Industry Reference

Window Film and Cooling Demand: U.S. Building and Glass Statistics

Eight sourced figures on window heat transfer, air conditioning, and commercial cooling demand. Updated September 1, 2026.

Commercial building glass in a bright sunlit setting

The short version

Glass, heat, and cooling costs are part of the same conversation.

Windows influence solar heat gain, comfort, glare, daylight, and the demands placed on cooling equipment. The figures below give building owners, journalists, and window-film professionals a grounded starting point for discussing that larger picture.

They are not product-performance claims. Actual results depend on the glass, orientation, climate, installation, selected film, and the rest of the building.

0125% to 30%

of home heating and cooling energy use is tied to heat gain and loss through windows.

The U.S. Department of Energy identifies windows as a major part of the residential comfort and energy picture.

U.S. Department of Energy, Home UpgradesAccessed September 1, 2026

0288%

of U.S. households used air conditioning in 2020.

Cooling is a mainstream household need, not a niche concern, particularly in warm and humid markets.

U.S. Energy Information Administration, Nearly 90% of U.S. households used air conditioning in 2020May 31, 2022, reporting 2020 survey data

03254 billion kWh

of electricity was used for air conditioning in U.S. homes in 2020.

That was about 19% of all residential electricity consumption that year.

U.S. Energy Information Administration, How much electricity is used for air conditioning in the United States?March 15, 2024, reporting 2020 survey data

045.9 million

U.S. commercial buildings were counted in the 2018 commercial-building survey.

Together, those buildings used 6.8 quadrillion Btu of energy and spent $141 billion on energy in 2018.

U.S. Energy Information Administration, Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey2018 survey data

0578%

of U.S. commercial buildings had space cooling in 2018.

Among commercial buildings with space cooling, 99% used electricity only for cooling.

U.S. Energy Information Administration, Less than one-third of U.S. commercial buildings were all-electric in 2018November 16, 2023, reporting 2018 survey data

06170 billion kWh

of electricity was used for cooling in U.S. commercial buildings in 2018.

Cooling represented about 14% of commercial-building electricity consumption.

U.S. Energy Information Administration, How much electricity is used for air conditioning in the United States?March 15, 2024, reporting 2018 survey data

0736%

of U.S. commercial buildings and commercial floorspace were in the South Census Region in 2018.

The region accounted for 35% of U.S. commercial-building energy use, with electricity representing 69% of that regional total.

U.S. Energy Information Administration, Energy Use in Commercial BuildingsJune 29, 2023, reporting 2018 survey data

0860%

of total U.S. commercial-building energy use came from electricity in 2018.

Electricity is used across commercial-building end uses, including cooling equipment.

U.S. Energy Information Administration, Energy Use in Commercial BuildingsJune 29, 2023, reporting 2018 survey data

Methodology and sources

How to use this reference.

This page summarizes publicly available U.S. government energy data and links every statistic to its original source. Source years vary because national surveys are published on different schedules. Each statistic retains the year reported by its source.

For a project decision, compare the current specifications for the exact glass and film under consideration. Solar Tint Wholesale can help qualified professionals explore architectural and automotive window-film systems and related product education.

Cite this page

Solar Tint Wholesale, LLC. “Window Film and Cooling Demand: U.S. Building and Glass Statistics.” Updated September 1, 2026. https://solartintwholesale.com/window-film-statistics

Link to an individual statistic with its stable reference, for example: https://solartintwholesale.com/window-film-statistics#stat-1