Stockfilms blog

Does glare cause the inside of a building to heat up? If so, what can be done about it?

26 November 2024

Great numbers of us are all too familiar with the distracting effects of glare, especially when we are at work, or attempting to focus on another important task. Your most frequent experience of glare might be light reflecting off your computer screen or another nearby shiny surface, which isn’t exactly beneficial for comfort or productivity.

Plus, while glare is associated with sunlight, it isn’t “only” a summer problem. The sun being lower in the sky during the colder and darker months can mean that, with its rays hitting the Earth at a lower angle, glare becomes a major issue in a building.

Glare doesn’t merely cause unwelcome distraction – it can also drive up temperatures

To answer the question at the top of this article directly: yes, glare can indeed lead to internal spaces of a building becoming warmer. The sun’s rays, after all, carry heat energy, which is absorbed by materials that are exposed to direct sunlight.

Many commercial buildings today are highly glazed. There is, then, often plenty of scope for the sun’s rays to penetrate through glass and reflect off objects in a given building’s internal area.

In the process, the rays change length and aren’t able to escape the building back through the windows. As a result, the heat energy is trapped in the space, and the interior temperature goes up.

Heat reduction and glare minimisation are closely linked priorities

So, you can probably begin to understand why, when many owners and managers of commercial property seek out anti-glare window film to help tackle this problem, they are also effectively looking for film to reduce heat from windows.

Window films that reject a high proportion of solar energy can help to lower heat and glare within a particular building. This, in turn, can help create a more comfortable space in which workers can be efficient and productive, day after day.

What window films are best for reducing both heat and glare?

If you are presently searching for window film that is effective in lowering glare, the basic formula is to seek out as dark a film as possible (or at least, as dark as you can allow it to be, without overly compromising the level of clarity you desire for your building’s windows).

There isn’t any window film on the market that is completely clear and genuinely effective at reducing glare, as a tint is necessary for preventing that troublesome light getting through the glass and causing glare. So, you may need to carefully consider your options, taking into account your full range of needs from window film.

One especially popular option that we present here at Stockfilms, for instance, is the Opalux Silver 20 product, which is especially good at combatting both heat and glare. This film has a silver reflective appearance when viewed from the outside during the day, but shows a much less noticeable lighter tint internally. It reduces glare by 82%, and rejects 78% of total solar energy.

There are various other options in our range if you wish to both lower glare and reduce heat from windows at your commercial premises. Still, if achieving the best possible glare control is a priority for you, choosing a 20% or darker film is likely to be the most suitable course of action.

For a discussion of your requirements with our customer service team, and to receive guidance on the window films that may best suit your intended setting, please call us now on 020 8441 0449. It could also be a good idea to check our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page, in case you have a query we have already answered.

Our anti-glare window films can help reduce the dazzle and brightness of the winter sun

14 November 2024

The winter may be the coldest and darkest season, but that doesn’t prevent glare through the windows of workplaces being a problem during this time of year. Indeed, the low-lying nature of the winter sun might make glare more of an issue for staff at a given premises than it is at the height of summer.

Glare happens when the brightness or angle of the sun interferes with vision or makes it uncomfortable to see. During the darker and chillier months, workers at tall office buildings or similar sites can risk being dazzled by direct sunlight. This can make it difficult for affected personnel to concentrate on screens, paperwork, machinery, and/or co-workers.

Furthermore, even in the winter, direct sunlight onto glazing can rapidly bring about the overheating of a given building’s interior. This is due to short wave radiation from the sun – in other words, what most of us know as “light” – being absorbed by the glass and re-radiated in the form of long wave radiation (what most of us would call “heat”).

There are better solutions than curtains or blinds for combatting winter glare!

The instinctive response that many workers have in an office building when glare becomes a problem, is drawing the curtains or blinds to block out the light. This is a perfectly understandable response, but you might also consider it less than ideal. After all, you will probably want your staffers to keep on benefitting from the view and the natural daylight.

This is where dedicated anti-glare window films show their worth. They save you from having to block out the view or natural light in your workplace, and they are designed to be retrofitted to glass.

