A recent news article titled, Keep your condo cool if you want to garner a sizzling sale price, had me thinking about this comparison between a new air conditioner unit or window tint for a hot room.   Here is an exerpt:

So by now we are all wondering when this heat wave is going to break and give us some relief but for those of you selling, the heat can make your condo feel like a sauna. Here are some tips to cool your place down and keep buyers happy when then come through your home.

Usually, window film is recommended for your own personal enjoyment and comfort while living in your home.   I have forgotten that there is value of installing home tint that can be added to the sales price of your home just like any other home improvement.  Not to mention, home tint is an project that pays for itself.

Just a quick comparison to understand why window tint is strongly recommended by more and more people.  A standard window-mount 10,000 BTU AC unit would cost around $350 plus another $150 for installation for a total of $500.  This single AC unit can cool a medium to large room effectively.  For $500, you can purchase 200 square feet of professional grade window film at $2.50 a square foot that can block 99% UV and 65% of solar heat.  Assuming medium sized window dimensions of 3 feet by 4 feet, this would be approximately be around 16 windows that can be tinted.

Sixteen windows could be an entire floor of tinted windows!  Not to mention, tinted windows does not add to your monthly electrical bill to work.  The comparison becomes even more obvious when you consider some of the other options such as a new high efficiency AC unit ($5k-$12k) or new energy efficient windows ($200-$300 per window).