Save money and energy with new windows
Are you losing heat through your windows due to single panes or aged double glazing? Then replacing your windows is probably the best course of action you can take for a warmer, more efficient home.
Double glazed or triple glazed windows will insulate your home and make it much more efficient, meaning that you keep warm and you save money on your energy bills at the same time. Replacing your windows can reduce your energy bills by up to £175 a year and could increase your property’s value. It will also make your home quieter and more secure.
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According to the British Fenestration Rating Council, replacement windows can reduce your energy usage by as much as 18% because of the higher level of heat retention in your home.
Windows are the weak spots in the overall thermal efficiency of your home. If you insulate the rest of a house but ignore the glazing, you will end up with cold spots around the windows, which cause drafts and draw heat out of the room.
It also causes considerable condensation on the windows. By replacing your windows with double or triple glazing, and thereby improve your home’s thermal efficiency, you could shave hundreds from your energy bills.
As well as giving you a warmer home in the winter months, double glazing has many benefits over single glazing; your property is better insulated, there are fewer draughts and cheaper heating bills and using less fuel means you reduce your carbon footprint.
Double glazing keeps the noise out and reduces the amount of condensation on the inside of your windows. Also, double glazed glass is more difficult to break than single glazing so increases the security in your home.
When the sun shines, windows will absorb heat. The energy rating of windows, from A to G, reflect this absorption of heat. The top rating is given to windows that absorb as much heat as they lose, and this includes both double and triple glazed windows.
The most energy efficient windows are those of an A+ rating, which allow more energy into a property than they lose, which is known as solar gain. The Energy Saving Trust says that if you replaced the windows of a 3-bedroomed semi-detached house with A-rated glass, you’d save up to £110 per year.
Significant improvements to the manufacturing process of double glazing have led to a much better-quality product than the former days of double glazing. Double glazed windows now have wider cavities between the two glass panes, low-emission coatings added to the glass to retain heat; the cavity is filled with argon, and the aluminium spacers surrounding the glazed units have been replaced. This all results in much-improved insulation.
Triple glazing is the latest in window insulation technology and is even more efficient and effective at insulating your home than double glazing.
It uses three panes of glass separated by argon gas. This means it has an extra layer of glass to insulate your home, allowing much less heat to escape and improving energy efficiency by as much as 35% compared to double glazing, thereby reducing heating bills and allowing you to maintain a steady temperature in your home.
The PassivHaus Institute has shown how the different types of glazing affect the retention of heat when it’s cold outside, and the internal air temperature is at 21°C:
With triple glazing, you’ll notice a quieter, more peaceful home, especially if you live near a busy road. The thicker layers of glass of triple glazing act as the noise barrier, meaning that noise insulation is much improved. The security is increased too, meaning that your home is protected from intruders.
Are there any downsides to triple glazing? Well, some people argue that triple glazing isn’t needed in a climate like the UK. Triple glazing costs more to produce, and results in much heavier windows.
Until July 2015, homeowners were eligible to apply for a government grant called The Green Deal. This funding allowed homeowners to cover the cost of installation of energy efficiency measures such as double glazing. Unfortunately, The Green Deal grant scheme ended after poor take-up due to high-interest rates and contract issues. As yet, nothing has replaced The Green Deal.
However, many window companies now offer some very competitive finance options, such as interest-free repayment plans, which means that you can replace your windows with double or triple glazing and take advantage of a warmer home, reduced heating bills and more security for much less.
The savings you make on your energy bills will, in time, recoup the initial outlay for the windows, making them a worthwhile investment that pays for itself.
If you’re considering replacing your windows with double or triple glazing you could save hundreds by comparing the prices of trusted local double glazing companies. Simply complete the form to begin the process, and we’ll find the best deal for you by comparing the prices of the best window providers in the UK.
