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Opposite from most - Solar gain


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In North Idaho, we built southern-facing with the back of the house in the hillside for thermal stability. In the spring and fall, with the lower azimuth angle, we've used solar gain to reduce heating needs. We use wood in a boiler for radiant floor heat. In the summer, the sun doesn't enter the windows because of the large eaves and the higher azimuth angle that time of year. We bought a couch and are now concerned about fade.

 

So, we're opposite from most. We use that solar gain twice a year, so reducing it would increase our heating needs which we'd rather not do. There are 6 large fixed low-e fixed glass windows, with 6 smaller operable awning windows below them. There are a couple of similar fixed windows that turn a corner on the sides. We rarely watch TV during the day, but that could change and we would prefer reduced glare, but I think that comes a cost of visible light. We have a panoramic view of mountains, a future pond, gardens, etc.

 

Third consideration is we heard that ceramic is best for preserving what little cell signal we have. It's a struggle to get even one bar sometimes.

 

Any recommendations would be appreciated. So far I'm looking at:

Llumar    Air 80 or Ceramic 65 SR PS (Neutral)

Panorama    ULR 70, PureVue™ Ceramic 60, Panorama CX 60

 

From what I hear, some of those Panorama are the same, just under different names. In my area we also have a Johnson dealer, but I don't think there's a similar product in the line I could find. I'm open to other ideas as well.

 

Thanks!
 

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I'm not going to be able to offer much help, other then you are going to lose some of everything you use... heat gain from the sun, life of the couch and fading, etc.

 

The films block UV. The ones mentioned are very light... light is also a big issue that causes fading. So to go with a super light film, you lose some of the fade reduction film offers. 

 

Glare is a direct result of light. Those films will do nothing for glare. You really need to be in the 30~ range of VLT to get decent glare reduction. 

 

Going that 'dark' - which that aren't dark on the range of dark films... will cut out a decent amount of the solar heat. But they do better for reducing fading. 

 

Unfortunately, film doesn't solve every problem. If you go that route, you have to understand there are trade-offs that you will need to weigh in picking what film to go with. 

 

Would higher heating costs out weigh a shorter lifespan of your sofa?  

 

I don't use those lines of film mentioned, so I don't know what the heat reduction is with them - but they are generally designed to be lighter in terms of shading but still offer good heat rejection.

 

I would assume the dealers that use those films would know the pros and cons... I would call 1... maybe 2. Don't waste dealer's time having 8 companies come out. But after 1, maybe 2 home visits... write everything down and check it online. The info is there... maybe not all in one place... but it's there. Look up what created solar heat. Any film is going to play a part in that. UV, VLT, etc. There are many parts of heat... and films reduce the various parts in different amounts. 

 

 

Just something to think about. Not super specific to those films... but just films in general and how they work/what they do. 

 

 

 

 

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