I have tinting on my large south facing windows. It is 80% tint (lets in 20% of the light) and in the afternoon it is still a lot of light (so not too dark, even though you would think 80% would be too much). I have cellular shades also. If your house is modern/contemporary you can look at solar shades. Get them in a dark color. I just don't think solar shades look right in a transitional/ traditional style home. We still use a lot of A/C because of these windows, but if you don't have anything besides the cellular shades you need something more.

I guess the optimal solution is to replace the windows with triple pane (argon filled) ecoated windows. I don't know how to quantify the savings if you were to do that so you could determine if there is good return on investment. I'm sure a replacement window company would tell you it pays, but you can't expect them to be objective. It certainly wouldn't be cheap for as much glass as you're talking about. The tinting isn't too expensive although I wouldn't call it cheap.

I tinted my west facing windows and it transformed the house, much easier to cool.

I had UVB film installed on my windows. They come in various levels of "darkness". Mine are basically imperceptible.

UVB is blocked by clear glass. Did the sales/installers actually call it UVB film? UVA is only partially blocked by clear glass, but blocking UV is about fading not sun glare or solar heat gain.

...the optimal solution is to replace the windows with triple pane (argon filled) ecoated windows.

Not really. Although I am a huge proponent in using triple pane windows in the right conditions, blocking glare and solar heat gain on west facing windows isn't really the right application for triple pane units, but using the right LowE coating certainly is.

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Houzzers recommended 3M product that has three different opacities and cuts heat and fading.....I love it. I keep my wood blind tilted up a bit to block the sun and bit but provide daylight to the room....love it. I have directly facing East windows.

I lived in Southern California and had one window that was on the east side of the house and that room was an oven. I used heat reflective UV window film and an interior light blocking blind to keep the house cool. I was in inland desert and didn't have central air, opened windows at night to cool the house down and closed them during the day to keep the cool inside. The rest of the rooms worked fine with just curtains, but that room got way too much sun.

I use solar shades and in some extreme weather cases I install outside and at least 6" from the glass . I have a MCM rancch with huge overhangs and those are a godsend in the summer where it gets to be over 40 celsius often . I do have one west facing widow that is not protected form the sun and I use a sola shade there . I do not like window tint ever I like the sun in the winter and on rainy days I just roll up the shade .. Solar shades do a great job of blocking heat and UV rays I use 10% in a darker color to keep the view but control those issues . If you post a pic of the space from both in and out it might help.

I currently live in Pennsylvania and don't have a need for tint on the windows. It was very different for my east facing window in Southern California where we got 7" of rain a year, so almost every day was a bright, sunshiny day.

So Cal here. We had window film installed on almost all our windows, which are double paned. It does potentially "void" some window warranties, and we were told that the window film could cause enough heat on window structure that a pane could crack. We decided to put the film on anyway, and 6+ years later with blistering heat here and plenty o' sun, we have had zero problems and zero regrets. The biggest benefit from my point of view is your flooring and furniture will not be ruined and faded by the glare.

Now, if the film doesn't stop heat from transferring through it, then what would cause a window to crack? And why wouldn't the window companies warranty the windows with just a film on them? So that part doesn't make much sense to me. By the way, most of our neighbors have window film, and none reported windows cracking or issues.

Also, we (gasp) don't have A/C but do have an attic fan. Management of the heat in the house is a matter of closing the blinds on all windows facing the sun, and strategic use of the giant fan.

As a 20+ year expert in the window film industry, let me address a few of these issues/comments about window film:

Cost/value vs. new windows - If your windows are in good physical shape, adding professionally installed window film typically pays back in 3-5 years. New windows are in the 20-year range, and triple panes are in the 30-50 year range, depending on the climate.

Warranty - The Vista brand has a Gold warranty that will match your existing in-place window warranty. This covers any breakage or seal failure on top of a lifetime warranty on the film itself.

Temperature control - Window film stops much of the incoming solar energy before it enters your home, drastically reducing internal temps and AC load. Cellular shades can be good insulators WHEN CLOSED, but the heat makes it through the window and radiates into the space. Combining film and shades gives you ultimate control and allows you to open the shades to keep your view.

Fading - Oberon noted that glass blocks UVB but not the UVA range. UVB is what burns your skin, UVA is what causes skin cancer (deeper penetrating rays). UVA is also the biggest culprit in fading. Quality films like Vista and LLumar will stop 99.9% of UV rays with a wide range of options to dial in the amount of light and heat reduction you desire.

Happy to answer any questions on window film and always recommend dealing with a certified local professional for your window film needs.

@SOLARIS we have east-facing windows with a beautiful view that we don't want to block with shades, and we don't mind the sunlight coming in but it gets HOT on summer mornings. We have considered window film to control the heat, but when I think of window film I think "tinted" and that's not appealing to me. Is there a product you recommend that will block heat without compromising the view?

@CeeWhy Thank you for such a great question! Window film does not need to be tinted to offer heat control. Our favorite choice for this type of application is the Vista VS70 spectrally selective (fancy tech term for stopping heat energy while letting visible light pass through) film. It allows 70% of the visible light into your home while blocking 55% of the heat and 99.9% of the UV. I could come into your home and install this on a window or two, and you would never notice the difference. It is a bit more expensive than standard "tinted" films, but the technology is significantly better, like a new smartphone.

Here are a few pics from real-world projects:

VS 70 is installed on one of the windows pictured here.

Every window here has VS70 installed.

I have eastern facing windows and I need to block the sun in the morning.

I have film and it is invisible. When they come to your home to measure they bring samples and you can select the level of tint that you want.

I also have motorized shades which I need to use in the morning when the sun is really strong. They are the kind in which you have some view as I also have a view from my windows and don't need any shades for privacy - solely to block the sun.

My experience is that the tint rarely doesn't help with the glare and so in the morning I use the blinds and then they are up by late morning (depending on time of year).

We do not have a dog in this race but if you want to do it right, go with motorized exterior solar shades. You are describing the situation correct: when your honeycomb shades can get to work it is too late because the glass is already hot, and the heat is in the house. You need to prevent the sun from hitting the glass. And this only in the summer! In the winter or at night you will pull up your solar shades and enjoy the beautiful view. Do not darken your glass with permanent foils.