I had 3M window film installed on some west facing windows a few years ago. I did it for UV protection only not for heat. I got one of the lighter ones and it’s not noticeable except I have double hung windows so when open it is pretty noticeable with two panes overlapping. My understanding when I got it was that you need to get one of the darker films if you really want to deflect heat and not just UV.

3katz, do you mean double-pane windows? Both choices deflect 99% UV and the lower numbers represent heat reduction. My main concern is losing natural light.

Low e 366 or solarban 70

No I don't mean double pane. I mean double hung vs. casement. When you slide up the lower part of the window to open, it overlaps the stationary upper part of the window. So you're looking through two layers of the film and it's noticeably dark, especially when compared to the opening that has no film. That kind of bothered me at first but I've gotten used to it.

I've had several estimators come out and my #1 guy only installs Avery Dennison so I'm stuck with that brand. The others had red flags so their products were secondary.

"I want lots of light with clear visibility with heat reduction."

None of the Avery window films listed in the NFRC database were clear which is what I thought you wanted.

"The others had red flags so their products were secondary."

I don't know what this means.

That's a great link, the AD Optitune 30i VT is 30% and SHGC is .46--the Ceramic 50i VT is 47 and SHGC is .57.

How does this translate in real-life?

The other estimators who offered different brands (Prestige, Vista etc) had red flags, including tardiness without notice, high pressure sales tactics etc. My guy checked all the boxes but he's limited to AD products.

It seems that I would need to sacrifice light for heat reduction (the darker, the cooler) and I'm wondering if I select a 43% heat block (the AD 30i), if it is even worth the investment.

We spend a lot of time in this front room so I want to the make the right decision.

The Avery Dennison products are gray so I wouldn't want them. The V-Kool clear product looks good to me so I'd see if I could find a V-Kool dealer. Remember that the film will be there forever; you'll only have to deal with the seller once.

When I wanted the 3M product for my lake place outside a major metro area I contacted 3M and asked them if they had coverage in my area. They did and gave me the name of the guy/company who was maybe 90 miles away. I contacted him - no response. I contacted 3M again and told them they didn't really have coverage in my area because the guy never returned my calls. They apparently got a hold of him and I heard back shortly after. Turned out to be a great guy, did a great job and I have used him again at another house. My point being if there's a different product you want to use try contacting the manufacturer to see if they have someone who services your location.

Wdccruise, I took another look at the samples and they are certainly are gray. It was a drizzly day and I could see how much more depressing the room would be with them.

3katz, I called V-Kool and they referred me to a dealer who is coming next week. Since there were some negative reviews about using this product on double-paned windows (breakage), I also made an appointment with a Llumar estimator.

I feel like I'm going in the right direction, thanks so much for the input!

I used a ceramic product, but I’m away so can’t look up the brand. I think it was German. Very clear and no blue tint when looking through the film.

How much heat reduction did you get?

If you get a chance, please update-that’s exactly what I want!

We are looking at tinting our windows. Could you let me know what product you went with and if you are happy with it? Thank you.