Depending on the specific window film you select, it can bring a range of both aesthetic and practical benefits to your commercial building or work premises. Those benefits may include one-way daytime privacy, as well as the filtering of up to 99% ultraviolet (UV) light – the latter a potentially vital feature for protecting interior fabrics from fading prematurely.

While many anti-glare window films are designed to be internally applied, some variants have been created with external application in mind. This is a crucial distinction to make, given that the way in which internal window film is processed means it cannot be expected to stand up to outdoor weather and UV light if it is installed on the outside surface of glass.

Ask us about the anti-glare window films that might best suit your intended application

We are pleased here at Stockfilms to serve as stockists and distributors of a broad variety of architectural window films that can greatly help reduce glare, in addition to bringing numerous other advantages to a business site.

You may, for instance, be especially drawn to the Opalux brand’s Silver 20 product, which is the original and most commonly used solar control film in the UK and across the globe. This 35-micron film drives down glare by 82%, while transmitting 16% of visible light. It can be quickly installed, and massively helps alleviate the discomfort that excessive glare and heat cause.

However, similarly excellent results are also delivered by such offerings in our range as the Opalux Dual Reflective Silver 05 film – which brings about 92% glare reduction – and externally applied films like the Opalux Reflective External Grey/Silver 10 product. The latter is capable of lowering glare by 91%, and it can be a superb option for hindering vision into a property, thereby maximising worker privacy.

For a conversation with our technical support team here at Stockfilms about the specific anti-glare window films that might best suit your needs, please call 020 8441 0449 today.

Glare can be a major problem in today’s ‘walls of glass’ offices

28 October 2024

When we use the term “walls of glass”, you probably immediately know what we mean; the extensive use of glass in 21st-century office developments can produce a pleasingly sleek aesthetic, from the outside as well as inside. It can also have some practical benefit, in terms of the amount of natural daylight it allows to flood into the building.

However, the wholesale use of glass around an office premises can also present a high risk of the hated “glare”. This visual sensation arises due to excessive brightness and light in an individual’s visual field, that their eyes aren’t able to manage correctly.

If, then, glare occurs in a largely glass-fronted office space, a lot of workers – as well as any other visitors or users of the given building – may be affected by it.

What are the adverse impacts of glare in an office setting?

The problems with glare in an office become apparent as soon as someone experiences it. Many of us have felt uncomfortable and distracted due to glare preventing us from viewing a laptop screen properly. It can anger workers when they are unable to get on with work they need to get done, and there can be a real negative impact on productivity.

With glare hampering visibility, it can also present a heightened risk of accidents and injuries occurring in an office environment. Furthermore, glare can cause eye strain and headaches, and perhaps even longer-term issues such as head, neck, and shoulder aches among workers.

Not only all this, but glare from direct sunlight can drive up the temperature inside the office space, perhaps even causing it to overheat. This helps draw attention to the benefits that anti-glare window films can have for making offices pleasanter places to work, beyond tackling the most obvious and immediate effects that glare produces.

Is a window film the best way to tackle glare – and if so, which one is best?

Where glare has been a problem in office spaces, blinds have sometimes been installed to help address it. However, these might spoil the sophisticated visual appearance that makes “walls of glass” offices so aesthetically pleasing to so many people. Plus, workers might feel the need to be constantly adjusting the blinds during the day as light conditions change.

That’s before we even mention how blinds can interfere with the natural daylight coming into the space. The chances are that you will want a good amount of sunlight to continue shining into your offices – you just won’t want it to compromise workers’ ability to do their jobs.

The installation of dedicated anti-glare window films can be an excellent way to cater to such a combination of needs. Here at Stockfilms, we recommend that you select a 20% or darker film, if the reduction of glare is your overriding priority from a window film.

The reality, though, is that you might have various competing needs when you are considering your options for window films. For example, you might wish your chosen film to deliver a certain level of privacy, or to be suitable for application to the outside surface of a window.

This helps to explain why we stock such a broad assortment of anti-glare window films. So, why not browse these options on our website today?

If you would appreciate further advice and guidance as you attempt to select the right window film for your requirements, please feel free to call our technical support team on 020 8441 0449.

