A South Africa window tinting initiative could help the UK combat the fluctuating effects of cold winters and warm summers.
If this year’s cold snap is a taste of winter weather to come in the UK and if, as we are warned, summer temperatures are likely to rise in the future then it may be worthwhile adopting an idea currently being examined in South Africa.
The idea – a way of alternately cooling or warming the country’s office buildings in a less energy-consumptive and more environmentally friendly way – is likely to appeal as much to those businesses wishing to reduce their building maintenance costs as it will to those concerned about the environment.
Developed by one of South Africa’s leading window film and tinting companies, the proposed initiative involves introducing window tinting to existing office buildings by permanently laying nano-ceramic window film over each of the buildings’ glass panes.
In the summer, the window tinting film blocks much of the sunlight that would normally pass through the glass, thus it lowers the heat build-up in each building, and therefore reduces the need for air-conditioning units to be turned up.
In winter, the film traps the sun’s warmth, meaning there is less chance of there being any cold panes to attract the warm air inside the building. This reduces the opportunity for warm air to escape and the need for heating units to be turned up.
Many of South Africa’s top businesses are seriously examining the benefits of window tinting. Perhaps it is only a matter of time before the notion of installing window tinting in Manchester offices and those in other major UK cities will also catch on in this way.