The windows of your home are entry points for the elements, intruders, noise and UV light; all of which are best left outside, wouldn’t you agree? Modern window systems offer effective solutions to these problems. With new technology, gone are the days of unsightly shutters, security bars and silver reflective tinting in favor of exquisitely styled windows of high quality and functionality. Investing in a hi-tech impact resistant window system to protect your home’s weakest points is an important first step in creating a safe, comfortable environment to enjoy.
Hurricane impact windows are a priority in preparing your home to withstand extreme weather. Impact resistant window systems are a combination of heavily reinforced frames, two panes of glass that are bonded together with a layer of tough, flexible, clear resin and glazed to maintain the stability of the glass in its frame. While hurricane impact resistant windows may crack when defending your home in a storm, they remain in one piece and continue to withstand negative air pressure, sustained high winds and wind-borne debris.
The strong, impenetrable characteristics that make impact glass windows so imperative to the protection of your home during storms also thwart break-in attempts by intruders. The heavy-duty frames of impact resistant windows cannot be pried away by crowbars or other tools, and repeated attempts to break through the glass are futile and noisy. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s annual Crime in the United States report states that burglary victims sustained $4.5 billion dollars in losses last year with homeowners making up 74 percent of those victims. Nationwide state and local authorities capture and publish data in a crime mapping database which the FBI uses in its report.
Your home is a refuge from the outside world where you can relax and have things your way. However, the inevitability is that sounds from the neighborhood do intrude, be it the seemingly ever present whine of landscaping equipment or bass stereo systems of partygoers so common to areas where the weather is warm year round. While the fundamental reason to employ impact glass windows in a home is for protection from high winds, they are widely in use to reduce outside noise. The characteristics of thicker glass panes, interlayer of resin and laminate work to reduce noise in your home by up to 70 percent. A 70 percent reduction of noise is remarkable, as this jet engine sound demonstration proves.
The laminate property of impact glass also protects your home’s fine art investments, furnishings and flooring from the fading effects of the sun. The Florida Solar Energy Center cites the emergence of three trends that have contributed to a heightened awareness of sun fading: the development and use of clearer window glass, movement away from the use of synthetic fabrics in favor of natural ones and increased UV rays. Laminated glass alone or tinted will significantly decrease the amount of damaging UV rays that enter your home. Laminated glass that is prepared with a low thermal emissivity (Low-E) coating is also a popular choice for homeowners concerned with reducing sun fading and solar heat retained inside their homes.
by Kate Donovan