Polycarbonate windows require the application of a specialised window film

14 October 2024

If there is one surface that can present particular issues for those looking to apply window films for such purposes as rejecting solar heat, combatting glare, and reducing the need to use energy for cooling, it might well be polycarbonate.

After all, there are many people who don’t necessarily realise that if they attempt to apply to polycarbonate a window film that has been designed for glass, the adhesive on the film will fail to adhere to the polycarbonate. As a consequence, the window film will bubble up in a manner of days, presenting an unsightly appearance as a result.

So, if there is a setting that would benefit from the installation of the right window films, but the windows or rooflights are made from plastic instead of glass, what product should be used instead?

Here at Stockfilms, we are pleased to make available two suitable solar control window films for polycarbonate surfaces: Reflective Silver 20 and SunCool, both courtesy of the Opalux brand.

What makes Opalux’s window films for polycarbonates so special and effective?

In the case of both the Opalux solar control window films in our range that were designed and made specifically for polycarbonates, a special adhesive is incorporated.

However, both these window films offer various further sophisticated features and benefits:

External Reflective Silver 20 for Polycarbonate is designed to be applied to the outside surface of most rigid polycarbonate glazing substrates. This is an especially useful window film in settings that necessitate greater control over problems with heat and glare. It filters as much as 99% of ultraviolet (UV) light, while reducing glare by 81% and rejecting 78% total solar energy. The appearance from the outside is silver reflective, while from the inside, it is a much subtler, light tint.
SunCool for Polycarbonate is designed to be applied to the inside surface of a variety of polycarbonate substrates. In common with the aforementioned externally applied film, it is a particularly useful product for combating issues with heat and glare. Along with the up to 99% UV rejection that it achieves – a vital feature for prolonging the lifespan of interior furnishings – this film drives down glare by 89% and rejects 78% total solar energy. It has a satin finish – thereby minimising the visual impact – and produces a translucent, tinted grey effect during the day.

For buying advice and to place an order for these window films, simply contact us

If you are unsure as to which of these window films for polycarbonate surfaces might be the best solution for your intended setting and circumstances, please enquire to our customer service team. We will be pleased to help ensure you select the most appropriate product, and can answer any technical questions you may have.

You can call us for a quote – or to request a free A4 sample of the window film that interests you before you commit to a purchase – by calling 020 8441 0449 today.

Don’t just think about temperatures when you’re comparing heat control films!

24 March 2020

With this time of year typically seeing sunnier skies and lengthier daylight hours, it’s understandable that you may look to the residential or commercial buildings for which you have responsibility, and wonder whether heat control films are the answer for lowering the temperatures inside.

The short answer is, yes they are! Dedicated heat control films like those supplied by Stockfilms are a much more convenient solution for repelling excessive heat gain than curtains or blinds, which are likely to require manual adjustment over the course of a day.

However, there isn’t just one type of heat control film available. This is a good thing, as it enables you to order the window film that fulfils all of your needs, at the right price. But it does also mean you’ll have to carefully consider factors other than temperature control.

Here are some of those factors we would ask you to think about.

Where will I be installing the window film?

We make available heat control films for both residential and commercial settings, but our products can also be even more specialised than that.

Our solar reflective films, for instance, have a highly mirrored external appearance that works well when a uniform look is desired for a building’s windows. But for more architecturally sensitive and listed buildings, the comparatively muted aesthetic of our low-mirror films may be much more desirable.

Among our window films that work really well for reducing severe solar heat gains in domestic settings, meanwhile, are our solar reflective films for polycarbonate windows. These products are ideal for application to plastic conservatory windows or rooflights.

Do I need glare control capability, too?

It is often presumed that if a window film is good at lessening heat, it will also be an effective glare reduction solution. But while this is routinely true of solar reflective and low-mirror heat control films, there are other products for which it is not the case.

This underlines the importance of carefully comparing the specifications of different window films and discussing your requirements with the Stockfilms customer service department, before you commit yourself to a particular solution.

Are there other visual or practical factors to account for?

You might be surprised to learn about the various window films on the market that ostensibly have little or nothing to do with heat control, but which could nonetheless greatly help to reduce internal temperatures and make life more hospitable for the given building’s occupants.

