Solar Guard Filmes - Carbon Negative

Carbon negative, Earth positive.
Solar Gard Window Films Cut Carbon Emissions

Solar Gard architectural solar control window films, for residential and commercial applications, are the first ever window film products to measure and report their carbon footprint and they are carbon negative.

On average they are carbon neutral within one year of installation. More efficient than low-e coatings at rejecting solar heat, Solar Gard window films are both carbon-effective and cost-effective, reducing a building’s carbon footprint more effectively and for less money than new windows. In fact:

• One square meter of a low-e wood window, the type with the smallest carbon footprint, has a carbon cost of 253 kilograms. The carbon cost of Solar Gard window film is less than one kilogram per square meter
• Solar Gard window film saves 1001 times more GHG emissions from entering the atmosphere than is used and/or created during its manufacture.
• Solar Gard window film installed between 2007 and 2008 saved 3.6 million tons of CO2from entering the atmosphere; this is equivalent to the carbon output of 21,470 Australian families (with four people).

How Solar Gard®  window film saves energy

The movement or transfer of heat from a region of higher temperature to one of cooler temperature is called heat transfer. The transfer of heat always flows from hot to cold. No heat will transfer if there is no difference in temperature.

There are three types of heat transfer: Radiation, Conduction, and Convection. For window film, radiation is the most important method of heat transfer because it moves infrared waves. This is why we refer to solar energy as solar radiation.

Solar energy through a window is transferred or transmitted by infrared waves. Radiant energy is converted to heat when it strikes people or objects. If you block the transfer of this energy you keep it from turning into heat because it never strikes an object. Window film interrupts the transfer of this energy by reflecting the energy back.

Transmission is basically the percentage of Solar energy (UV + Visible Light + Near Infrared) that can passes through a window. Reflection is the ratio of solar energy reflected back to the source, expressed as a percentage. Absorption is the percentage of solar energy absorbed to that of the total solar energy.

With solar window film installed on the inside of a window, the proportions are changed dramatically, with reflected energy and absorption increasing. This corresponds to a reduction in solar heat transmitted inside the room or the automobile. The properties of the window film dramatically influence how and in what way transmission, reflection and absorption change.

How lowering the temperature saves energy

Only a few degrees in temperature reduction can have up to a 25% reduction in cooling costs, due to the laws of thermodynamics. It requires considerable amounts of energy to remove heat from a room through air conditioning. During peak summer times in the middle of the day, loads on air conditioning systems can be reduced enough to turn off entire units or to install a less costly system.

In addition to the energy saving benefits, solar window film can increase thermal comfort, reduce glare, while at the same time rejecting 99% of the UV radiation reducing fading and the risk of skin cancer.

Clinton Climate Initiative names Solar Gard® window film a key resource for saving energy.

On November 1st, President Bill Clinton announced two new partnerships to make green products more affordable and accessible to city governments and consumers across the United States. In response to growing demand, Clinton Climate Initiative will extend its programs and purchasing consortium, which offers lower-cost green products from 25 manufacturers, to 1,100 cities in the US Conference of Mayors.

High performance Solar Gard window film was included because it improves energy efficiency and offers significant related benefits. Representing Solar Gard at the event event, were Christophe Fremont, President, and Luc Goemaere, Product Market Manager, from Bekaert Specialty Films, LLC, the compay that manufactures Solar Gard window film.

Installation of Solar Gard window film is included under the Energy Efficiency Building Retrofit Program, which was designed to help public entities lower their energy consumption. Solar Gard window film can be sized to fit any glass door or window, making it an essential measure for government buildings which are often historic and frequently characterized by oversized windows. Now, all public organizations that have committed to reducing their carbon footprint can easily and cost-effectively fit Solar Gard window film into an overall strategy to reduce CO2 emissions.

“We are excited to work with the Clinton Climate Initiative in providing this strategic resource for organizations that are looking to reduce their energy consumption.” said Christophe Fremont, President, Bekaert Specialty Films LLC, the company that manufactures Solar Gard window film. “Because Solar Gard rejects solar energy, less energy is used to keep the interior temperature comfortable. Our window film provides an ideal solution for all facility managers, environmental service companies and municipal leaders who have pledged to reduce CO2 emissions.”



Solar Gard®  energy efficiency

Increase your energy efficiency, improve your environment and lower cooling costs.

More and more, building owners, managers and homeowners are interested in helping our environment and preserving precious resources. You can make a difference everyday simply by reducing your air conditioning usage. Solar Gard films help you do that by rejecting heat and keeping interior temperatures more controllable and stable. By running your air conditioning less, you consume less energy, reduce your carbon footprint and save money on utilities.