I have had window tinting installed on all of the windows of both my current house and, before that, my prior house.
Very happy with results. The protection from ultraviolet radiation fading and heat gain, as already mentioned are really nice. One advantage that is less often mentioned is the advantage of decreased skin damage from the ultraviolet (UV) radiation. UV radiation contributes to both melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer. While window glass can block UVB rays, it does allow about 50% of UV to pass through (and film will block most of this). Film also reduces glare nicely, so you can enjoy your view more. When you talk to the film installation company, ask for sheets of the available tints. They range from clear to bronze to grey based. I used light (painter's type) tape to tape these to my window, at eye level, so I could evaluate the options for a few days, both from inside and outside. Depending on what you pick, the "darkening" can be very minimal and still provide protection. One more thing on the skin UV protection: if this is important to you, there is data about how much UV radiation is emitted by unshielded fluorescent light bulbs. This appears to be worse with the compact bulbs than with the tubes, because the coating is often thin in some of the curvy areas of the (sometimes called "ice cream cone" style) compact fluorescent bulbs. In either case, you can reduce the amount of UV you are exposed to in several ways:
- increase the distance between you and the bulb (but this also increased the brightness of the light
- use a UV protective film behind the glass or plastic cover (some plastics do block UV well but this is not reported on light
fixtures. UV protective/blocking plastic tubes are available for fluorescent light tubes (museums use them to protect their artl)
But now, Best of All: LED lights have become less expensive and improved. LED lights emit no ultraviolet radiation (AND: you have no worries about the risk from free mercury exposure when a fluorescent bulb breaks)
