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Out With The Old, In With New Windows: As the season for home remodeling and DIY projects gets underway, evaluating a home's list of needs and repairs becomes top priority. Read More
Windows are an essential component of any home, letting in natural light and providing a view of the world outside. However, as beautiful as they may be, windows can also let in unwanted heat and damaging UV rays that can take their toll on furnishings and energy costs. Window films can be an attractive and cost-effective way to help beautify and protect your largest investment – your home. They offer energy savings, reduce fading of furnishings and can also add a layer of security. What many people may not realize is that as times have changed, so have improvements in window films. The Prestige Series from 3M offers clear, metal-free window films that deliver superior benefits to homeowners.
It’s second nature, when trying to reduce energy costs, to consider things such as lowering thermostats, turning off lights and setting the washing machine to cold water. But many people overlook an important area – their windows. Prestige Series from 3M can be an easy, cost-effective way to help block heat and UV rays. In fact, these window films block up to 66 percent of heat penetrating windows, resulting in less stress on air-conditioning systems, helping lower overall energy costs in summer months and warmer climates.
Just how effective can window films be? Recently, 3M joined the Clinton Climate Initiative’s landmark global procurement to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by making energy-savings technologies affordable and accessible to cities around the world. Under the agreement, select energy-saving window films are available to 40 of the world’s largest cities, helping city buildings cut back on the energy they consume and associated carbon dioxide emissions. Five window films from 3M are part of the initiative; among them, two films from the Prestige Series.
Over time, UV rays, solar heat and visible light can irreversibly fade fabric and upholstery on couches, chairs, Oriental rugs and other valuable items such as wallpaper and natural wood floors. The Prestige Series are designed to reduce the effects of solar heat and visible light on furnishings and block up to 99.9 percent of the sun’s harmful UV rays, which are the single largest contributor to fading. Such films dramatically slow the progress of fading to keep furnishings looking beautiful.
In addition, our skin is vulnerable to sun exposure both outdoors and indoors. The Prestige Series films offer the equivalent of SPF 1000 protection against the harmful UVA and UVB rays that enter your home, earning them a recommendation from the Skin Cancer Foundation as an effective UV protectant.
The most recent addition to the series – an ultra safety and security version, helps hold glass in place to maintain the integrity of windows while helping to protect against smash-and-grab burglaries and flying glass, the leading cause of injury during severe weather. These films use patented multilayer technology to create a window film that is clear and durable.
Prestige Series products can be custom-fitted for windows of any size or shape and are currently available exclusively through the Prestige Dealer Network. 3M backs the series with a limited lifetime residential warranty and 15-year commercial warranty. For more information and assistance in locating a 3M Prestige dealer, please visit http://www.3M.com/prestige or call 1-866-499-8857.
1. “Key Facts About Hurricane Readiness.” Center for Disease Control and Prevention. 14 July 2005.
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