It can be mind boggling to consider how much the cost of living has risen over several decades. For example, in 1950 the average rent was just $75.00. Tuition to Harvard University was a mere $600.00 per year, and gasoline was only $0.18 per gallon.
Today living costs continue to rise, and the average consumer is looking for ways to save a few dollars. From saving on the grocery bill, to looking for ways to save on the electric bill, we are all just looking for a little relief for our pocketbooks.
This has given rise to a wide variety of products which contribute to high energy efficiency within our homes. Energy star appliances, foam insulation, metal roofs, solar panels, LED lightbulbs, and the list goes on and on.
One product that is often overlooked in the fight to cut down costs is residential window tinting. Residential window tinting has been around for quite a long time. Invented in 1966, the product has become the norm for automotive application, but residential window tinting is still working its way to popularity.
Residential window tinting can be an effective tool in bringing down the energy costs associated with heating and cooling our homes.
It is safe to say that most people want a comfortable environment inside their homes, but sometimes that comfort can come with a high price tag.
Residential window tinting technologies have vastly improved over the past decades. It is no longer necessary to darken the windows of a home to achieve effective heat reduction. Ceramic window tint, is a technology that can reduce as much as 90% infrared heat without darkening the windows on a home at all.
Darrell Smith, executive director of the International Window Film Association, a group of manufacturers, distributors and installers says that
in hot weather, solar-control films can block up to 80 percent of the solar energy coming through windows, which cuts down on air conditioning. “It usually translates into a year-round savings of about 5 to 10 percent of the home’s total energy bill,” said Smith, and much more during hot months.
There are other ways that residential window tinting can save you money, besides reducing you energy bill. Visible light lies on the spectrum between ultraviolet, which damages furniture, and infrared, which beams heat. Treated windows will block 99 percent of UVA and UVB rays, thus greatly slowing the deterioration and fading of drapes, carpet and furniture.
So without question, residential window tinting can definitely save you some hard earned dollars. Let’s face it, that is something we all can use!