Heat Control Window Film in Las Vegas

Why Las Vegas Windows Let in So Much Heat

Sunlight carries energy in three bands: ultraviolet, visible light and infrared. A plain pane of glass passes most of all three. In the dry, clear air over the valley, very little of that energy is scattered before it reaches your windows, so the load on a west-facing pane on a summer afternoon is heavy and lasts for hours.

Once that energy is inside, it lands on the tile floor, the couch and the walls and turns into heat. The air conditioner then has to remove it. On a day in the triple digits, a room with a large west slider can gain heat faster than its share of the cooling system can take it away, which is why that room never quite cools down until well after dark.

How Heat Control Window Film Works on Las Vegas Glass

Heat control film blocks part of the infrared and visible energy before it passes through the pane. Some films do this mainly by reflecting, which gives them a mirror look outside. Others, called spectrally selective films, go after the infrared and pass a good share of the visible spectrum, so a room keeps its daylight and the yard still looks like the yard.

In the valley, spectrally selective films are often the best match because they keep the house from feeling dark during a season that already has us closing blinds. Reflective films still make sense on glass where view and daylight matter less, such as a garage window or a casita you mainly use at night. Every product comes with a data sheet listing how much solar heat and how much light it lets through, and we go over those figures with you.

Heat Control Film for Upstairs Bedrooms and Patio Sliders

The two most common calls are about upstairs bedrooms and patio sliders. Upstairs rooms in two-story houses in places like Centennial Hills, Southern Highlands and Inspirada sit under the hottest part of the attic and often face a west backyard. They are still warm at eleven at night. Film on those windows takes away the solar part of the load so the room can recover faster after sunset.

Patio sliders are big, often eight or more feet wide, and they let sun deep into the room. A patio cover helps at midday but does little when the sun drops low in the west. Heat control film on the slider glass is one of the most noticeable single changes a homeowner can make, and the door keeps working and looking the same.

Glass Safety With Heat Control Window Film in Desert Sun

Every film that rejects heat by absorbing it warms the glass. On a single-pane window that is rarely a problem. On dual-pane units, large panes, tinted glass and glass with chipped edges, extra heat at the center of the pane and cool edges in the frame can create thermal stress. The desert sun makes this a real consideration, not a theoretical one.

That is why we look at each window before choosing a film. We note the glass type, size, frame and shading, and we use the film maker's compatibility guidance to pick a product that is safe for that specific pane.

• Glass type and whether it is insulated or tinted
• Pane size and frame material
• Exterior shading, overhangs and sun screens
• Existing chips, cracks or failed seals