Hi all,
Looking around at all the alternatives for a new house build in Sydney, and the topic of "window films" has come up. I know that the cost of double glazing in this country has become a lot more sensible than it was even 5 years ago, but it's still "up there", and I've been told (by sources which aren't necessarily the most accurate) that in Sydney there are directions your windows could be facing where double-glazing will get you little benefit & may not be worth the cost.
As a for-example, we were intending on having quite a few glass-louvre windows for summer airflow; I doubt these come double-glazed (I doubt it's possible to properly seal them?), and it would seem a bit silly to pay for double glazing in windows next to these heat-holes.
I've just searched on this section of the forum on "film", and everyone's discussing it's properties in terms of heat reflection & keeping heat/UV out. The concensus seems to be that simply shading windows from direct sunlight will have more effect than film; and given that it'll be a free-standing house in a varied moderately-old suburb (the usual range of 50's fibro's up to the 5yo house across the road - with an 1820's farm-house the next street over) we shouldn't have any trouble implementing appropriate eaves & shades. So I'm not actually all that interested in what I guess is the traditional role of "window tint".
I am, however, interested in the manufacturer claims regarding it's use as a defacto multi-glazing. Probably like I think that Magnetite (or whatever the stick-on stuff's called which they've been advertising on the radio recently) stuff is.
(*) do films work OK-ish for insulation?
(*) does anyone have any experience either way, in this capacity?
(*) does anyone have any links to any objective tests that've been done?
(*) does anyone have any info to share?
Any and all info gratefully welcome!