Washington, D.C. – September 4, 2023 – With the average age of a commercial office building in the United States over 50 years-old, the nonprofit International Window Film Association (IWFA) is suggesting the professional installation of window film to update their appearance, energy efficiency and to avoid a mid-life crisis with potential tenants who may shun an outdated looking facade.

“First impressions count and when you look at a building’s exterior it should be dressed for success,” said Darrell Smith, executive director of the IWFA. “Window films not only help to manage a building’s energy consumption and safety, they also offer a palate of color options to enhance the facade of commercial office building or home,” he added.

Professionally installed window films can last several decades and cost-effectively make a positive impact. It may be an economic necessity to update a building’s look and energy efficiency because, according to JLL Research, offices built in the 1980s and 1990s comprise more than 50 percent of the vacancies since 2020, despite representing less than 40 percent of total office inventory.

According to Energy Star, a program of the U.S. government, paying for energy is the single largest operating expense in commercial office buildings, amounting to about one-third of budgets and contributing 20 percent of all U.S. greenhouse gases. Window films may help save 20-40 percent on energy costs during the cooling season.

Window films come in a wide array of colors and may be applied to a building to create geometric or other designs to help a facade to stand out. In addition, there are some films for either exterior or interior installations on windows. All quality window films block 99 percent of the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays, which can harm the skin and eyes over time, while also helping to reduce the fading of office furnishings and floors.