Everyone knows that ultraviolet rays can hurt your eyes and skin, but did you know they can also damage your hardwood floors, furniture, cabinets, and fabrics? Over time, colors fade from prolonged exposure to direct sunlight. If you want to protect family heirlooms and antiques or just want your hardwood floors to look new for years, you need a way to keep these rays out of your home.
UV rays enter your house through windows, patio doors, and skylights. Some people believe that all glass used in windows blocks ultraviolet light. But plain glass lets in up to 70%. Even energy-efficient Low-E glass transmits over 60%.
Blinds and Tinted Glass Block The Good And The Bad
The easiest way to deal with UV light is simply to pull the blinds, curtains, or drapes shut. Tinted window glass is another option. Tinted windows block ultraviolet rays from coming through, somewhat similar to the way sunglasses protect your eyes. You can either buy windows with tinted glass or get some DIY window tinting film from a hardware store.
Covering or tinting the windows is a practical solution when you only have one or two windows that receive a lot of direct sunlight. But if you have multiple windows with that receive excessive sunlight, keeping the curtains pulled or using dark glass can make your home gloomy.
The biggest problem with tinted film and glass is that it still lets in 30% of UV rays. Color bleaching and deterioration to your floors and furniture will still happen-it will just take a little longer.
How To Let In Sunlight And Keep Ultraviolet Rays Out
To stop color fading while still letting in natural sunlight, some glass and window companies have come up with a better solution. Light is divided into multiple spectrums, or wavelengths. Windows deal mostly with three spectrum's: visible light (sunlight), near infrared (heat), and ultraviolet.
Curtains and window tint block all three types of light. However, some special glasses can block out one spectrum and let the others through. Think of it like a mosquito net: the glass blocks out the pesky UV rays while still letting in the light you do want.
Low-E glass already uses selective transmission to block out the heat. One or more coatings of microscopic metal are applied to the glass, blocking the near-infrared light, which keeps heat out your home. It lets ultraviolet and natural light through.
New advances have led to glass that blocks both near-infrared and UV rays while still allowing visible light to come into your home. Since the glass is designed specifically to block those spectrums of light, it actually blocks more ultraviolet light than a tinted window: 95% compared to 70%. It also blocks more of the sun's heat, making it more energy-efficient than a regular Low-E window. And it still lets in the majority of visible light.
Several window companies are now offering this type of glass for replacement windows and patio doors. Because it is highly energy-efficient, the glass qualifies for the $1,500 federal energy tax credit.
Gerry Rogers is the owner of Mr. Rogers Windows, which offers Andersen replacement windows in Virginia Beach, Virginia and Charlotte, North Carolina. Discover a wide selection of energy-efficient, maintenance-free replacement windows and patio doors, all backed by a lifetime guarantee. Right now you can get a free upgrade to SmartSun glass, which blocks 95% of UV rays, 2/3 of the sun's heat, and still lets in sunlight to brighten your home.
