 99% of the UV while still allowing you to enjoy your windows.
• Energy Savings –Window tint can act as a window insulator keeping heat out in the Summer and retaining heat in the Winter. This can help home owners decrease their utility bills by reducing how hard their heating and air conditioning system needs to work to keep the house comfortable.
• Increased Privacy – Window films can be used strategically throughout your home to offer additional privacy through certain windows without the need for blinds or curtains.
• Enhanced Safety – Accidents happen and a window can bet broken. When this happens with a typical home window, the glass breaks in a way that can be dangerous. Home window film can keep the broken glass in place and reduce the danger.
• Added Security – Security home window film exists that can provide the other benefits listed and make uninvited entry into your home more difficult. This makes these types of films a perfect compliment to a home a security system.
• Affordable Alternative to Window Replacement – At some point nearly any window may need to be replaced, but by using home window films you may be able to significantly extend the useful life of your existing windows while achieving the benefits you desire. Having a professionally installed window film applied is much less costly and far less disruptive to your home than window replacement.

We hope this list helped you understand the variety of ways house window tinting can help on your next home improvement project. If you would like more information, click HERE and contact Shaded Glass today by calling 801-810-8468 or emailing us at info@shadedglass.com. We can provide you with a free, no obligation assessment and estimate on the work you are considering. We are based in Orem, Utah and proudly service the surrounding area.

As we move through the end of Summer and into Fall, most of us likely have a list home improvements we plan on working on in the coming months. With the increased time many of us spent in our homes this past year, that list of wants and needs might be longer this year than most. In this article, we are going to give you 3 reasons why implementing a high quality window film should be on that list.

3 Home Improvements Possible With Window Film

Increased Home Comfort – Window films work to block excessive heat and glare from entering your home through the glass. Most homes have some windows that get a lot of sun throughout the day. In these areas of the home, there can be hot spots from the heat entering which is often accompanied by irritating glare. Often, in an effort to keep these areas of the home comfortable, your need to adjust your air conditioning. The problem then becomes that the home is often too cool in other areas where the sun is not shining in. By using window films on these specific windows, you can reduce the heat and glare specifically where the problem lies without covering the window with a blind, shade or drapery.

Reduce Energy Costs – Continuing with the point above, if you have windows that are allowing excessive heat to enter the home, your air conditioning is likely having to work overtime to keep your home comfortable. All that extra running is costing you money. When you reduce the heat entering the home, your air conditioning will not need to work as hard to keep the home comfortable and you will save money on utility bills as a result.

Preserve Floors, Furniture. and Furnishings – Our guess if that other things on your home improvement list may be things like new flooring, furniture, artwork, etc. If that is true, you want to be sure to protect those things from premature fading and sun damage. The primary sources of sun damage and fading are UV, Heat and Visible Light. Window film works to reduce all three of these primary areas of sun damage. In fact, most films reduce over 99% of the sun’s UV rays which accounts for 40% of the total causes of sun damage. In addition, it also helps block the number 2 and 3 factors of fading which are light and heat. The overall effect is to extend the life of your furnishings.

Hopefully, this article helped open your eyes to the reason you should consider placing window film on your list of home improvements. If you would like more information on home window film, click HERE. If you have any questions or would like to arrange a free, no obligation assessment of your home and how window film can help, please contact Shaded Glass today by calling 801-810-8468 or emailing us at info@shadedglass.com. We service Orem, Utah and the surrounding communities.