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I have removed all the big, obtrusive white venetian blinds in my house, since I like to be able to see outside. However, there are a few windows which really need light and heat blocking at some times of the day.
DH thinks he won't like the way they look (distortion?), but I think a little distortion is better than keeping the curtains drawn all the time or those gawd awful blinds.
If you have the film on your windows, do you like it? My understanding is that there is a type for glare and a type for light and heat control, so I'm thinking of getting the latter.
I live in the desert where it is typically over 100 degrees during the summer. On the side of the house where the sun goes down, and we most need heat protection, we have installed solar screens. They don't replace existing screens, they go in simple brackets right over the existing screens, and are easy and quick to install during the hot months, and quick to remove when the weather cools off.. They cut out a little light, but not much, that's why we remove them during the cool months. Solar screens make a huge difference in heat transfer.
We just replaced two sliding glass doors with french doors, so I'm going to have some solar screens made for the windows in the doors. I have regular retractable screens on those doors, but they aren't solar, so the solar screens I get made will simply go on with Velcro. they are that light that Velcro will do fine, and the existing screens won't be compromised.
My last home I had the windows tinted. It helps to keep furniture and carpet from fading, but didn't seem to make much difference in heat transfer.
We have a solar shade on our patio door for the same reason, we have a lovely back yard and want to be able to look out the door but needed something to block the afternoon sun. You can get them in various degrees of opaqueness, ours is a 3 on a scale of 5 I think. It's nice because in the winter we can leave it open and benefit from the sun.
I live in Southern Arizona and the bay window in my master bedroom faces northeast. Even with the blinds drawn, the bedroom is filled with sunlight in the morning. That suits some people fine, but I'm not a native Arizonan and I'm usually not ready to get up at 6 a.m. Not to mention that in the summer, the bedroom is so hot, you feel like you're sleeping on a beach.
I went to Lowe's and purchased a solar and heat reducing film to apply to the glass from the inside. They had many different styles of film -- dark gray, medium gray, amber, practically clear which is designed only for heat reduction, and that doesn't count the decorative styles like mirror and rice paper.
I chose the amber. The chart they had at the store made it appear as if this product would be like looking outside through sunglasses. Not really true from my perspective. There is a definite reduction in the glare and the heat, but I notice only a minor difference in appearance looking out that window compared to my uncovered windows. So to me it's not like looking through sunglasses -- the sky is still blue, the tree is still green, the colors are just a little muted. So that might actually suit your purposes. Enough light gets through that I would never be able to think about going without my blinds, so it didn't really help my sleep situation except that the room is definitely cooler. In fact, the tax deduction available for energy saving projects did apply to this product when I purchased it two years ago, which to me backs up the idea that the product does, indeed, reduce heat.
My suggestion would be, do one window with the film, see how you like it and if you think it looks OK, then do other windows. You can always take it off if you don't like it -- there will be no damage to the window. And it's no use in investing in a lot of product until you test.
I will add one warning. The instructions make it sound as if this film is a piece of cake to apply. It is not. It is definitely a two-person job, and the two people better be exacting and very patient. That said, once it's up, it's up. Mine looks the same today as it looked the day I put it up. No curling, fraying, discoloration or anything. I ran out of the manufacturers sanctioned spray product halfway through the job and used plain water for the rest. You can't tell the difference, so you could save some money there. But don't stint on buying a good squeegy -- it will give you a better result.
Buying solar control window film from a big box outlet limits what is available to the homeowner. A professional window film installation company has films available from the extemely light to absolute black-out. Depending on the film chosen, you can block up to the 80's in heat and still be able to see through the window.
Besides, window films will last longer than solar screens.
I haven't seen it mentioned yet, so I'll say it. Be careful with installing tinted film on windows, as it will sometimes void the warranty on the windows themselves. And I have seen double-paned windows that cracked from the buildup of heat with darker films. Just saying...
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