One might have imagined that internally applied coloured window film, for example, would only be popular among those wishing to introduce a different aesthetic to the glass.

We offer coloured window films, however, that are impressive heat control films in their own right, while also rejecting glare, enhancing daytime privacy, filtering out potentially harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays and even helping to reduce a building’s carbon footprint.

Although choosing the right window film for your own buildings’ circumstances and requirements doesn’t have to be arduous, you are nonetheless likely to appreciate the specialised help we can give you to select the most suitable product. Simply call the Stockfilms team now, on 020 8441 0449, to have your questions answered, request free samples and/or ask for a competitive quote.

When you’re attempting to lessen glare, window film consistently beats the alternatives

17 March 2020

It’s an inconvenience that can become more and more prevalent at this time of year, as the sun comes out and the daylight hours last longer, and it’s also one that might be surprisingly difficult to solve for good, whether you’re in the home or at work.

We are – of course – referring to glare through the windows of your residential or commercial property. Whether glare is simply interfering with your personal comfort or is posing a bigger problem – for example, preventing you from getting on with vital work – you’ll probably want to know what the best ways to solve it are.

Unfortunately, a lot of obvious solutions have their downsides

Anything that intervenes in the high level of sunlight that is likely to stream through your windows during the spring and summer, might seem to be a good thing. So, why not just have some blinds put up?

That might seem fair enough, but in practice, you may often feel that you need to completely pull your blinds down to make being in a room hospitable at all. This, in turn, means you won’t get the benefit of such lovely natural light – in fact, you may feel in this situation that you might as well have not had windows in your buildings at all.

Plus, having to constantly fiddle about with blinds during the day as the sun changes, can be a time-consuming hassle. Isn’t there an alternative solution that you could just ‘leave and forget about’?

Considering the other obvious possibilities may leave you feeling similarly dispirited. You could have trees planted outside your windows to try to diffuse the light, but this entails quite a lot of effort. Or you could just wear sunglasses... but you might feel a little bit ridiculous doing so indoors.

Our glare reduction window film brings benefits beyond the obvious

Sure, the best specialised window film for lessening glare can certainly be depended on from a performance point of view. We offer many such solutions here at Stockfilms, including highly rated solar reflective window films, low-mirror films, tinted films, coloured films and more.

One other thing that you are likely to notice from looking through our online selection of glare reduction window film, however, is how many advantages these films offer other than glare control.

You might be looking for window film that provides your building’s glass with a certain specific aesthetic – muted, mirrored or coloured, for instance. Alternatively, it might be that you would like the glare reduction window film you buy for your residential or commercial building to also enhance privacy, safety and/or security. Regardless, we have products in stock right now that ideally match such preferences and needs.

It’s just one more reason to choose our glare reduction window film over the other solutions you might have been considering for tackling excessive glare – the fact that investing in such a product won’t only work wonders in terms of lessening glare.

Browse our online product range now, then, or call 020 8441 0449 to learn more from the Stockfilms team about our latest sophisticated and cost-effective window film offerings, as well as to request your competitive quote.

Should you be using an internal or external solar control window film?

12 March 2020

If you are reading this blog post at all, it is likely that you already understand some of the broad benefits window film can have for solar heat and glare control. Whether it is installed at a residential or commercial premises, the right window film can make a significant difference to the comfort of such buildings' occupants, while reducing pressure on air conditioning systems.

At this time of year, as temperatures gradually rise, many specifiers and end users alike feel an increasing urgency to purchase window films that will repel heat and lessen glare.

But it's not just a given window film's appearance or even performance statistics that should inform whether you select it for your own intended setting. That's because the question of whether a particular window film is meant to be internally or externally applied will also be a significant one.

These types of window film aren't directly interchangeable

The first reason to care about these two types of window film for solar heat and glare control, is that it makes a real difference to the performance and value for money you get out of your chosen film.

In a nutshell, a window film that is described as 'internal' is designed to be applied to the interior surface of a window. These internal films are processed in such a way that it is not recommended to apply them to the exterior surface of glass; they are simply not designed to withstand external conditions, including the varying weather and ultraviolet (UV) rays.

