Considering Residential Window Tinting

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

Has anyone tinted their windows with the dark tint to reduce the summer heat and does it help?
I'm considering having my master bedroom and bathroom done as a test, it can get pretty hot up there in the late afternoon.
I had my garage windows tinted last year with the reflective mirror tint which for sure cut down on the heat in there, I just don't care for the shiny finish. My cat spends most of her time out there nowadays and even when I try to coax her in on really hot afternoons she won't come in. It may be my imagination but the garage also seemed warmer last winter.
This time I'm considering the darker black tint that is not so reflective so probably not so efficient either.
I do plan to replace some of my windows in the next few years but right now is not the time. I suspect we may see some rebates and bigger tax credits coming next year with Biden's big spending bill so I'll wait a while.
I'm in the Southern California high desert

[swakyaby]

I did replace the kitchen window screen and sliding door screen with solar screen, and the difference in the kitchen in the afternoon was noticeably cooler.

[Souschef]

We had all our West and South facing windows tinted

[RunningBum]

I did and it helps a lot with the heat and fading. I have pretty much a wall of windows across the back for a view and I did those because I didn't want to block the view with shades or blinds. As I recall the reflective tint is more for privacy. There's nobody behind me so I didn't care about that. I don't really even notice that they are tinted unless I open a slider door and see the difference.

[MichaelB]

Our experience is similar to their others. The tinting does reduce heat and fading, although I’m not sure how much. It also limits cell phone coverage, which can be a problem. WiFi calling has helped, but there is a noticeable deterioration in cell signal strength inside our house and my car.

[The Cosmic Avenger]

We feel like it does help lot with the heat from direct sunlight. We also felt like it was noticeably darker in those rooms when we first had it done it years ago, but after a little while we stopped noticing it, and I hadn't thought about that (or even that we had the tinting film applied) for years.

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MichaelB Our experience is similar to their others. The tinting does reduce heat and fading, although I’m not sure how much. It also limits cell phone coverage, which can be a problem. WiFi calling has helped, but there is a noticeable deterioration in cell signal strength inside our house and my car.

That's something to consider, I also have an indoor antenna pointed at one of these windows. I'll ask my guy when I call him today.
I don't think it's ever been an issue for me with my cars and I've been tinting them for 30 years.

[pacergal]

wow, I never thought of this. We have East/West facing windows, so we get sun all day long.
We replaced our single pane windows about 20 years ago and the newer double pane do have some slight tint.

About how much does something like this cost?

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

This guy is in Texas has tons of tint videos, I linked to the one where he talks about pricing and different types of tint. In my opinion it's not expensive, I've been quoted $5 a square foot for the dark tint which is the cheapest. I have a big house and if I tinted every single window it would be around $1400 total but he's willing to work out a discount with me if I do them all which is a heck of a lot cheaper than new windows.
Just make sure you get residential tint for your windows so they don't crack.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lKu-o1HVqo

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

The calculation to estimate the cost of tinting a window is the length x width of the glass divided by 144 which equals square footage times the sq ft cost.

example 21" x 43" = 903/144 =6.27 x $5 (in my case) =$31.35 per pane.

[ERD50]

A screen or awning/shade on the outside (rather than the surface of the window) will work much better.

That keeps the heat out, while a dark tint will make the window itself hot (can damage it in some cases), and that heat will conduct in. Yes, it helps, but not as much as a separate screen/shade. A reflective coating will work better than a dark tint on the window for this case.

-ERD50

[pacergal]

We do have a large sunshade and sunbrella on our front deck for the front windows and door--it made a significant difference the past two summers. Getting one for the back deck for the sliding door and other room off the deck. Those two areas are large windowed ones.

They do help!

[rodi]

When we replaced our windows we had low e glass put in. It's slightly green and reflective. It helps with the heat load, but doesn't really offer privacy the way a darker tint would. (That's what blinds are for. LOL)

[Jerry1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ERD50 That keeps the heat out, while a dark tint will make the window itself hot (can damage it in some cases), and that heat will conduct in. Yes, it helps, but not as much as a separate screen/shade. A reflective coating will work better than a dark tint on the window for this case. -ERD50

And, if you’re windows are new/under warranty, it can void your warranty.

