A visible light transmitting, near-infrared reflecting filter for a substrate, comprises a central group of layers (26) including two metal layers (32 and 36) separated by a spacer-layer (34) and bounded by admittance-matching layers (32 and 38). The spacer-layer has an optical thickness of less than one-half wavelength of visible light and the admittance-matching layers have an optical thickness of less than one-quarter wavelength of visible light. On each side of the central group is a group of layers (24 and 28) for boosting near infrared reflectivity of the filter, and for providing low reflection and high transmission for visible light. Each of these near-infrared-reflection-boosting groups including a high refractive index layer (40 and 42) and at least one low refractive index layer (46 and 48). The high index layer has an optical thickness of about one-quarter wavelength at a near-infrared wavelength, and the low refractive index layer has a refractive index of less than one-quarter wavelength at the near-infrared wavelength.