Window Tinting / Acrylic Sheets for Heat Insulation

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  hj14 on 02/05/2018 - 07:46

  In terms of heat insulation, window tinting is a waste of time (I have them on my windows). It is only good at reducing solar heat gain. The most effective way of increasing insulation is through glazing - double glazing, triple glazing etc. This is expensive. Secondary glazing may also be an effective solution, and slightly cheaper. Other things that help are heavy curtains with pelmets which aid in stopping convection.

  Talking about drafts - make sure your house is draft proof - seal gaps around doors windows etc. This can go a long way to reducing heat loss.

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    dcep on 02/05/2018 - 09:57

    what's the balance between draft and ventilation ?

    if house is airtight, there won't be any ventilation ?

    i tried sealing my bedroom in winter but ended up stuffy & headache with terrible sleep quality

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      D C on 02/05/2018 - 15:21

      If you can feel wind blowing through it, probably a good idea to block it. Don't block the vents in that walls, you might able to put something on the outside to stop the wind blowing directly through it.

      As for the rest, as @hj14 says you need to stop air moving around as much. What happens with windows is the air inside gets cold, and falls down behind the curtain to the floor. This also pulls warm air into where the window is, and around and around it goes. The pelmet (which hardly anyone understands anymore) stops warm air getting pulled into the top of the curtain. Helps greatly if your curtains are in contact with the walls & floor, creating an air gap behind them.

      Cheapest and simplest way to insulate windows it to get some clear film and tape it to the frame. Cheap double glazing. You get an air gap and that stops the convection. If you Google "window insulator shrink film kit" you'll see what I mean, not really an Australian thing though (we prefer to pretend winter doesn't exist).

      If your house is 'open plan' you can hang curtains where the previous owner took out the doors, that'll stop air moving about the house. Doesn't need to be much, a lightweight one will be fine. Leave it there in summer as well.

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  bumblebeetuna on 03/05/2018 - 07:58

  Assume you're only taking about keeping great in? I have thought about the same things myself over last two years. The must interesting product I saw was from twinglaze.com.au, but I never got any replies from them about sales to Adelaide, and I never followed up. It also assumes you have that standard Australian aluminium window.

  Thought about magnetising some acrylic for easy install and removal. Thought about low e or reflective window films. Just never actually done anything about them. I did install honeycomb blinds that I got from Veneta on sale, and I think they're great. I have no data, but I feel like they help stabilise room temp in winter, and reduce heat gain slightly in summer. Unless you can stop heat hitting the glass, you'll always mostly suffer from heat conduction.