apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I'm wondering what kind of shades you're using. I have western exposure and bright, hot sun in the afternoons, also with no cross ventilation. I bought Hunter Douglas Duette Honeycomb opaque shades a few years ago that block the light almost completely and do wonders for keeping the apt. cool. They're not cheap, and I do have to remember to pull them down before I leave the house. But with those and a vornado fan in the summer I barely need AC. Will be curious to hear about the UV film, though.

Have tried the DIY film in the baby's room in my old place. Yes, there was bubbling, puckering, ...well, it did look kind of crappy but since he (my newborn) couldn't articulate his dissatisfaction I am sure it was fine. Most people did not even notice the film when entering the room. Unfortunately, I did not see a noticeable difference in temperature. My personal recommendation is to find a discrete light blocking shade. Maybe you could build a sort of valance or pocket in which to hold a roller blind. I am sure there are those out there with more stylized solutions.

My mom has UV film on some of her windows, and despite what it says in the first link, it does little to stop heat (which is infrared, not UV). So ask lots of questions before choosing a film.

When I checked out the possibilities at Home Depot here in Canada, they did not sell a DIY project, only a 3M project that was going to cost about $300 a window (I have patio-door sized windows - but no need to be jealous, because the ceiling is slightly less than 8 feet, and although it's very bright in the morning, the density of the trees surrounding the building means you have to turn the lights on by afternoon.)

I figured that at $600, I would just keep my curtains shut. Morning sun's a lot weaker than afternoon sun.

Do you have venetian blinds? Sorry if this is obvious, but closing them angled up and out toward the window will reflect much more light back outside. This is the opposite of the way people usually shut them. Also, if they are shiny on the window side, that will help a lot.

that $300 was the installed cost.

DEN-Glass is a UV coated sheet of glass often used by framers to protect artwork from UV rays. It will prevent discoloring of fabric, artwork, carpet, etc.. but will do little to stop heat transfer which as Original Blues pointed out is infrared. For a simple solution a sheet of frosted plexiglass will do wonders to stop the heat build up while still allowing light in... of course this will muffle your view. Believe it or not, stained glass will cut down on the heat build up and wavy clear glass will do the same...

I would consider the old fashioned approach to window dressing with layers - and I believe this can be done in a more contemporary way. Start with a shade - the Duette Honeycomb shades are a very good choice, I would also look at the Solar Shades from smith and noble - locate the shade very close to the glass, preferably inside the window frame to reduce the amount of air within your apartment that is heated.
Next add a sheer or transulcent panel and top that with a heavy drape (preferably insulated - you can buy insulated panels to add to curtains you like). All three closed will provide your best protection in the morning - dark and cool - like your grandmother's house.
Another thought is investing in plantation shutters which should naturally have some thermal quality from the wood. These can look great with light streaming through and have a nice clean look to them.
For the very invasive approach - assuming you own your place - I'd rip out the drywall, add 1/2" - 1" rigid insulation between the studs and re-drywall. Yes this is a loss of square footage but it will help more than you can ever imagine.

I live in a condo with a 2 sets of west facing windows. My neighbors complain all summer that they can not cool down their units. A window washer broke one of my windows a few years ago and when the building replaced the window, they told me that my unit had double panes that were installed from the inside of my unit. Evidently this is possible and really cuts the heat buildup my neighbors suffer from. The building thought the inside installation of the double panes must have taken place back during the energy conscious 70's. I really can not see them and no one else can see them either. I don't know if they still do this type of work today or not. I can tell you it does insulate well.
don

One caveat: UV films should be professionally installed and won't last forever (DIY will inevitably lead to bubbling, especially if you have multi-paned windows). Unless you're willing to make the monetary committment, I would go for new window shades instead. Like Original Blues mentions, the UV film won't help with the heat issue, but will help protect your wood and fabrics from fading. Good luck!

anyone know about the effect of plants in a situation like this? you have an ideal growing situation for a screen of low maintenance lemongrass and sage (or whatever - giant cacti)
Plants certainly cool in exterior spaces . . . just a thought, that I hope someone has the 411 on . . .

I had film professionally installed, and it did cut heat gain considerably. The company was a royal pain to deal with, though. The installer was worse. So take this info without a recommendation for the company, but one for its product. It's Huber Optik ceramic film, and it's used in high-end cars a lot. You will find all kinds of BMW blogs on it, if you Google on the name. It costs way more than the 3M and Vista films.

I have had succes on unfilmed windows with wide-slatted wood blinds, as mentioned above. Just tilt in the up postion during the hot time of the day. I do not like the way they look when they are pulled up, however. If you can afford shutters, that's a great solution.

in the caribbean, my folks used professional-grade film for their windows, and it made a huge difference, not only on comfort but for the utility bills as well. it also gives a mirror effect to the windows, when seen from the outside, so you wouldn't need to hang privacy curtains.

Having the film professionally installed is a must. I have no idea what the guy used who did my auto windows, some 15 years ago, but they've never blistered, peeled, bubbled. And it's a fairly light tint.

Darker tints can actually increase the temperature of the glass, and even cause double paned windows to break from the excessive heat build-up between panes.

There are the mirror/reflective window films that will reflect light/heat, provide UV protection. And, there are also film ROLLER SHADES, see here:
http://www.solarfilmco.com/roller-shades.html

They are probably less than the Hunter Douglas items (as much as I love HD items, I can't afford them).

Are your current shades inside window frame mount or outside? If outside the window frame and there is room, you may be able to add on the roller shades on the inside of the frame, leaving the outside ones in tact. Giving you two layers to play with, depending on what you need!

There's also that light blocking stuff they use in greenhouses comes in grades from 25% stop to 90% I believe.

Still alllows full spectrum light, just a lot less of it.

Hi, Just to add to the converstaion. I am a window covering professional, I supply and install every type of blind and tint known to man. Let me clear up some misconceptions.

UV Film = A material designed to cut ultraviolet, this is always a clear material, basically useless. UV only causes 40% of the fading, so if that is all you have, won't really solve your problem. This is a product rarely sold, and is basically useless.

General Window Film = These materials are designed to cut UV and Infra-red, some cut lots of light, some cut very little if any. Window film can cut up to 80% of the total heat coming through the glass, and still be safe on double pane windows. Some film is dark and shiney, others are not. Huper Optik, one of the top brands of film, specializes in materials that are not dark and shiney. They cut massive amounts of heat, and some are nearly undetectible.

Shades = Work very well WHEN they are down. Shades and film are a great combo. If you want you view but not the heat and UV damage, pull them up. If you are not going to be home, or it is 110 degrees outside, drop your shades. HD Duette with black out liners are very good at heat reduction, but knock out all light and visibilty...there goes the view!

FYI = Fading is caused by 4 things, 40% is UV, 25% is light, 25% is heat, 10% is from things hard to control, such as pollution levels, natural or synthetic materials etc. So, if you want to control fading, make sure you have addressed more than just UVs.

If you do choose to use window film, the material you can purchase through diy outlets is not the same quality that professional film co's have access to. DIY material is not nearly as well made or as good of a performer. You will be stuck with dark reflective films that cut little heat and not even the full 99% of UV. These films aren't really warranteed and won't cover you if you have problems with you glass. Go to a pro if you want it to look good, have a good selection to choose from, a warranty and a product that performs well.

Good luck!

Does stained glass have any affect on reducing UV damage? Would it be better to have a protective film professionally applied to your window and then hang a stained glass panel(window sized) or would the stained glass panel do the job without the need of film?