With the world facing a severe increase in solar radiation, a progressive increase in temperatures, and energy costs, tinted windows appear as a solution.
The vital feature of tinted windows is the almost total rejection of harmful ultraviolet rays, which is very important in the global increase in skin cancer and progressive vision damage.
International institutions widely recommend this type of window film for skin cancer prevention.
In addition, they are available in different colors allowing you to block unwanted looks from the outside during the day. However, there are also drawbacks to using tinted windows.
So it is wise to weigh all the pros and cons of tinted windows before deciding to use them in your home or apartment.
Table of Contents
Pros of Tinted House Windows
The advantages of any technology are related to the critical tasks for which it was developed.
If we talk about tinted windows, then the task here is complex – to protect the residents of the house or office workers from the discomfort associated with direct sunlight and provide a higher degree of privacy.
In addition, tinted windows provide additional radiation protection and thermal insulation. It is worth discussing the pros of tinted house windows in more detail.
1. Reducing Energy Costs
When installing tinted glass windows, it is often not considered that this choice can also achieve energy savings.
Many modern residential window films are designed to be practical barriers that improve thermal insulation towards the outside.
Thermal insulation and protection can reduce energy-saving costs in the summer and winter seasons.
Over the years, the savings on the energy bill allow the installation of these windows to become null and void.
As utility bills are saved in the appliances connected to the heating/air conditioning, the investment in the purchase of tinted windows is reduced.
2. UV protection
The intense UV rays of the sun cause wear on almost all materials. Outdoor furniture, paints, and stains are designed to withstand the sun, but indoor products usually do not include this protection.
Anyone with sunny types of windows knows that ordinary glass does not block harmful sun rays.
Everything in a house in the sun’s path as the sun passes from east to west is vulnerable to fading and deterioration.
Tinted windows absorb some of the UV light as it passes and prevents it from actually entering the house. They provide excellent protection and help keep your home cool.
Another merit of tinted windows is that it reduces glare in the house. The screens we spend a lot of time on may not be usable in bright sunlight.
It forces you to pull the curtains in your home office to view your spreadsheets or dim your living room to watch day games on your TV.
Tinted windows allow you to keep them open to enjoy your surroundings and let in natural light while working or playing.
3. Privacy
During the day, tinted window films reflect sunlight into the garden, obscuring outsiders. When you are in intimacy with your partner or when you are working on the computer, it is a factor that you should not deprive yourself and your family.
Even when the sun isn’t shining, dark shades provide privacy by reducing the amount of visual contrast. It is difficult for passers-by to get a clear picture of what is happening inside.
And this allows you to abandon the curtains in the interior, which cannot but please the owners of apartments and houses with panoramic windows.
Such a function is possessed, for example, by plastic tinted windows, in which glasses with mirror tinting are installed.
4. Provides high comfort
Window tinting helps keep your tenants comfortable, retain them long-term, and increase worker comfort in the case of an office.
Tinting can significantly increase comfort by virtually eliminating hot and cold spots, reducing glare, and improving safety aesthetically. It can:
- Reject heat and reduce hot spot
- Reduce annoying glare
- Increase insulation and reduce cold spots in colder months
5. Favors design and aesthetics
Tinted home windows offer a more personalized and elegant appearance, which raises the value of a property. In addition, it offers greater privacy without giving up any light. Among other advantages, tinted windows allow:
- Achieve a luxurious look at a low installation cost
- Create the look of etched or patterned glass
- Improve the aesthetics of a space. You can even add your business branding
- Redirect the light
6. Discoloration Reduction
Tinted windows reduce the discoloration of interiors such as furniture, carpets, and floors. They reduce the discoloration of clothes, furniture, and any item on display on sideboards.
High-quality Energy-Efficient windows reduce discoloration since they reduce UV rays by more than 95%, which are the leading cause of deterioration and discoloration.
7. Reduce Skin Health Risks
As you probably already know, the ultraviolet rays that come from the sun are a form of electromagnetic radiation.
If you are exposed to ultraviolet radiation for a long time, your skin can develop burns, and the signs of aging will appear more quickly.
At the same time, ultraviolet radiation is also responsible for most skin cancers that develop in people around the world.
However, tinted windows can prevent ultraviolet radiation from damaging your skin. Most window tints block about 95% of ultraviolet radiation, so you’ll be safe inside.
8. Customize your Room
There is another benefit to tinted windows. They come in various colors and shades. You have the freedom to customize your house. You can have the tint match the color of your room to create a seamless design.
Think of tinted glasses as a pair of sunglasses. Some sunglasses have light blue lenses; others may have dark red lenses. You can shop around and find the shade of tint that suits your preferences and desires.
