Kudos for for the educational marketing campaign by Evolution Window Films of Welland, Canada.  The owner installed window film for free for a class of Grade 3 students at a local elementary school.  In one stroke, he is protecting kids from heat and UV coming in from western-facing windows.

The education for the kids doesn’t stop here!  Evolution Films supplied students with thermometers prior to installation to measure temperatures on surfaces in the room.  Now the students can compare the difference in temperature prior to and after installation of window film.

It is always good to see that other blogs, especially one as highly regarded as Treehugger, agree with your assessments.  In a previous article titled, New AC Unit vs Window Tint, we determined that window tint is much more affordable an better ROI (return on investment) than both a replacement AC or replacement windows.

At more than $5k for a new central AC unit or over $250 per replacement window, window film easily becomes the most economical choice at $2.25 per square feet for professional DIY window film.

Treehugger reports that National Trust for Historical Preservation states:

… a complete myth that replacement windows will save you money. In fact, they go so far as to say that the payback period for replacement windows is probably twice as long as the life of the window.

The preservation society offers more tips:

Watching the news last night, there was a funny report regarding an elevated park in Manhattan that put pedestrians at eye level with some floor to ceiling hotel windows. The problem being that exhibitionist hotel guests may accidentally or intentionally put on a show for all to see!

Most residential and office window film can be installed in these hotels will provide complete privacy for the hotel’s guest as they enjoy their room during the day; however, at night, there does not exist a window film that will provide complete one-way privacy. The exhibitionists will still win!

For so many people, the immediate reaction is… no true! What about all those police movies where people are looking through a one-way glass at the interrogation without the suspect’s knowledge? In these instances, the room that the suspect is interrogated is well lit, and the room behind the one-way glass is kept dark. This setup ensures that little light makes it through the privacy film for the suspect to see, whereas, everything happening with the suspect is visible.

In the hotel scenario, persistent exhibitionists can keep their hotel rooms bright. During the day, the hotel room’s lights cannot compete with the sun, but at night, pedestrians will still be able to see most of the show!

In the middle of a very well written article about keeping cool and lowering energy bills contains 4 paragraphs about window films:

The same holds true with 3M’s Prestige series of performance window films, which preserve the view from inside the home. They allow natural light into the home while blocking up to 97 percent of the sun’s heat.

…

Prestige comes with a lifetime warranty against bubbling, peeling and color change. It costs about $9 to $11 a square foot, depending on the scope of the job and style of window.

While it is great to see window films deservedly making it into articles such as this, I am continually disturbed to see that only the most expensive films are being written about.  The 3M marketing manager in this case has a new high-end film product they wish to publicize; however, I think most of the newspaper audience would be scared away by a product that costs $9 to $11 per square foot especially in these hard economic times.

It is just my opinion, but I believe the reader would be better served by a true range of costs for window film.  Here is a comparison between Prestige and what TC thinks is the best bang for buck window film in 2009.

3M Prestige films

• Blocks 50-59% of total solar energy.
• Costs $9-$11 per square foot.

Suntek  Symphony Neutral

• Blocks 50-80% of solar energy
• Costs $2.65 per square foot for DIY install (Additional 30% off tax credit available)
• Costs $5-$6 per square foot for professional install

With this information, I feel consumers are better able to make a cost-effective choice regarding window film purchases.

Sun safety should be practiced at all stages in life.  From infants to adults, it has been shown that your risk for skin cancer later in life increases in direct proportion to the amount of sun over-exposure.  Sun safety is especially important for infants and babies whose skin contain just a little melanin, the pigment in the skin that offers protection from the sun.  Without this added layer of protection, the child is much more susceptible to sub burns.  Parents should try to monitor exposure at all times whether the child is out in the open, in the car, or even at home near windows.

TPGonlinedaily has tips regarding child sun safety.  One tip recommends installing window tint on the windows in the car.  If you do not like the “Dark” look of window tintint, there is UV blocking film that is completely clear without any tint added.   These films do not have as good heat-rejection qualities as film with heavier tinting, but they do block 99% of UV radiation.   These clear UV window tint is available for purchase at SnapTint.com.

Of course, some exposure to sunlight does good to the body.  Your skin requires 10-15 minutes of sunlight every day for your body to  manufacture the a daily dose of vitamin D.  A natural source of vitamin D is cod liver oil which can be used to supplement your body’s protection.  Beyond this 10-15 minutes every day, practice sun safety with window film, sunblock, and your common sense.

Readers sometimes write in ask about the differences between static cling film and standard window film.  Here is a comparison of the various factors you should consider when making a decision between the two types of window films.

