Is there a diffrence between solar film and anti-glare

[Stuart Miller]

Yes & No.
One way vision film (as opposed to contra vision) is just a strong (Low Visible Light Transmission) silver reflective film.
The same film will typically reduce glare between 80% & 95% depending on its strength. As Glare and Visible light transmission are the same thing.

However to stop sunlight doing damage to things (as in fading) you do not need a strong solar film. This is because the main component of solar radiation which causes fading is UV light which is invisible. It is therefore possible to stop 99% of the UV radiation with a completely clear film which drastically reduces fading.

Causes of fading
UV light responsible for 40%
Solar Energy (Infra Red heat) 25%
Visible Light 25%
Miscellaneous (such as dyes degenerating) 10%

Therefore you can reduce fading even more than just getting rid of the UV by using a darker film as this eats into the Solar Energy and Visible light portion of the causes. So The darker the film the better protection. One has to take into account the clients needs, expectations and personal preference as a balancing act between how dark they want to go against the protection they want.
ie. on a shop window you can only use a light film as people still need to see through the glass, whereas on a bedroom skylight you could use a strong film (same as one way vision) as this would give the best protection.

hope that explains it better for you.
Stuart

[Stephen Henderson]

Thanks Stuart