Residential window film for IR/heat rejection?

[squall_line]

Since we lost all of the trees on the west side of the house, summers have been a bear.  Doubly so now that my wife stays home all day with kids instead of leaving to go to an office.

I'm strongly considering putting IR/heat rejecting film on the glass of our west-facing windows, and left a voicemail for a local company that uses 3M products to come out to provide an estimate.  Window film is my preferred route compared to replacement windows since the windows themselves are otherwise in decent shape (wood single pane with a storm window or wood double-pane picture windows).

Does anyone have experience with 3M, Gila, or other brands of residential window film, either DIY or pro installed?  DIY appears to be $1-2/sf plus time spent cleaning and installing (which sounds relaxing and/or miserable depending on my mood), pro installed looks to be possibly $10/sf and up.

Thanks in advance for input!

 

[Packard]

I installed film once years ago.  I don’t know how well it worked because I so disliked how it looked that I scraped it off the following day.

I will make a couple of suggestions:

1.  Do just one window and the observe how it looks from the outside.

2.  Consider the alternatives.

The alternative I like is the honeycomb window shades. They come in single and double versions.  They are available as light filtering or light blocking versions.  The newer versions have no cords. You just raise it or lower it as you wish.

Of course if you like how the film looks, then ignore what I wrote.

If you box in the ends it will add insulation.

 

[squall_line]

We already have double-honeycomb shades in both of the bedrooms, one set Hunter Douglas light filtering, the other Bali blackout. The kitchen has blackout spring-loaded roller shades that block light but not heat, and the dining and family rooms have light filtering curtains or roller shades. 

All of the windows radiate heat in the summer that you can feel, even with the cellular shades drawn.

We have a beautiful backyard (less so since we lost the trees, but still nice to look out at) and the last thing my wife wants while staying home with the kids is to feel like she's in a literal windowless prison, thus the desire to filter UV and IR.

I'll definitely heed the advice to only start with one window before going all out, viewing both inside and outside; I don't need our house giving off Ponch and Jon vibes with a bunch of silvery windows.

 

[guybo]

Hi, there are some really nice looking awnings out there, just a thought.

 

[squall_line]

We're thinking of either a retractable awning or a pergola for the patio, which is about 16 of the 60 feet of the rear of the house.

Ultimately, we're probably going to end up with a combination of removing and replacing all of the attic insulation (I should have done this after the storm with the hole in the roof and made insurance pay for it), window film and/or low-e replacement windows, a pergola or retractable awning for the patio, and the generous application of time, sun, and water to the replacement trees.

Here's the before, storm damage, and current (minus the sun, since it's 8 PM) for what we used to have for shade.  It's been an energy nightmare since.

 

[peter halle]

I can't offer any suggestions unfortunately, but offer my condolences for the loss of your "before" yard.  It was beautiful and all those trees definitely served a screening purpose.

Peter

 

[Sparktrician]

I had heat film on all the windows of another home that I owned.  The film worked wonderfully to drop IR and UV light significantly.  My HVAC bills dropped by a good 20% annually.  The downside was that my plants in the living room started dying almost immediately.  I had to run out and buy a grow light and a timer to get the plants back to normal. 

That said, I had a client that wanted me to install a semi-custom closet a few years ago.  I noted to the couple that one window in the walk-in closet should be covered by a film immediately to prevent hanging clothing from being discolored due to the intensity of the light coming in.  They were quite happy with that advice.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

Ouch! that doesn't even look like the same place. That other house is there in the before, but you have to look for it. The now version is much more stark.

I have a giant Maple tree in the neighbor's front yard, just across the line. It is diagonally southwest of my front porch, in the perfect path of the afternoon/evening sun. If that thing was "lost" to a storm/tornado, we would both likely suffer massive damage.

As mentioned, awnings can do a lot, but they definitely have a "look", probably more so than any tint film you could ever find. It just depends on what you like.
Maybe there is something that is reflective of the UV/IR without "looking" reflective (silver/mirrored)?

