Energy film/window coating

[stevegwhite]

Does anyone have any experience with the clear film that you can apply to windows? Not the shrink wrap one.



http://www.homedepot.ca/product/energy-film-36-in-x-48-in/936954



I have a couple student rentals who have inclusive baseboard heating. They appear to be attempting to tan themselves with warm air, judging by the hydro bills and I'd like to find ways of reducing that. I'm going to look into thermostats with limit features, however would like to try this film as well.



I also think it's a nice selling feature for my single family units. If it works and can save $250/year as it says.



Thanks,

Steve

 

[Thomas Beyer]

Electric or water baseboard heating ? If electric make tenant pay for electricity on tenant turnover. If water, turn the boiler temp down.

 

[stevegwhite]

They are student rentals. If I didn't include it in rent I'd just be stuck with the bill on move-out anyway.

I'm not loosing money, just trying to save.

 

[SBCSI]

I would caution the use of installing film to the interior of windows for several reasons:

• installation - requires alot of patience & skill & if not done correctly, you will see bubbles or laps which are unattractive
• maintenance - student rentals could mean tears or cuts to the film during use, especially if they are sliders, which again makes the windows unattractive
  warranty - depending on age of windows, installation of film may void any manufacturer's warranty

Are the heating bills high because the students keep the heaters on all the time?

If the baseboard heaters are electric and have a manual control (usually a dial on one end which can be used to adjust the heat), then there's not much you can do about controlling their output. An alternative could be to have the baseboard heaters controlled by a thermostat, either individually or groups, which could then have a lockable cover installed and set to a temperature which is comfortable to the tenants. You typically see these types of thermostats in public buildings.



Are your windows single glazed? A long term solution to heat loss through the windows is to upgrade to double/triple glazed windows with caulking & insulation installed.



Thinking creatively, an idea could be to place your female students in the upper units and male student on ground floors as females typically require more heat (this is an unscientific theory, just based on experience living with my wife and daughter ) and higher floors tend to be warmer because of radiant heat coming up from lower floors.



Lastly, you could always talk to the students who are the high heat users and find out why they require so much heat. They may be unaware they're using so much (home experience) and a little education informing them of your situation could help. If they insist they must have the heat, perhaps some type of incentive which encourages low use could be looked at.



Hope that helps, good luck.

 

[Sherilynn]

I tried an ECO-film once to reduce solar heat coming in a west-facing picture window. A lot of time and frustration with no noticeable difference to how hot the house became. Good quality drapes had a much bigger effect.

 

[Pheenix]

Also check the humidity levels of the house. Dry air will feel colder, due to evaporation from skin and clothing. Therefore occupants tend to run the temp higher.



Depending on the specifics, it may be worth checking into this aspect too. Usually homes without forced air heating systems don't have this capability. Are the tenants reporting a lot of static electric sparks/shocks? This is usually a good sign that humidity is too low.



Do you have a way of humidifying without putting to much moisture into the air? Otherwise you can create mould and mildew problems? (Especially true of older construction, without adequate vapour barrier etc..) So make sure it is something you can control. The greater the inside to outside temperature differential the higher the risk.

 

[invst4profit]

As Thomas suggested the solution is to have the utilities paid by the tenants. Instead of a nickel and dime solution for the symptoms you need to concentrate on a cure for the cause. Utilities should never be included in a rental especially students. There is no reason for you to be stuck with the last bill if a condition of move in is having utilities in the tenants name (or guarantor). The utility company goes after the tenant responsible for the bill not the owner of the property.

 

[kfort]

I had some success with this film in my primary residence.. I have a massive south facing window that is half moon shaped and has no blind on it and no air conditioning. It made a huge difference in the summer (temperature of the floor in section with tint was much lower than without) for how hot things got. Zero discernable difference in the winter. And I concur that it is a massive pita to install (well). I did one window by myself, on a ladder 15' in the air and just about sold my darn house it was so frustrating. The film would get trashed, it wont save much, if any, on heating, and it will create a time consuming install project for you. Don't do it. If you do move ahead with this, recruit a second, and even third set of hands.

 

[RascalHoudi]

My father-in-law likes the stuff, but would never pay Home Depot prices for it. He would find it in the dollar store much much cheaper. His windows are probably 60+ year old wooden frame single panes.



Unfortunately, his dollar store stopped carrying it this year so he didn't bother buying any at all.