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Sourced and Written by: The American Hotel & Lodging Association
http://www.ahla.com/Green.aspx?id=36567
Description
A hotel’s windows are a huge source of solar heat gain especially when the windows face the sun. We already know that the drapes in a guestroom, when not occupied, are kept closed to reduce the solar heat gain and lower energy costs. What else can a hotel do, especially in common areas, to reduce solar heat gain? There are two options: install new low-E windows or retrofit the existing windows with energy-saving film.
Over the last fifteen years energy-saving film has been used as a way to reduce the excessive solar heat gain that occurs when a hotel’s windows face the sun. Hotel owners and operators worldwide are using energy-saving film as a way to reduce their heating, ventilating and air conditioning load and lower their energy costs by up to 10%.
An energy-saving window film typically consists of a thin (0.025mm, 0.001 inch) polyester film that has a micro-thin, transparent metal coating applied to one side. The metal coating is applied using vacuum-based technologies such as vapor deposition or sputtering. A second layer of polyester film is laminated over the metal coating to protect the metal. A scratch-resistant coating is then applied onto the side of the laminated composite that faces the building interior to protect the film during normal window cleaning. An adhesive layer is applied to the film side that faces the glass and is protected by a removable release liner until just before the film is applied to the window. UV absorbers are added to the polyester film layers, the adhesive layer, or both to protect from UV deterioration.
The appearance of film is determined by the metal coating(s) used. This can include color, the level of visible light transmission and the degree of reflectivity. Typically, all-metal energy films are silver-reflective, gray, silver-gray, bronze or light green in color. Visible light transmissions can vary from very dark (10 percent) to very light (70 percent), and the visible reflectance can vary from the same reflectance as clear glass (8 percent) to highly reflective (60 percent).
Energy-saving window film offers hoteliers a great return on their investment due to the combination of reduced solar heat gain and a low material/installation cost. Reduced solar heat gain equates to lower energy costs and material/labor costs for installation of the film is approximately $3.00-5.00 per square foot. Across all four U.S. climate zones, studies have shown that for each dollar available for window retrofit (energy saving film) or window replacement, energy-saving window film provides a greater energy cost savings than total window replacement with new low-E windows. As expected, the biggest energy savings are in the Southern and South/Central zones but the North/Central and Northern zones also benefit.
http://www.ahla.com/Green.aspx?id=36567
Description
A hotel’s windows are a huge source of solar heat gain especially when the windows face the sun. We already know that the drapes in a guestroom, when not occupied, are kept closed to reduce the solar heat gain and lower energy costs. What else can a hotel do, especially in common areas, to reduce solar heat gain? There are two options: install new low-E windows or retrofit the existing windows with energy-saving film.
Over the last fifteen years energy-saving film has been used as a way to reduce the excessive solar heat gain that occurs when a hotel’s windows face the sun. Hotel owners and operators worldwide are using energy-saving film as a way to reduce their heating, ventilating and air conditioning load and lower their energy costs by up to 10%.
An energy-saving window film typically consists of a thin (0.025mm, 0.001 inch) polyester film that has a micro-thin, transparent metal coating applied to one side. The metal coating is applied using vacuum-based technologies such as vapor deposition or sputtering. A second layer of polyester film is laminated over the metal coating to protect the metal. A scratch-resistant coating is then applied onto the side of the laminated composite that faces the building interior to protect the film during normal window cleaning. An adhesive layer is applied to the film side that faces the glass and is protected by a removable release liner until just before the film is applied to the window. UV absorbers are added to the polyester film layers, the adhesive layer, or both to protect from UV deterioration.
The appearance of film is determined by the metal coating(s) used. This can include color, the level of visible light transmission and the degree of reflectivity. Typically, all-metal energy films are silver-reflective, gray, silver-gray, bronze or light green in color. Visible light transmissions can vary from very dark (10 percent) to very light (70 percent), and the visible reflectance can vary from the same reflectance as clear glass (8 percent) to highly reflective (60 percent).
Energy-saving window film offers hoteliers a great return on their investment due to the combination of reduced solar heat gain and a low material/installation cost. Reduced solar heat gain equates to lower energy costs and material/labor costs for installation of the film is approximately $3.00-5.00 per square foot. Across all four U.S. climate zones, studies have shown that for each dollar available for window retrofit (energy saving film) or window replacement, energy-saving window film provides a greater energy cost savings than total window replacement with new low-E windows. As expected, the biggest energy savings are in the Southern and South/Central zones but the North/Central and Northern zones also benefit.