The heat is on here in the northeast and we’ve been looking into ways to keep cooler while keeping energy use to a minimum. A typical a/c unit can produce 1.34lbs of CO2 for each kilowatt hour it is on. While modern a/c units no longer use Freon and have increased their efficiency to some degree it is still a vicious cycle of increase energy use (and hence carbon production) as outside temperatures increase. One alternative is tinted window film that can be applied to your home or office windows. The window film (which can stay secure to glass by its own static charge, and is cheap at around 40$) reflects the harmful and heat inducing up to 97% of UV rays from entering our living space. We all know the detrimental effects UV rays can have on the skin. This technology can be used in conjunction with air conditioning units to reduce the load placed on them (and reduce your energy bill by as much as 25%) or on their own. While a similar effect can be reaped by placing shades down during the daylight hours the tinted film is transparent so you can still have a view, use the light for your activities, and not feel like you are in a cave all day.