The air conditioner is pumping away but the west-facing bedroom is still a balmy 32°C at 4 in the afternoon in February, and no one can work out why. The answer isn’t some technical thing with the air conditioner’s capacity or the thermostat setting, it’s just the glass. A standard single or double-glazed window that’s facing west in a Melbourne summer is bad news; it not only lets all that heat in but actually radiates it straight into the room while the aircon tries to keep up. It’s like leaving the tap on while you mop the floor at home.
Domestic cooling uses up a big chunk of household electricity in Victoria, according to the Australian government energy data, and most of it is down to old, untreated glazing. Which is crazy because there’s an easy solution, residential window tinting Melbourne, that most homeowners have probably never even thought about.
What Films Actually Do to Your Windows?
Solar control films work by blocking the heat that comes through the glass as infrared radiation, without blocking visible light. If you slap one on your north or west-facing windows you’ll end up rejecting a fair bit of the total solar energy without the room looking any darker or any less clear from the inside. Low-e films are like a two-way street, blocking heat coming in during summer and keeping the warmth in during winter, which is a big deal if you live in Melbourne where the heating runs deep into September.
Privacy films do a different job; they’re for the side windows and bathrooms which can benefit from a microlouvred or frosted film that blocks the view from outside but lets the light in. Security film, on the other hand, glues the glass layers together so when it breaks it’s not just shattering everywhere. If you’ve got a ground-floor bedroom window or a window near your front door, that’s a pretty good peace of mind.
The UV Conversation That Always Gets Cut Short
UV A radiation goes straight through standard float glass. It’s the bit that causes your floors to fade and your upholstery to bleach after years of being in the sun. Good quality window films block more than 99% of that radiation while still letting in just enough visible light to not notice it’s any darker. Some of the health authorities down here in Australia reckon UVA exposure through untreated windows is a bit of a problem for your skin over time, especially if you spend a lot of time near the sun-facing windows. The good news is it’s not just the stuff in the room that gets protected; it’s the people inside it too.
When Professional Installation Makes All the Difference?
- Bubbling and lifting of the edges are two of the most common results of DIY installation, especially in double-glazed windows, since the temperature of the surface at the time of installation affects the curing of the adhesive.
- Professionally installed film comes with a warranty that usually ranges between five and ten years, which is completely nullified by DIY installation.
- Solar control film can cause thermal stress cracking when it is installed on tempered or heat-strengthened glass without verifying the compatibility first; this is a task for an experienced installer.
The Questions You Should Ask Before Getting Your Quotation
Does the installer have liability insurance specifically for the damage that might be caused by the glass during the installation and after? Do the films have the test results showing their SHGC and VLT ratings or are the performances claimed verbally? How long will it take before getting the full return on investment considering the installation cost and the orientation and glazing characteristics of your house? This is a sign of an installer selling you the performance.
The houses that benefit the most from residential tinting in Melbourne are those with western or northern exposure, single-pane glazing and unlivable rooms in the heat of the afternoon. In such cases, the difference becomes obvious in the first heatwave after installation.
This gives rise to another question that is worth considering: if the glass has been causing problems for this long, what has been the purpose of the air conditioner?