Solar Heat Rejection Performance

Winner: Regular Window Tint

Static cling film is not as reflective as standard adhesive-based window tint.  This causes heat to be absorbed rather than reflected away from inside the house.  After periods of absorbing heat, sooner or later this heat will be transferred into the home as well.

Due to its non-reflective nature, static cling film should not be installed on dual pane windows unlike regular window tint.  This problem is especially troublesome as the standard for windows now are dual-pane construction.

UV Rejection Performance

Winner: Tie

Both types of film are generally block 99% of UV radiation.

Preserving your Window’s View

Winner: Regular Window Tint

The optical clarity of regular window film is much better than the thicker but removeable static cling film.  When installed, regular window tint looks as if there is nothing on the window at all, whereas there will be minor to major optical distortions with static cling films.

Installation and Maintenance

Winner: Tie

The major win for static cling film is that it is removeable; however, there are also negatives with this feature.  Due to its static nature, it is likely to adhere to dust and small debris particles.  When removing and reinstalling, great care needs to be taken to make sure that the film is kept clean before the next install.  Once static cling film is dirty, it is quite hard to get it clean again.

On the other hand, although regular window tint cannot be removed, the installation methodology for both films are nearly the same.  After installation, regular window tint does not need any special maintenance besides avoiding using harsh window cleaner or ammonia based products on it.

Winter Performance

Winner: Static Cling Film

This is where static cling film really shines.  Once removed, the winter sun can help warm up your home.  With regular window tint, the sun will continue to be weakened by the window tint.  Although regular window tint provides some insulation to the windows, this insulation effect is not as substantial.

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).

Well written article about low-e window film at grist.org.

The author sidesteps the issue of endorsing the film on home improvement stores in the original question.  Low-E film is a very specific type of window film.  It is best to purchase it from a reputable brand like SolarGard, Llumar, SunTek, etc… rather than using the non-professional brands from home improvement stores.

The article also states:

Low-e films should last about 10-15 years, can save you up to 10 percent of your electric bill, and can be applied without too much trouble on a small window but should be professionally smoothed on a larger window.

Window film application is not rocket science as demonstrated by this home tint installation video.  The most common error is not using enough of soapy water between the film and the  glass.  Without enough of this barrier, the film cannot move and slide into place.

The rule of thumb that we have been advising DIY window tinters is that any normal sized window that is less wide than your arms outstretched would not be that difficult to tint.  Windows wider than your arms outstretched will be easiest with two people.

Great signs for window film getting through to a broader audience in this article about a students pursuing a MBA at Climate Corps is evaluating installing window film.

Well, we’re MBA students, so that’s a start. But the bigger issue is that window film is expensive: I have seen estimates ranging from $3 to $12 per square foot (PG&E [PDF] does a good job of providing some ranges).

This can stall the conversation in leased buildings where the tenant pays the energy bills. In long lease situations, this may not be a problem: 3M says it generally takes two to six years for the energy savings to pay back the initial investment. However, in situations like mine where there is uncertainty over how long the company will remain in the building and where there are a lot of windows, the return on investment will be critical.

Tintcenter comment:

$12 is too high for window tint.  I know people think that they are buying a premium window film for this price, and indeed they are; however, the difference between performance between a $12 and a quality $4 film is only 10-15%.  Whereas the price difference is 200%.  Is this worth the cost?

Correspondingly, the payback period lengthens to 6 years when a $12 film is installed due to the high cost of the film.  TintCenter continues to recommend buying efficiently priced quality home tint and keeping the payback period around 2-3 years after installation.

This is an excerpt from an excellent and lengthy article in the HeraldTribune.com detailing the various options for protection in hurricane-prone areas.   Often times, readers have the mental image of bulletproof glass in their minds.  They believe that the safety film product can just be added to a window to make it bulletproof.  This is a fallacy.

Window films have long been marketed erroneously for hurricane protection. In 2005, the International Window Film Association sent a notice to the Florida Attorney General’s Office warning that such films were not hurricane-proof.

But some companies, including several in Southwest Florida, still market the product as an alternative, rather than a supplement to standard hurricane protection.

“Unlike shutters or plywood, window film does not need to be installed each time a storm approaches,” claims a Sarasota-based company called The Window Film Specialists.

The company Web site compares film to shutters and cites numerous tests and approvals for the film, none of which include the Florida Building Code.

But company manager Randy Faust said the firm makes sure customers understand what they are buying.

“It’s not as strong as hurricane shutters; we don’t want anyone to be misled,” Faust said.

This is an excellent and researched opinion regarding the use of safety window film against hurricane damage.  TintCenter has always advised users that write in regarding safety films and hurricanes that safety film do offer some level of protection, safety film should not be relied as the primary defense against severe hurricane damage.  Safety window film should be thought of as secondary defense with benefits like holding together shattered glass in the event of substantial damage.