2 tint or not 2 tint?

[Guest ricklaugh]

Thank you for this most interesting forum. I welcome your advice. I have a home in central FL that receives full sun all day. We are in the middle of a seven acre pasture with no trees or shade. I have to believe that window tinting on the east, west, and south sides will save us money on the AC, which still cycles all day even in October.

I just finished meeting with the local 3M dealer. He recommended 3M NV-25, Night Vision Series. We have 36 panes totaling 192 sq. ft. Installed pricing for solar film is $XXXX, safety film is $XXXX. We were in the eye of hurricane Charley last year. Our winds were 90 mph sustained with 110 mph gusts. Thankfully, we did not lose any glass (or shingles). I understand the benefits of safety film, but I am inclined not to purchase it given the performance with Charley.

The rep mentioned that he carried Llumar and that it would be about $500.00 less. However, he did not recommend it. He said that it was not "Night Vision" as the 3M, and that overall it was inferior to 3M. I welcome your suggestions as to what type of film would be the best for heat reduction. We still want to maintain our view as much as possible.

FYI - our windows are wood frame, no dividers (mullions?), double pane, clear. I believe they are made by Anderson. They are painted wood on the inside and vinyl clad on the outside.

By the way, I found it curious that, on the power companies web site (www.progress-energy.com), they suggested that tinting the south facing windows offers very little benefit. They suggest east and west.

Thanks!

[blade]

prices vary too much from region to region so we don't post them here. I wouldn't want my customers seeing your prices and thinking that's what they would get. my prices would've been higher than that.

[blade]

if you like the night vision....llumar has a dual reflective and solargard/panarama has a slate. all listed are very good films. very effective as well.

[Guest metint]

if you like the night vision....llumar has a dual reflective and solargard/panarama has a slate.  all listed are very good films.  very effective as well.

[*]326702

And the two products Blade has mentioned have a different adhesive than NV... one that can stand the hot, humid climate of C. FL.

I use to live in C. & S. FL. and can tell you that regardless of what the power company says, you want to do the south exposure as well. Consider going to a 35 on the south and 25 on the east/west facing. The south facing does not get direct sun in summer where you live, but it does get it late fall to early spring.

[Guest ricklaugh]

prices vary too much from region to region so we don't post them here.  I wouldn't want my customers seeing your prices and thinking that's what they would get.  my prices would've been higher than that. 

[*]326701

Thank you for your prompt reply. Please accept my apologies on the pricing. I completely understand. Based on the replies, it sounds like I should check into Llumar a little further.

[Guest ricklaugh]

if you like the night vision....llumar has a dual reflective and solargard/panarama has a slate.  all listed are very good films.  very effective as well.

[*]326702

And the two products Blade has mentioned have a different adhesive than NV... one that can stand the hot, humid climate of C. FL.

I use to live in C. & S. FL. and can tell you that regardless of what the power company says, you want to do the south exposure as well. Consider going to a 35 on the south and 25 on the east/west facing. The south facing does not get direct sun in summer where you live, but it does get it late fall to early spring.

[*]326705

Thank you for your reply. I agree. Our south facing areas heat up quite a bit. The power company web site did state that one could expect about a 10% savings in the cooling bills, but perhaps a slight increase in the heating bills. Winter heating is not an issue. For the hotter months, due to our full exposure, I have to believe that I may experience around a 20% savings. Based on this, I should recover my investment in less than two years. This seems worth it to me.

[Guest HeavyBreather]

Actually, the film will keep out a good bit of the heat comming in through the south windows in the winter, but it will also help to keep in the heat you have inside. It works kinda like low E glass.

if you like the night vision....llumar has a dual reflective and solargard/panarama has a slate.? all listed are very good films.? very effective as well.

[*]326702

And the two products Blade has mentioned have a different adhesive than NV... one that can stand the hot, humid climate of C. FL.

I use to live in C. & S. FL. and can tell you that regardless of what the power company says, you want to do the south exposure as well. Consider going to a 35 on the south and 25 on the east/west facing. The south facing does not get direct sun in summer where you live, but it does get it late fall to early spring.

[*]326705

Thank you for your reply. I agree. Our south facing areas heat up quite a bit. The power company web site did state that one could expect about a 10% savings in the cooling bills, but perhaps a slight increase in the heating bills. Winter heating is not an issue. For the hotter months, due to our full exposure, I have to believe that I may experience around a 20% savings. Based on this, I should recover my investment in less than two years. This seems worth it to me.

[*]326718

[Guest darkdan]

All businesses offer different products and different "levels" to meet any budget.

Obviously he doesn't want/can't to stock every type of film from both companies. So he offers "good, better, best".

That's why he's not recommending the "cheaper" llumar.

He doesn't want to special order film in for a 192 square foot job.

However, I'm sure if you request the dual reflective llumar and offer him the same amount of money as the 3M quote....he'd happy order it for you.

[Guest metint]

if you like the night vision....llumar has a dual reflective and solargard/panorama has a slate.? all listed are very good films.? very effective as well.

[*]326702

And the two products Blade has mentioned have a different adhesive than NV... one that can stand the hot, humid climate of C. FL.

I use to live in C. & S. FL. and can tell you that regardless of what the power company says, you want to do the south exposure as well. Consider going to a 35 on the south and 25 on the east/west facing. The south facing does not get direct sun in summer where you live, but it does get it late fall to early spring.

[*]326705

Thank you for your reply. I agree. Our south facing areas heat up quite a bit. The power company web site did state that one could expect about a 10% savings in the cooling bills, but perhaps a slight increase in the heating bills. Winter heating is not an issue. For the hotter months, due to our full exposure, I have to believe that I may experience around a 20% savings. Based on this, I should recover my investment in less than two years. This seems worth it to me.

[*]326718

Well... it just so happens that LLumar's DR 25 & DR 35 have lower emissivity values than many other standard residential films... translated, they are better at keeping internal heat from escaping through the glass. Don't get too excited because it is more than like under 10%.

And trust me... the LLumar DR film isn't much less costly than MMM's NV at the wholesale level... lower price does not always equate with low quality.

[Guest Almo]

I am a bit confused though...... are you concerned only with the heat, or safety factors as well from wind blown debris?

Sorry for the confusion, but I am after all...just a simple Canadian )

LOL

almo