External films, meanwhile, are – as their name suggests – meant to be installed on the exterior surface of a window. They sport the tough, exterior-grade construction that internal window films lack, which means they won't prematurely degrade in harsh weather conditions. They also use a strong waterproof adhesive.

Different circumstances will dictate the window film you select

Ultimately, there are various factors that will determine whether you go for an interior or exterior window film. Cost can be one such factor, of course. But there might also be practical difficulties associated with attempting to install window film on a particular side of the glass, thereby forcing you to have the film applied to the other side instead.

Other customers of ours here at Stockfilms may choose an external window film because the type of glass involved - such as laminated, Georgian-wired or heavy-tinted glass, or even some double or triple glazing - doesn't lend itself well to an internal film.

Bear in mind, in particular, that an interior film would leave the glazing unit exposed to the sun from the outside, thereby increasing the thermal stress on the window.

Would you like to have a more in-depth discussion with our team with regard to the solar heat and glare control solution for your site that would enable you to rest easiest? If so, we are available to take your call, on 020 8441 0449; alternatively, simply fill in and submit our short online contact form.

Repelling heat from windows is likely to become a greater priority for you in the coming months

5 March 2020

With the arrival of each spring, inevitably comes a new set of priorities for those managing and maintaining both residential and commercial buildings.

However, while the aspects of your own buildings to which you need to pay the most urgent attention may vary from one year to the next, one thing that you should always prioritise, is ensuring the occupants of said buildings can use them comfortably.

Given the gradually creeping temperatures that characterise this time of year, it can be very easy to be (almost literally) blindsided by excessive heat and glare problems. You might not have known, however, just how effective our window film products are when you wish to do more than simply reduce heat from windows.

Whatever aesthetic and practical results you seek, we can guide you to a solution

We have been in the window film industry here at Stockfilms since 1976 – and one of the many reasons for our longevity is our steadfast commitment to serving even the most discerning and exacting requirements of specifiers and end users alike.

If you are simply looking to reduce heat from windows, for example, you might think that ‘just any old’ window film in our acclaimed solar control range would do.

This doesn’t account, however, for the wide range of visual and other practical effects that our heat control films can offer. Our External Grey/Silver 20 reflective film, for instance, rejects a whopping 85% of total solar energy and reduces glare by an astounding 91%, but also sports a mirrored look and maintains a one-way privacy effect, preventing those outside from easily looking through the glass.

Those building owners, specifiers or end users who desire a more muted and neutral outward appearance, meanwhile, may look to our low-mirror window films that come in both bronze and grey hues. Even these tinted films, however, still deliver a perfectly satisfactory level of heat and glare control for the many customers of ours that request them.

Then, there are such frequently less-noticed options to consider as our low-emissivity window films that could greatly help to improve your buildings’ carbon footprint, and even our coloured window films, which are far from merely decorative. Indeed, the Blue/Silver 15 film – to give just one example – rejects 71% of total solar energy, while achieving 84% glare reduction as well.

Place your faith in the Stockfilms team

Browse our extensive online selection of window film options here at Stockfilms today, and you’ll realise just how much thinking you will need to do to make sure you choose the most appropriate solution for your own building’s needs. In short, there definitely isn’t just one product worthy of consideration if you are looking to reduce heat from windows at your premises this spring.

Call 020 8441 0449 or email sales@stockfilms.co.uk now, and we will be able to have a more detailed conversation with you about the window film products you would be best-advised to purchase from us right now, before the rush of demand for them commences in the later spring and summer.

Does the appearance of your building’s solar control film really matter?

18 February 2020

To a certain extent, you might imagine that when it comes to window films for repelling excessive solar glare and heat gain, how the film that you purchase looks will be a deeply secondary consideration.

After all, will many observers – whether from the inside or outside of the building to which the solar control film is to be applied – even take much notice of the film’s visual characteristics, or realise you have installed window film at all?

A window film’s aesthetics and function go hand-in-hand

In reality, when you are shopping for solar control film, it is unlikely that you will be able to entirely neglect the matter of the film’s appearance – not least given how this interacts with other aspects of its day-to-day performance and practicality.

