Jenni
Member
We built our house facing true north with a lot of glass to capture the winter sun. The only thing is i think we overdid it and I am finding the glare too much in winter mainly from the high windows.
Is there any disadvantages to us tinting the clerestory windows? And are there types of tinting that would be preferable?
cool at home
Member
We tinted all the windows in our home, including the northern windows, with a greyish tint, the best available at the time in Comfortplus glass (8 years ago). We bitterly regret as we have to turn the lights on too much in winter, and the tinting is woefully inadequate in summer. "Clear tint" is now available and would probably be much better.
Can't really comment on glare from winter sun... we are surrounded by trees (on neighbours properties) which is brilliant in summer but not in winter... but in summer we found the only thing that worked is fully retractable cotton canvas awnings. Of course external louvre awnings would also work on clerestory windows.
dymonite69
Member
How about a light shelf to bounce light towards the ceiling.
Be careful with tinting double glazing after installation as you can sometimes cause thermal stress on the glass. How about some blinds that fit between the glazing bead and the glass?
dubbo teacher
Member
Seems a little odd to complain about 'glare' in winter time.Glare = warmth which is no burden on a cold morning or afternoon. More likely the problem with glare is sun shining directly onto the tv screen. That problem can be solved by having the tv on the north wall
Gandini
Member
Te reduce glare, try some old technology - curtains!
We have see through mesh curtains that we use in summer to reduce glare or you could use heavier ones to cut it out all together at certain times of the day or year.
Curtains should be mandatory on all windows to reduce heat gain in summer and heat loss in winter.
sandystone
Member
Putting tinted windows on the north is a problem, as it is going to minimise solar gain over the winter. (Correct eave design will largely cut the solar gain over the summer.)
If glare is a major issue, then venetians can be adjusted to deflect the light , while only marginally reducing winter heat gain.
The venetians are next to useless for minimising heat loss in the winter, so heavy curtains and pelmets or cellular blinds should be used in a association with the venetians in this case
