Window films are adhesive plastic sheets that can be applied directly to your windows. These films help filter light and heat, mimicking the insulation provided by traditional double-glazed windows at a fraction of the cost.

How It Works

• Insulation: window films trap heat inside during winter and keep the heat out in summer. They can help to regulate indoor temperature and prevent the amount of light and heat coming in through your windows. 
• UV protection: window films filter the light coming in through your windows and can significantly reduce UV rays from coming in through your windows. 
• Efficiency year-round: Window films can reduce how much heat gets in during summer and can prevent heat-loss through windows in winter. This can help with temperature regulation year-round! 

Advantages

• Energy savings: Helps maintain consistent indoor temperatures, reducing both cooling and heating costs throughout the year. 
• Affordable: A cheap and quick solution to improve your home’s energy efficiency without needing to beg your landlord for double glazing.
• UV and glare reduction: provides UV protection and improves visibility on TV screens by reducing glare

Limitations

• Installation Skill: You need to be careful when installing the film to make sure you don’t create air bubbles and wrinkles. 
• Not reusable: window film can be removed relatively easily, but it cannot be reused, so you won’t be able to re-install used film on another window. For this reason and to reduce waste, window film is best used for long-term rentals. 
• Not well suited to: window film is more difficult to apply to windows with complex, irregular shapes, which require cutting more pieces of film and repeating the process for window sections.
  
  

Instructions

1. Prep: Measure the dimensions of your windows.
2. Purchase Materials: Buy window film that will sufficiently cover your windows.
   • Check whether your chosen film is applied directly to the windows (like a decal) or to the window frames. 
3. Cut Film: Trim the film to fit your window dimensions.
4. Apply: follow the instructions provided, the films are likely to be self-adhesive but may require purchasing double-sided tape. You may need a scraper to remove air bubbles. 

Tips

• Flammability: Some films may be flammable. Keep this in mind if you’re installing them in kitchens or near open flame (i.e. a BBQ). 
• Use a scraper: as you’re applying the window film, use the scraper to remove any air bubbles. =

Buying guide
There are a lot of different types of window films you can buy! We’ve given you some types below to help make it easier to find the best option for your home:

• Low-emissivity (Low-E) films: Low-E films are designed to maintain consistent indoor temperatures by blocking UV rays and heat. These will often need to be installed professionally. 
• Reflective films: these have a metallic layer that reflects light away from your windows, which makes them very effective at reducing heat and glare. 
• Ceramic films: are very good at reducing infrared heat while allowing visible light to pass through. 
• Multi-layered films: some films will incorporate different layers of materials to maximise their insulation and efficiency. 
• Tint level: window films come in a huge range of aesthetic designs and tints to suit your preferences for appearance and light-blocking. 
• Where to buy: You can try stores like Bunnings, Luzen & Co, or cheaper online stores like Temu and Etsy