9. Security
Installing tinted windows also implies incredible advances in their safety. First, it increases its resistance, preventing fragments from scattering in all directions when it breaks before an external stimulus.
In addition, glass becomes more challenging to break, making it harder for unwanted intruders to enter our homes. Another advantage of this security window film is that it delays the spread in case of fire.
The tinted windows also deter burglars. A thief first takes a look inside your home before acting. If he sees anything valuable, then he enters the home.
But the tinted windows don’t let him see much. He becomes discouraged and quickly moves on, looking for more interesting prey. And know that you can perfectly see what is happening outside from the inside.
Disadvantages of colored house windows
There are some potential drawbacks associated with tinted house windows. Consider these before making an informed final decision.
1. Too much UV protection
If you live in a region that isn’t exposed to much sun, the effect of the sun’s rays on your furniture is minimal.
In addition, some cold climates rely on solar heat to supplement heating. If this is the event for your home interior, you may find it too cold after installing the tinted windows.
2. Extra Reinforcement
Tinted windows in dark colors need extra steel reinforcement to avoid potential frame warping from sun exposure.
For example, anthracite windows can heat up to over 70 degrees due to the sun’s rays. On the other hand, a white window glass only heats up to around 40 degrees.
If the window is not of good quality or not installed professionally, the heat retention can cause deformation of the frame profile.
Therefore, make sure that the windows are of first-class quality! A high-quality reinforcement prevents permanent deformation of the frame.
3. High Price
The most significant disadvantage of tinted windows is the price because you have to reckon with a surcharge for the window color.
4. Less Privacy at Night
The tinted windows allow you to look outside during the day and prevent those outside from seeing the inside, but the exact opposite happens at night.
When the room is illuminated with artificial lights, those outside can see inside. However, you can apply several tricks to reduce the problem.
Decrease the light inside the rooms
One of the fastest ways to regain one’s privacy, even at night, is to dose the light inside the room where one resides wisely.
One of the disadvantages of house window tinting is that as the difference between external and internal light increases, their blurring effectiveness decreases.
It is enough to dose the visible light of the internal environment during the night hours to bring this characteristic back to an acceptable level.
Increase the light outside the house
It is possible to recreate sunlight’s effect on these films by installing a spotlight or a powerful beam of light directed on the facade where the tinted windows are applied.
In this way, their “darkening effect” can help hide what is happening inside the room.
5. Limitation
Tinted windows only limit sunlight when the window is closed. This method allows you to enjoy shade or air circulation, but not both together.
This limitation may not be a problem for some windows, such as decorative window tinting in hallways that do not open.
The tinted panel can absorb solar heat and transmit it to the house. This process is fundamental when you are tinting existing windows with a film.
The solar energy that is not reflected or transmitted can be trapped between the panel and improperly applied film, creating temperatures that stress the panel and affect the entire window.
5. Darker interior
Tinted windows on the north side of the house will make the side even darker. You will have to take care of brighter artificial lighting.
The dark glass will hide from the sun not only you but also your indoor plants. And if they do not grow well in the shade, they will need unique lamps.
6. May not be suitable for Visually Impaired Person
Tinted windows being darker reduce your view of the outside; therefore, they may not be suitable for those visually impaired, especially in the dark.
However, lighter shades are available, but the lighter shades of tinted windows may not serve their purpose of heat insulation and privacy.
Quick Summary (Pros and Cons of Tinted House Windows)
| Pros | Cons |
| Make the sunlight more subduedProvide reliable protection against furniture fading. | Absence of a mechanism capable of adjusting the level of illumination in the room |
| Repels cold in winter. Keep warmer climatic conditions in your home | The room will warm up slowly, especially in winter |
| Protection from prying eyes utterly invisible from outside | No privacy at night when the room is illuminated, and those outside can see inside |
| Savings on curtains, blinds, and other textile devices that previously performed protective functions | The price of tinted windows costs 25-70% more than ordinary white ones |
| Additional decoration to your house | For the design to look harmonious, you must purchase special fittings, expensive window sills, handles, and hinges. |
| Save EnergyReduce usage of air conditioning during summer | Darker, especially on the northern side of the home, need for Artificial Light even during the day |
Tinted windows are becoming increasingly popular, but you should not blindly succumb to fashion trends.
Think carefully; perhaps a standard white profile can fit into the house’s interior and exterior. In pursuit of exclusivity, do not forget that the main task of a modern window is to create a reliable barrier between the house and the street.
This will be possible if a high-quality profile and a suitable tinted window are used and the correct installation is made.
(Last Updated on August 19, 2022)