If, for instance, you are interested in our internally or externally applied reflective solar control film, its highly mirrored appearance is not merely incidental. This is because it is actually instrumental in the creation of a one-way privacy effect that prevents outsiders from easily peering into a property, with the implications this also has for safety and security.

Or perhaps it is our interior or exterior low-mirror film that you feel would best suit your intended application? This particular film offers good solar heat and glare rejection, but also sports the more understated and neutral outward appearance that helps to make it a popular choice for architecturally sensitive and listed buildings.

No matter how specialised your needs may be, we can cater to them

The above solar control film products are not the only ones in our range that show why appearance is likely to be an integral consideration for almost any specifier or end user who purchases window film from us.

Our tinted window films, for example, serve the purpose of tinting clear glass to enhance daytime privacy. Meanwhile, coloured films are also available from us to act as decoration at the same time as being genuinely useful in the rejection of elevated levels of heat and glare.

Then, of course, there is the possibility that you wish your chosen solar control film to be genuinely useful in absorbing and rejecting solar energy, while also having no discernible impact on the look of the glass. Sure enough, your building’s windows can look completely clear to the casual naked eye, when you install one of our clear heat control films.

In short, then – yes, the look of your solar control film can definitely have a profound impact on aspects going well beyond mere aesthetic preferences. That’s one more reason why it is so crucial to discuss with professionals like our own, the matter of which film may represent the most appropriate match to your building’s functional and other requirements.

Contact the Stockfilms team today by phone or email, and our skilled and knowledgeable technical staff will be able to ensure you only choose the very best-suited window film.

Bring both patterns and practicality to your building’s windows in 2020

3 February 2020

Often in life, cosmetic considerations interact with practical ones, which is certainly something keenly appreciated by many of the purchasers of our window films here at Stockfilms.

When we say this, we could be easily referring to the highly reflective or low-mirror anti-glare window films that have also helped so many specifiers and end users to reject excessive heat gain within their buildings.

However, in this particular blog post, we’d like to draw attention to our patterned window films and coloured tints, which have their own reasons to exist, beyond the opportunity they provide to give a building’s glass a striking makeover.

Our patterned films are about more than mere prettiness

You might imagine that the most compelling reason for any architect, designer or specifier to invest in any of our Opalux-branded patterned window films, would be as a means of giving the glass in various parts of a commercial or residential building greater aesthetic appeal.

In many ways, you would be quite right to think that; there are always glass surfaces in such settings as retail stores and offices that stand to benefit from having some interesting patterned window films added to them.

Our present selection of such patterned films, for instance, encompasses the likes of the Augusta and Georgia designs that consist of strips of frosted film separated by strips of clear film. Then, there’s such a product as the Nevada film, which comprises 1mm dots with 2mm clear gaps in between.

However, such films can also be highly effective in providing a certain desired level of privacy, while still allowing plenty of natural light to pass through the glass.

Alternatively, why not get... arty?

The coloured tints that we have already referred to in this blog post are also known as Opalux Art Colours, and it’s fair to say they live up to their promising name.

Whether you pick out such an option in this range as Art Blue, Art Green, Art Red or perhaps even Art Yellow – to suggest just some of the possibilities – it isn’t only the vibrant appearance of these decorative films, but also their performance statistics that may well catch your eye.

You might not have expected coloured tints, of all possible options in our online store, to have genuine glare reduction credentials, or to absorb a significant proportion of the solar energy that would otherwise pass through the glass to which they are applied.

But when you order Opalux Art Colours from us, this is indeed possible. It just goes to show, once again, the astounding variety of both visual and pragmatic needs that can be met by an innovative window film from an industry-leading supplier like Stockfilms.

Now’s the time to get talking to us

It couldn’t be much easier to enquire to the Stockfilms team about the window films that could offer more than just ‘surface’ effectiveness for the buildings for which you are responsible this year.

Call the Stockfilms team now on 020 8441 0449, or complete and submit our online contact form for an in-depth discussion with our customer service department. You can then be sure that you are purchasing the right product for your requirements, and request the most suitable and competitive quote accordingly.