 

[rst]

Not sure about the local in question but as commercial glazing company we have probably 12-14 different films often spec’s on jobs.  Installation is not impossible as a dyi project but does have a learning curve.  We use a soak spec’s for film, clean glass, spray glass and film, squeegee smooth.  None of the film we use is 3M however. Keeping glass and film dust free is tricky as it is so electrostatic

 

[Packard]

Be glad that you don’t have to deal with HOAs.  I’ve heard that some ar banning window tints.

In case anyone is wondering, there are no laws regulating window tint on residential homes.

But that does not hold true for cars.

 

[Cheese]

Well, I've been a fan of 3M for over 50 years because I worked in their engineering department for 8 years...but when I applied film to the windows in our sunroom, (that seems like an oxymoron), I decided on Gila film. It's worked well and really cuts down on the heat generated. The only issue is that the surface of the film is soft so you really don't want to clean it very often and from the outside it has this silver reflectance that makes me think I'm in the middle of the business district in Manhattan.

I like the results but I really don't like the look. I've noticed recently that Decorative Film has some heat blocking films and some are available in a blue tint that may diminish the "office building in Manhattan" look.
https://www.decorativefilm.com/ultra-ultrablock-heat-blocking-films

 

[Mini Me]

The best method of reducing heat through glass is shade to prevent direct sunlight on the glass. Heavy curtains can then be used to prevent ambient air heat travelling beyond the internal window surface into the room. A combination of both is very effective and can be reversed as the seasons and temperature change.

 

[Packard]

Well, I've been a fan of 3M for over 50 years because I worked in their engineering department for 8 years...but when I applied film to the windows in our sunroom, (that seems like an oxymoron), I decided on Gila film. It's worked well and really cuts down on the heat generated. The only issue is that the surface of the film is soft so you really don't want to clean it very often and from the outside it has this silver reflectance that makes me think I'm in the middle of the business district in Manhattan.

I like the results but I really don't like the look. I've noticed recently that Decorative Film has some heat blocking films and some are available in a blue tint that may diminish the "office building in Manhattan" look.
https://www.decorativefilm.com/ultra-ultrablock-heat-blocking-films

And I’m not a fan.  Around 1980 or so, I wrote to them suggesting a new product (they had a special desk for this, with a promise of fee if they went forward with the product.

I suggested post it notes on 8-1/2” x 11” sheets to run through copiers or used on typewriters.  They wrote back saying that they had tried the label business and gave it up and they were not interested.  A year later they introduced that exact product.

I was pleased that they didn’t know how to market it.  I don’t think it remained a product for them for very long.

I do use some of their products.  Their engineering is solid, just not their ethics.

 

[Cheese]

Their engineering is solid, just not their ethics.

That's because the engineering is driven by the little guys while the ethics is driven by the big guys.  [smile]  Putting this in current news terms, think PFAS or Boeing.

Here's a great article on Kris Hansen a 3M chemist and her PFAS journey. It's a long read but worth your time.  Actually, it's perfect for a lazy Sunday.  [smile]
https://www.propublica.org/article/3m-forever-chemicals-pfas-pfos-inside-story

 

[mattgam]

We had 3M films professionally installed on our windows (both IR and security) about 5 years ago and they made a dramatic difference in the thermal loading our house experienced.  We are building a new home now and films will be added to the windows again.

 

[todd_fuller]

I had some south facing windows in our Austin, TX house professionally tinted as well as adding more west-facing window tinting myself. For flat glass, it's really pretty easy.

I can't recall what we had professionally installed, but for my DIY I did Huper Optik Drei 31% I bought off of eBay. TSER is the key criteria to consider, for the Drei 31% spec is 63%. 98% IR rejection. 7yrs and no issues.

It makes a massive different if you get full or late afternoon sun.

 

[Packard]

They do make exterior sun blocking window shades.  They reflect the sun before it hits the glass.

Some are electrically operated.  In my mind, more effective than film.