Like getting your car windows tinted, getting your home windows tinted can serve several purposes.

Architectural Digest explains some of the benefits of window tinting:

• Energy Efficiency: Tinting your windows can help cut your electric bill. When the light comes through your windows, the heat does, too. This makes your air conditioner work harder and costs you more money. Tinted windows can block that heat and ease the demands on your AC. If you have older windows, tinting them can be a much more cost-effective project than replacing them.
  
  
• Protecting your belongings: Incoming sunlight can damage your carpets, furniture, and art. Tinting your windows can protect these belongings from fading and discoloration and help them last longer.
  
  
• Privacy: If you don't have shades or blinds on your windows, tinting can help protect your privacy. An added benefit is that it doesn't block the light, unlike shades or blinds.
  
  
• Safety: Window tinting won't protect your windows from an errant baseball, but it does make it harder for someone to get into your home through a window. Also, if there is a storm or other disaster, flying debris may damage your windows, but the tinting materials will keep the glass from shattering.
  
  
• UV Protection: No matter how careful you are about sun exposure, you probably don't wear sunscreen inside your home. But if you have large, exposed windows, you can still feel the effects of UV rays while inside. Window tinting will help protect your skin.
  
  

When looking for window tinting, you might start by contacting window contractors. The same businesses that install windows can also handle tinting projects. You may also find that some companies that do auto window tinting also do residential window tinting.

Before you start speaking with potential contractors, think through what you want to accomplish by tinting your windows. Is your main concern energy efficiency or privacy? What are your aesthetic priorities? These factors will affect what kind of window tint you want installed.

Whenever you are starting a home improvement project, you should ask friends and neighbors for referrals to companies they have successfully used for their own homes. Get at least three estimates in writing. And don't automatically choose the least expensive option – especially if it is significantly cheaper than the others.

Some of the other questions you should consider and make sure you discuss with potential installers are:

• Does the contractor supply the window film? Do they have the type of film you want to use?
• Is the company insured and bonded?
• If you have any tinting on your windows already, is removal included in the cost of your project?
• Do they charge extra for unique or unusually shaped windows?

For more help with all your home projects, visit BBB's home HQ and the Home Improvement HQ. You can also find window installers, heating/air conditioner companies, and auto window tinting companies near you.