Energy-Saving Window Film in Orlando

Why Windows Drive Orlando Cooling Bills

In Orlando, cooling is the largest energy cost in most homes, and the cooling season starts in spring and runs well into fall. Heat gets in through the roof, the walls and the windows, but per square foot, sunny glass lets in far more than an insulated wall. The east and west windows that take low sun are the biggest offenders, along with sliders onto a pool deck.

Humidity makes it worse. An air conditioner in Central Florida spends a large share of its run time removing moisture. Every bit of extra sensible heat from the windows means longer cycles in the hottest part of the day, when the system is already working hardest. Cutting solar gain at the glass shortens those cycles.

Energy-Saving Window Film and Orlando Utility Bills

Who you pay depends on where you live. Inside much of the City of Orlando, the Orlando Utilities Commission supplies electricity. Large parts of the surrounding area are served by Duke Energy, Winter Park runs its own municipal electric utility, and Kissimmee has the Kissimmee Utility Authority. Rate structures differ, but in all of them a house that needs less cooling in July uses fewer kilowatt-hours.

Window film is one of the cheaper efficiency upgrades because it targets a specific load. It does not replace attic insulation, duct sealing or a properly sized AC. What it does is shrink the heat coming through the glass, which those other upgrades cannot touch. Some utilities run efficiency rebate programs from time to time, and it is worth checking your utility's current offerings before you start.

Choosing Energy-Saving Film for Orlando Houses

The number to look at is total solar energy rejected, which every film publishes. Higher means more heat stopped. Spectrally selective films reach respectable numbers while staying nearly clear. Reflective and darker films reach higher numbers but change the look of the house and the light in the room. We put those numbers side by side for you.

For most Orlando houses we suggest the strongest film on the west and east elevations, a lighter film on the south, and nothing or clear UV film on the north. That puts the money where the heat is. On two-story houses in Lake Mary, Oviedo and Winter Garden, the upstairs rooms often benefit most because they also get heat through the roof.

Insulated and low-E glass needs a film approved for it. We identify the glass before quoting so the film does not stress the unit. Single-pane glass in older Orlando houses can take a wider range of films. Insulated units, common in homes built from the 1990s on, are limited to the products their film maker has approved, and we stay inside that list.

Energy-Saving Film in Winter

Orlando winters are short, but there are cold nights every year when the heat comes on. Certain products, sold as low-E films, also slow the escape of indoor warmth through the pane on those nights, on top of cutting summer heat gain. In Central Florida the summer benefit is much bigger, so we focus on solar rejection and treat winter performance as a bonus.

Sunny winter days are also when a south-facing room can overheat, because the sun is low in the southern sky. Film on south glass helps keep those rooms comfortable without running the AC in January. Many Orlando owners first notice this in a south-facing home office in December, when the low sun lands right on the desk.

Shoulder seasons matter too. In March, April and October, a filmed house can often ride out a warm afternoon with the AC barely running, while an unfilmed one with big west sliders still needs it. Those weeks add up over a year in Central Florida. Those mild months are a big part of the year here.