[CDRE]

FWIW, when I was researching tint films for automotive, I found that German made Huper Optik ceramic films had better infrared heat rejection but allowed more visible light than many competitor products. Also, ceramic has less impedance for communication signals than films that use metal. Huper Optik is only available through authorized dealers and has a lifetime warranty. So get ready to blow-that-dough to get the best.

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rodi When we replaced our windows we had low e glass put in. It's slightly green and reflective. It helps with the heat load, but doesn't really offer privacy the way a darker tint would. (That's what blinds are for. LOL)

Yep, I have a sliding patio door with the reflective green tinged e-glass and it does a great job during the day but at night I can stand outside and look in and that creeps me out since i just have a diamond jacquered curtain across it. Same applies with the mirrored tint in my garage, if I leave the light on and walk outside I can see in.
I'm pretty sure you can't see into the dark tinted ones at night or at least not clearly. I have blinds on all my windows but I hate that I have to keep them closed all the time.

[RS53576GG]

Although the original request was about window tinting I thought I'd throw in a vote for solar screens. I like to do things myself so I bought some bulk solar screen online and frame material and mounting hardware at Home Depot and made exterior screens for each window. I imagine screens might be cheaper than tint for people who do their own installation. Paying someone to make and install new screens could be cost prohibitive.

A negative about screens is that on sliding glass doors you have to mount the screen offset from the stationary window so the moving screen over the door can slide behind it. This is a bit of a pain to do.

There may be a few benefits in using screens. For example most of the infrared energy never makes it's way to the window. This might reduce the likelihood of seals failing on multi-pane windows because the inside and outside panes and frame surfaces are all closer to the same temperature. And in the rare event that a window pane breaks you can have it replaced and not be bothered replacing the tint on it. And screens might protect the windows from flying object damage. (Hurricanes, tornadoes, neighbor kids throwing golf balls, lower velocity B-B guns etc.)

Tint might be a better choice in certain cases, like oddly shaped windows.

Another negative for screens is that you have to take them down to wash the exterior of the windows. Not a big deal if you use mounting brackets that can rotate out of the way but certainly more work than not having screens all. While you have the screens down you might as well wash them off too, which is additional effort.

I don't know which lasts longer. Most tint installations are guaranteed by the installer so this shouldn't be a problem. My screens have been up for 4 or 5 years and still look good as new. Solar screen material is pretty tough stuff. Much stronger and much more durable than regular screens.

I live in the Arizona desert. The sun can be intense and it gets plenty hot around here. My opinion is that for an environment like this screens might be a better choice due to reduced window pane and frame temperatures. In more temperate climates tint might be preferable to some people.

[Bamaman]

If a house has double pane windows, I was thinking that they couldn't be tinted. It would heat up the inside of the panes too much.

A window professional would know if window tinting could be done.

My master bedroom has 4 six foot windows, and it faces the south--hot in afternoons. I just added an extra minisplit a/c unit.

[Walt34]

An alternative to consider is an awning. The "angles" have to be right for that to work but in my mother's apartment at her CCRC it was the best/cheapest/reversible solution for her. Hers was retractable so during the winter months it was just folded in and pretty much out of sight. In the summer it blocked direct sunlight but didn't obstruct the view outside.

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bamaman If a house has double pane windows, I was thinking that they couldn't be tinted. It would heat up the inside of the panes too much. A window professional would know if window tinting could be done. My master bedroom has 4 six foot windows, and it faces the south--hot in afternoons. I just added an extra minisplit a/c unit.

Some of my neighbors have an approx 20' x 10' 2 story massive window that are double glazed and built in the early 90's. Some face north/south and others east/west which is a real problem. Over the years many of them have had that particular window tinted with a dark tint and still very happy with the results to this day. I talked to some of them recently.
As long as you get residential tint you should be fine, you can't use the tint that goes on cars.