01. What is V-KOOL® ?

V-KOOL® is the world's only clear, spectrally-selective applied film which transmits more than 70% of daylight while rejecting 98% of ultra-violet and 94% of infra-red heat. Spectrally-selective films have transparent, metallised coatings designed to transmit, reflect or absorb different wavelengths of the solar spectrum. In the case of V-KOOL®, it is designed specifically to be light ransmitting while heat reflective.

02. What are the primary benefits of V-KOOL® ?

V-KOOL® cuts down the sun's heat while letting in maximum amount of natural light. Quantitatively, it blocks off 94% of heat transmitted from the infra-red rays and also rejects 98% of the harmful ultra-violet rays that cause fading, and damage the skin & the eye. At the same time, it allows your windows and glass surfaces to remain clear by transmitting over 70% of visible light.

Whether you are car or house owner, you will be able to feel the difference of a cooler environment once the glass is coated with V-KOOL®.

03. What Competitive edge does V-KOOL® have over other products?

V-KOOL® is designed to replace retrofit tinted and reflective glazing or films and all other products that help control heat gain. Tinted glass or film cuts out the light while allowing infrared transmission. Dark tints have high heat absorption rate that result in radiant heat and create thermal stress on the glass.

Reflective glass or film works by equally reflecting all wavelengths across the solar bandwidth. Hence, to obtain better solar control, the visible light transmission has to be reduced and the visible light reflectivity will increase. In addition, reflective glass or film creates the 'one-way' mirror effect under certain lighting conditions. This means that views through these windows at night will be obscured because of internal reflection. It also becomes a safety and security hazard when applied onto car windows.

V-KOOL® can be applied to most clear or tinted windows including insulated glass. Unlike other conventional films with high heat absorption rate which may cause thermal breakages, V-KOOL® has high heat reflection properties and is low on absorption rate.

04. How does V-KOOL® lower electrical bills ?

V-KOOL® will reduce air conditioning operating costs while increasing the comfort level of homes, buildings and vehicles. V-KOOL® block off about 50% of the total solar energy gain through the windows. In addition, because V -KOOL® lets in more daylight than tinted or reflective films, home and building accupants will be able to reduce the use of interior lighting. Reducing the necessity for artificial lighting again reduces electricity cost.

05. Why can't curtains or blinds replace V-KOOL® ?

Curtains and blinds are measures to provide shade rather than reduce heat. Infra-red and ultra-violet rays would have already penetrated into the building. The absorbed solar energy will be re-radiated back into the interior. For V-KOOL®, more than 90% of infra-red ray is directly rejected upon hitting the surface of the glass, and it does not alter the aesthetics of the building.

06. Why is V-KOOL® more expensive than competitive films ?

V-KOOL® cannot be compared to other competitive films because it is the only spectrally-selective coating in the world. Other films are classified as conventional films, meaning that they are either tinted or reflective films. Tinted films require significantly less sophisticated technology to produce, hence the cost is low. Conventional reflective films utilise conventional evaporative deposition technologies, adapted from the same technology used to coat the insides of common potato chip packs.

Instead of looking at the initial cost of V-KOOL®, you should consider its life cycle cost as well as other intangible benefits. While there is a premium associated with the purchase, V-KOOL® reduces air conditioning operating cost, reduces fading damage to droperies and furnishings, allows occupants to use floor space near windows even in direct sunlight because of increased comfort-enhanced environments. It is a long term costing effective investment.

V-KOOL® is manufactured through multi-layered sputtering. The raw materials used and the high tech coating process which gives V KOOL® its unique performance are costly. For instance, the product uses pure silver- and indium oxide (even more costly than silver) to form the 7-layer V-KOOL® optical stack. These materials are deposited one layer at a time onto a super clear polyester substrate (only the top 1 % of all polyester that are produced daily in the world can meet our specifications) at a rate of 2m/min per layer. The custom built sputtering machine costs US$ 18 million. This is the same equipment used to deposited the radar evasive skin on the Stealth Bomber! As such, what you are getting is a deceptively clear looking V-KOOL® film, loaded with nothing but the best that tomorrow's technology can offer.

