UV rays and heat from sunlight coming through windows can cause damage and fading to fabrics, wood furniture, floors, and artwork. To reduce the damage from sunlight, consider applying special heat and UV blocking window film on single pane windows or glass doors.
If you’re buying new windows for your home, make sure the glass has a clear Low-E coating (Low Emissivity) that is suitable for your climate to block heat and UV rays.
Watch the video above to find out more.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Lynn asks: My family room is full of south facing windows, so it turns into an oven on summer days. How can I keep the view and loose the heat?
Danny Lipford: Ideally, what you’d like to have in a situation like that is a window that is manufactured with a Low-E coating. The Low-E coating will reflect the heat back to its source, allowing you to keep the inside of your house a lot cooler.
Now, a little more budget minded way of doing basically the same thing is to install a window film on the inside of your windows. But, you only want to do this if you have single paned windows. Double pane windows, you don’t want to use any window film. But when you’re selecting your window film, make sure you select one that’ll block out a significant percentage of the UV rays, or the ultraviolet rays. This will prevent a glare, also a heat gain. And, as a little added bonus, it’ll also slow down the fading of your furniture, your window coverings, as well as your floors.
Further Information
- How to Keep Sunlight from Coming Through Windows (article)
- Save Energy with Window Film (video)
- How to Apply Window Film to Glass Doors (video)
- How to repair roller shade (article)
- Sun Blocking Windows (article)
