Cost Comparison: Window Film vs Blinds, Air-Conditioning and more…

Summer’s here. Sun is belting down. Time to make the most of your conservatory.

But it’s too hot, and the glare in your eyes is unbearable — basically it’s too uncomfortable to relax and make the most of the weather.

So — what do you do?

There are several approaches you can take to tackle this problem. All have their strengths and weaknesses. But which gives you the best all-round economy and efficiency for your money?

Blinds

You can have tailor-made blinds fitted. These can add a touch of elegance to the room, are adjustable to suit the conditions and are good at cutting out the daylight. No surprise really — it’s pretty much what they’re designed for! 

But…

High quality bespoke blinds are expensive to produce and fit. They do look good — but depending on the weather — they may have to be fully pulled down to work efficiently (which means you don’t get to enjoy the view) or worse, they need constant adjustment to maintain the desired result.

Air Conditioning

What about air-conditioning? A professionally installed system — or even a decent portable unit — can radically reduce the heat and control the climate to the point of perfection.

But…

A proper system is costly and can be quite an upheaval to install. They are also noisy — even the quiet ones. And they don’t deal with the aspect of glare at all. They can also be costly to run.

Re-Roofing

All that glass. And it seemed like such a good idea to go the whole hog and have a beautiful fully glazed roof too. But when the sun beats down the heat and glare are magnified. There is nowhere to hide.

Another potential solution is re-roofing. Replacing the glass with other traditional roofing materials that don’t let the light through fixes the problem.

But…

It sort of ruins the idea of a ‘glazed’ natural daylight room. And what’s the point of a conservatory if you’re going to blocking out the view?

Window Film

Hi-tech window film, professionally installed, is virtually invisible, reduces heat and glare by up to 80% and cuts out harmful UV rays (which can damage fabrics and make furnishings fade) by up to 99%!

It’s relatively quick and simple to install, lasts for years, is easy to clean and maintain and can even add safety, security and privacy to your home* 

Now — the clincher…

Window film costs on average less than 25% of the cost of installing blinds — and can be even more economical when compared to installing Air-Con (where not only the installation can be expensive and noisy but the ongoing running costs can be a problem too)

So that’s basically a 75% saving — and not only does it cost much less, it’s also the simplest, most effective and unobtrusive solution.

Really. It’s a no-brainer!

Case Study

One of our clients had a large conservatory with real heat and glare issues. So, they had expensive blinds professionally installed at considerable cost, hoping to fix the problem.

Unfortunately the end result — whilst looking very nice – didn’t work efficiently and failed to fix things.

Ultimately they asked Durable to fit window film (ironically protecting the fabric of the new blinds from harmful UV rays and fading).

The end result was a big success, allowing our client to use the room in comfort whatever the weather.

The blinds are still there — but are hardly ever used as the window film does the job without them!