Solar control window film · heat, glare & UV

Keep the light. Lose the heat.

Solar control window film is a thin, optically engineered film bonded to existing glass that rejects solar heat, cuts glare and blocks 99% or more of UV — without replacing a single window. Epic installs the 3M sun-control line nationwide, from virtually clear Prestige and Ceramic to reflective Affinity and Silver, exterior-applied films for glass that cannot be filmed from inside, and All Season Low-E for buildings that are hot in July and cold in January. Every recommendation starts with your elevations, not a price list.

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Eight 3M sun-control families
Chosen by elevation, not by catalog
Facility Energy Analysis before you buy
Certified in-house crews

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Start with the glass

Which elevation is the problem?

West glass and south glass rarely want the same film. Start with what the building is doing to the people inside it; the family that answers it is on the card.

Hot perimeter offices, high cooling load

Up to 97% of infrared heat and up to 79% of total solar energy rejected before it reaches the room. Fewer hot-and-cold calls, less thermostat fighting, lower peak load.

3M Prestige 3M Affinity 3M Silver

Glare on screens and whiteboards

Cuts glare up to 83–90% while keeping the view — and, with Night Vision, without turning the glass into a mirror after dark.

3M Night Vision 3M Affinity 3M Ceramic

Fading floors, furnishings and inventory

Blocks 99%+ of UV, the largest single cause of fading, with no change to the look of the glass. Recommended by the Skin Cancer Foundation.

3M Prestige 3M Ceramic

The glass must stay invisible

Non-metallic, virtually clear films: no mirror, no color shift, no interference with Wi-Fi, cellular or building systems. The film architects specify.

3M Prestige 3M Ceramic

Dual-pane, tinted, laminated or unreachable glass

Exterior-applied films put the performance on the outside surface, where interior film is not the right call for the glass or the access.

3M Prestige Exterior 3M Silver

Single-pane glass that is cold in winter

Low-emissivity film rejects summer heat and reflects room heat back inside in heating months — the year-round option for older glass.

3M All Season Low-E

A uniform facade on a budget

Dual-reflective neutral films give the street one even grey plane and the tenants a softer interior; silver gives the most heat rejection per dollar.

3M Neutral 3M Silver

Every Epic Certified Installation Specialist is an Epic employee, trained and certified in-house — sun-control film is never subcontracted. The badge on the shirt is the same one on the van and on this page. How Epic trains and certifies →

See the difference

Every 3M shade on real glass. Inside and from the street.

Scene

Series

Shade · % light through

Non-metallic, multi-layer optical film: rejects up to 97% of infrared heat with low reflectivity and no signal interference. Five shades.

Drag the handle on the photo to compare.

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WithoutWith Epic · 3M Ceramic 35

Rendering…

Light coming through the glass

Clear glass · 88%

With film · 39%

Solar heat coming through the glass

Clear glass · 83%

With film · 39%

—Solar heat rejected

—Glare reduced

—Light transmitted

—UV blocked

——Product page →Get a quote Request a sample

Rendering is computed from the film’s published optical values applied only to the glass in each photo (clear-glass baseline: 88% VLT, 8% exterior reflectance). This is a simulation; actual appearance varies with glass type, sun angle and shade — we put real samples on your real glass before you decide.

Open the full visualizer

The numbers

What 3M sun-control film does to a building’s glass.

97%

Infrared heat rejected (Prestige)

79%

Total solar energy rejected (Affinity, Silver)

99.9%

UV blocked

2–6 yrs

Typical energy payback

Based on 3M published product data for the shade and glass noted on each spec card. Building results vary by exposure, glass type and HVAC. Ask for a building-specific estimate.

Free download · 2 pages

Epic spec card: 3M Prestige Series

97% IR rejection, non-metallic, virtually clear.

Free download · 5 pages · also in Word

Section 08 87 13 — Solar Control Window Film

CSI three-part guide specification, Epic as basis of design.

Cooler in summer. Warmer in winter.

Heat rejection★★★★★Winter insulation★★★★★Visible light transmission★★★☆☆

Specs & spec card →

Compare every 3M film Epic installs

Why sun-control film from Epic — the name is the standard

Expertise. Precision. Innovation. Credibility.