07. Does it have warranty ?

V-KOOL® comes with a manufacturer-backed warranty of 5 years against delamination, demetalisation, discoloration, peeling or cracking. The film has been tested beyond its warranty period. It has been subjected to Accelerated Weathering tests in accordance to ASTM where the test cycles simulate aging for many years.

08. What special solar overheating problems occur in retail establishments and restaurants ?

Street-level restaurant and retail operations face serious tradeoffs in attempting to mitigate solar heating. Tinted or reflective applied films may reduce solar heating but are not suitable. Restaurant and store manager rightfully fear that darkened windows would prevent passer-bys from seeing inside and observing the merchandise or the crowd of customers. Street- level retail facilities, in particular, benefit from V-KOOL® which block off solar heat and UV radiation, which maintaining clear visibility both inside and out.

09. Does V-KOOL® improve a window's insulation performance ?

While V-KOOL® is primarily a solar control product, it can increase the ability of existing glass to insulate against heat loss by as much as 5 to 15%. V-KOOL® has a U-value of 0.94 when applied on a 1/4" glass and an Emissivity value of 0.6. This means that V-KOOL® will not only significantly block solar heat, but will also generate modest increase in overall insulation performance.

In the tropics, the primary source of heat gain is through direct radiation rather than heat transfer through conduction.

10. Will V-KOOL® affect houseplants ?

V-KOOL® screens out almost all UV which is damaging to most green plants. V-KOOL® also effectively rejects the IR heat that may scorch plants. The visible spectrum (400nm - 700nm) is required for photosynthesis.

700 - 850nm are required for flowering process. The growth rate of plants varies with the type of plants and is dependent on other factors like water or nutrients or room for root growth besides light.

11. How is V-KOOL® applied ?

V-KOOL® is applied on the interior glass surface of the building by our professionally trained V-KOOL® installation specialists. It does not require removal of glass panes and no chemicals are used for installation.

12. Can V-KOOL® be scratched ?

V-KOOL® has passed the ASTM D- 1044 Scratch Resistant Test. When subjected to 100 cycle of a taber abrader at 500 gms/square inch pressure of steel wool, the result is less than 4% haze.

13. How long has V-KOOL® been on the market ? What product testing and verification of data are there ?

V-KOOL® was first installed in 1991 in the USA. Performance data were obtained using a Perkin-Elmer Lambda 9 Spectrophotometer in combination with the ' Window 4.0 Fenestration Program ' provided by the Windows and Daylighting Group at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratories, the world's foremost windows science group. It is also tested by Singapore (PSB), USA (DSET), Thailand (TISTR) and Malaysia (SIRIM), apart from numerous other leading institutes and laboratories.

14. Does V-KOOL meet the traffic regulation requirement?

For safety reasons, most countries require the front half of the car i.e. front windscreen, driver side window and co-driver window to maintain high visibility. V-KOOL film is the only film in the world that allows 73% of visible light transmission and yet cutting off 94% of infra-red heat. Its clarity meets traffic regulation around the world.

15. How long does installation take?

Depending on the size and model of the car, a medium sedan takes about 3 to 4 hours. A model that has a curvier windscreen (e.g. Volkswagen) may take 4 to 4.5 hours. A Multi-Purpose Van (MPV) would take about 5 hours. Installation bookings should be made at least 3 to 5 days in advance.

16. Why does other films take shorter time to install and V-KOOL require longer time?

V-KOOL is composed of 7 atomic metal layers using high tech sputtering process. With multiple layers of metallic coatings, the film requires greater technique and skill for installation. V-KOOL is a premier product with high quality and therefore deserves greater time and care in putting the film on. Other conventional dyed films are usually ordinary dyed films or reflective films with one layer of metal. These films are not densely coated and therefore can be installed in a much shorter time.

17. How do I clean the window after V-KOOL installation?

Normal cleaning is required. Do not use ammonia or alcohol based solution to clean windows. Just spray the coating with warm soapy water and wipe off lightly with a soft, clean cloth.