Posted By Jane Blunt Dear Michelle Could you clarify your question. It reads as though you are worried about whether the film will prevent people from exiting through the window. On the other hand you also refer to it being 'shrunk to size' but at the same time being applied direct to the glass. I am familiar with secondary double glazing that is applied to the frame and shrunk to remove the wrinkles. Often the window opening handle would be between the applied layer and the glass. However, unless opening the window is part of your means of escape, there should be no problem. Or have I misunderstood? Jane

Posted By George Wedgwood I would advise that the process should be risk assessed and recorded, using specialist advice (available from the Glass and Glazing Federation for example) to qualify the materials, process of application and competency of persons carrying out the work. One problem I have come across is the application of such plastic film (directly to glass)to prevent shattering in the event of it being hit. The glass in question was toughened and had previously 'spontaneously' exploded, with the fragments narrowly missing an employee. A plastic film was specified by someone to prevent it shattering, but the actual outcome was that now, instead of shattering into tiny fragments, the glass could now fall out as a complete sheet, providing a much more significany risk to anyone passing underneath! The application of plastic film to cut down heat loss has been useful in the past but modern double glazing is very efficient,(yes, more expensive but very long lasting) and avoids the problems of compliance with Building Regs, which could be cited in your case if you are regarded as changing the specification of the window. This bit is worth checking out with your Local Authority Technical Services dept.

Posted By Michelle Driscoll Thanks for the advice - the window is not an exit route and the reason we have chose this method is that our lease runs out in 2005 and this is the most temporary cost effective method. As the building is a single story the risk of the whole window falling out is nil so the main points to assess will be the method of application and the streeses upon the window after application.

Posted By Nick House Hi Michelle - you say that the risk of the window falling as a complete sheet is nil as you are in a single storey building. The risk is still present, and should still be assessed if there are footpaths, car parking areas, cycle racks etc in the vicinity of the 'fall area', as in the event that a window should fall out (for whatever reason) passers by and/ or property could still be affected. Regards Nick.

Posted By Michelle Driscoll Thanks for all the information. Basically the fuel bills for this small office are very high, so we were merely seeking a short-term solution to improve some of the insulation values around the rather draughty windows. The lighting is very good and all the staff have been consulted about the repercusions on their natural light. With your info we were able to risk assess this and provide staff will all the detail they required Michelle

Posted By Jack I'm sure Daves right. I hadn't read this one properly. Surely sticking film to the glass (with no separation distance) can't have any significant insulation benefits?