Energy Awareness Month: Window Film Yields Up to 30% in Energy Savings

Energy Experts Agree: Look to Solar Gard^® or Panorama^® Window Films for Proven Energy Savings

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--October is Energy Awareness Month and across the country, businesses and home owners alike are looking to cut energy-related expenditures. Whether motivated by rising costs or a desire to reduce carbon emissions, property owners and building and facility managers can also reap tremendous benefits from professionally installed window film.

“Our film is recognized by the Clinton Climate Initiative and is backed by years of research and complies with the industry’s toughest standards and should be on the top of the list for companies looking to reduce their energy-consumption.”

Solar Gard and Panorama window films are made in the USA by Bekaert Specialty Films, the only window film manufacturer to certify its carbon footprint. These window films offer building managers proven energy-related benefits, including:

• Energy savings of up to 30%: by rejecting 79% of solar energy, window film keeps a room cooler and more comfortable. In commercial buildings, window film reduces the HVAC load and can significantly reduce the need to run cooling systems which are often used to control uncomfortable heat pockets. Window film eliminates heat pockets, so rooms stay a consistent, cooler temperature.
• Cost-effectively improving energy efficiency: without having to replace older windows or upgrade to low-e glass. On average, professionally installed window film costs just $3.50-$12.00 per square foot of glass, considerably less than replacement glass, and can be installed without disrupting the workday.
• Dramatically improving ROI on other energy-saving technologies: when combined with other energy-saving technologies (such as lighting, HVAC/refrigeration) window film can considerably improve the return on investment of those technologies. For companies seeking LEED certification through the US Green Building Council, window film can be applied toward six distinct credit categories, from energy performance to lighting, thermal comfort and innovation credits.

Additionally, only Solar Gard and Panorama brand window films offer customers expert energy analysis through proprietary software. Specularis™ is a highly technical modelling software that helps customers fully understand the return on investment on window film which can be realized with the installation of window film. Energy analyses through Specularis are run for each home or small office building; for larger commercial properties, Solar Gard window film experts use an advanced Building Information Modelling program to calculate ROI.

“Since launching our specialized energy analysis tools earlier this year, we have conducted more than 2,500 energy audits. Businesses and homeowners are embracing new ways to help them reduce their energy consumption and window film plays a significant role,” explains Kathryn Giblin, Vice President of Marketing of Bekaert Specialty Films, manufacturer of Solar Gard and Panorama window films. “Our film is recognized by the Clinton Climate Initiative and is backed by years of research and complies with the industry’s toughest standards and should be on the top of the list for companies looking to reduce their energy-consumption.”

More information on professionally-installed Solar Gard window film is available at www.solargard.com. For media inquiries, additional technical and white papers, samples or photography, contact [e-mail].

About Solar Gard®

Solar Gard® window film is manufactured by Bekaert Specialty Films LLC., www.bekaertfilms.com, a global leader in the development, manufacture and distribution of specialty films for use as solar control and safety window films, and for industrial applications. Window film is used for vehicles and buildings to keep out the sun’s heat, filter out ultraviolet radiation and hold glass together in the event of breakage. Bekaert Specialty Films delivers solutions for safety, security, glare, energy use and C02 emission reduction. Distributed through a network of independent certified dealers and distributors in more than 60 countries, Bekaert Specialty Films sells window film under the Solar Gard^®, Panorama^®, Quantum^® and Solar Gard® Armorcoat^® brands. Bekaert Specialty Films also manufactures industrial films for the electronics, medical, graphic arts and imaging, automotive and aerospace industries. Bekaert Specialty Films LLC., is headquartered in San Diego, CA and is a subsidiary of the Bekaert group (Euronext Brussels: BEKB), a €3.4 billion, more than $5 billion, specialized technology company headquartered in Belgium.