Expertise

Inventor-led · 100% in-house certified crews

Precision

Epic Precision cutting · the Epic Method

Innovation

Patent-pending method · proprietary software

Credibility

3M Dealer of the Year, years running · references on file

Watch · 0:30

Who shows up when you call Epic.

The crews, the shop, the method and the buildings — the whole company in thirty seconds, before you read a word about film.

See how every lite is cut before the crew arrives →

Recent sun-control work

Offices and a state agency headquarters.

All projects →

Aerial view of a low office building roof with a long blue-tinted skylight run — **Atrium skylights** · 3M film, seen from above

Conference room with floor-to-ceiling glass after solar film — **Conference room** · heat and glare down, view unchanged

Interior atrium with timber columns and a glass skylight overhead — **Atrium skylights** · Oklahoma Dept. of Wildlife Conservation

Facility energy analysis · an Epic tool

Pick the film by the number, not the name.

Epic’s Facility Energy Analysis runs every 3M sun-control film against your building’s glass, HVAC and utility rate, by elevation, and ranks them by annual savings and payback — before anyone quotes a square foot.

Run your building

FAQ

Solar control window film questions

What is solar control window film?

Solar control (sun control) window film is a thin, optically engineered film bonded to the inside or outside of existing glass to reject solar heat, cut glare and block ultraviolet light — without replacing the window. 3M’s architectural films range from virtually clear (Prestige, Ceramic) to reflective (Affinity, Silver), and each is rated on visible light transmitted, total solar energy rejected, glare reduction and UV rejection on a published 3M data sheet. Epic shows those figures on every product page and spec card.

How much heat does window film actually block?

It depends on the shade and the film. On 1/4" clear glass, 3M Prestige rejects up to 97% of infrared heat; Affinity and Silver reject up to 79% of total solar energy; Ceramic and Night Vision sit in between with less reflectivity. The right question is not the biggest number — it is which number your building needs on each elevation. Epic’s Facility Energy Analysis models every 3M film against your glass, HVAC and utility rate and ranks them by savings.

What is the payback on solar control film?

Energy films typically pay back in 2–6 years depending on glass exposure, HVAC efficiency and utility rates — shorter on west-facing single-pane glass. A 3M-commissioned ConSol analysis documented an Affinity payback under three years. Epic runs a building-specific estimate as part of a free assessment, and some utilities offer rebates.

Will the building look mirrored or dark?

Not unless you want it to. 3M Prestige and Ceramic are non-metallic and virtually clear, so the exterior appearance is unchanged. Neutral keeps a soft grey tone; Affinity and Silver are reflective on purpose, for daytime privacy and maximum heat rejection. The visualizer on this page shows each film on real glass from inside and from the street.

Is window film safe on dual-pane or tinted glass?

Some films are and some are not; the wrong film on the wrong glass can cause thermal stress. That is why film selection on tinted, laminated or insulated glass requires Epic’s glass survey before installation, and why 3M offers exterior-applied films — Prestige Exterior, Silver 15 and Silver 35 Exterior — for units that should not be filmed from inside. Epic’s installation guarantee sits on top of 3M’s commercial warranty when the film is matched to the glass.

Does window film interfere with Wi-Fi or cell signal?

Metallized films can. 3M Prestige and Ceramic are non-metallic and do not interfere with Wi-Fi, cellular, GPS or building automation signals.

Can film be installed while the building is occupied?

Yes — that is most of our work. Interior application, no construction, and Epic’s own certified crews work floor by floor or after hours. Every lite is measured, cut and kitted in Epic Precision, our proprietary cutting process department, before the crew arrives — tighter to the opening than a hand cut, and with no nicked edge, because a nick is where a film tears when it is ever asked to hold. No rolls on site, no cutting table in the lobby; a tenant sees a two-person team for a morning.

Request a free glass assessment

Address, building type and which elevations are the problem. A Solutions Advisor surveys the glass, recommends by elevation and sends a written estimate — with an energy payback when it applies.

Get started

Solar control window film · heat, glare & UV