Window Film Installation
Solar, safety, security, privacy and bird-friendly film installed on commercial and home glazing.
- Glass compatibility assessed first
- Occupied-building retrofits
- Commercial and residential
Films and graphics
Window & Solar Control Film
Film that cuts solar heat gain, glare and UV on existing glazing without replacing the glass.
How it works
Rejecting solar energy before it becomes a cooling load
Solar control film is a thin multi-layer construction, often with ceramic or metallic coatings, applied to existing glass. It reflects and absorbs part of the solar spectrum so less energy enters the room. The headline measure is total solar energy rejected, which is simply one minus the solar heat gain coefficient of the filmed glass.
Modern spectrally selective films can hold high visible light transmission while rejecting most of the infrared, so a space stays bright but stops overheating. Published performance for high-end clear films includes visible light transmission near 70% with roughly half the solar energy rejected and better than 99% ultraviolet rejection.
The catch is glass compatibility. Applying an absorptive film to annealed or sealed-unit glass can create thermal stress and crack a pane. Tempered glass tolerates a large temperature differential; annealed glass tolerates far less. So the survey records glass type, thickness and construction, and the specification follows from that. If a combination is unsafe, we say so instead of quoting it.
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Cooling loadLess solar gain through perimeter glazing means less cooling demand.
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Glare controlScreens and desks become usable without permanently closed blinds.
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UV rejectionTypically over 99% of ultraviolet blocked, slowing fade on interiors.
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Compatibility firstThermal stress reviewed against the actual glass build, per opening.
Where it belongs
Typical applications
Glazing where sun is a problem and replacement is not on the table.
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Office perimeters
Hot, glary desk zones along south and west elevations.
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Curtain wall retrofits
Whole-elevation programs phased floor by floor.
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Retail and showroom
Protecting merchandise and keeping entry areas comfortable.
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Institutional buildings
Classrooms, clinics and public spaces with fixed glazing.
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Homes and condos
Residential heat and glare control, including high-rise units.
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Skylights and atria
Overhead glazing where heat build-up is worst.
Specification
What to specify
Performance is a set of numbers, not a shade. We work from the numbers the manufacturer publishes for the exact film and glass combination.
Solar control film overview (PDF)
Ask about solar film- Visible light transmission
- Options from near-clear high-VLT down to heavily tinted
- Total solar energy rejected
- One minus the solar heat gain coefficient of the filmed glass
- UV rejection
- Better than 99% for current commercial films
- Glare reduction
- Varies widely with film choice; specify the target, not the product
- Glass risk
- Thermal stress reviewed; annealed and sealed units need special care
- Position
- Interior surface for most commercial retrofits
- Survey needs
- Glass type, thickness, existing tint, coatings and orientation
Installation services that use it
Commercial Rollout Programs
Multi-site programs surveyed, scheduled and reported address by address across the Prairies.
- One survey pack per address
- Location matrix reporting
- Consistent crew leads
Questions we get asked
Plain answers to the questions buyers and building owners ask us most.
Does window film reduce heat?
Does window film block UV?
Will window film break my glass?
Start a project
Tell us what needs installing
Send drawings, a site list or a photo. We will tell you what the install takes, what we need to survey and when our crews can be on site.