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Woman Convinced Neighbor's Energy Efficient Windows Are Making Her Energy Efficient Car Melt. Yes, Melt.
It gets hot in Los Angeles, especially in the Valley, but it shouldn't be so hot that your car starts to melt. So Heather Patron of Studio City found herself with a melty mystery on her hands: Why were her side view mirrors and other plastic parts of her Toyota Prius melting? Her theory: Her neighbor's energy efficient windows.
Patron's story got the attention of the investigative reporters at CBS2, who showed up at her place and stuck a thermometer "in the pathway of the beam on a partially cloudy day." The result: "The temperature registered over 120 degrees in less than five minutes."
The frustrated Prius owner soon noticed that the mirror casing on the car belonging to the tenant who parks next to was also melting.
Patron is actually among several others around the country who believe that the beams of light that reflect off some energy efficient windows is heating things up around those homes. In fact, notes CBS2, "The National Association of Home Builders is now conducting a study on the matter."
So what is the woman with the melting mirrors to do, besides keep getting them replaced at Toyota? As Green Car Reports notes, in this case, Patron is "out of luck" when it comes to confronting her neighbor, since "the condo where the window is installed is vacant, and attempts to track down the owner have proven unsuccessful."
Additionally, according to the Los Angeles City Department of Building and Safety, the windows aren't violating any codes.
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