Double Glazing On The Web

83.5 % of people looking to rent in the UK look for double glazing. In a survey commissioned by the government-funded Energy Efficiency Partnership for Homes, location was a tenant’s No.1 priority, however five out of the remaining eight top reasons for choosing a property are all energy-related:

98.5% look for central heating

83.5% take whether a property is double glazed into consideration

72.5% look for gas, electricity or oil economy

68.6% for insulation and 68.3% for general warmth.

It appears that energy efficient homes are becoming a priority for homeowners, landlords and tenants alike. This is no doubt driven by the financial impact of running an energy efficient home, but it is also great news for the environment.

In a bid to stop people turning to cowboy workmen, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has urged the government to drop VAT on home renovations, such as double glazing, insulation and other improvement work from the current level of 15%t to just 5%.

Supported by the National Home Improvement Council (NHIC), the FSB acknowledges that by avoiding VAT, cowboy builders have been able to offer discounts on work. The warning to homeowners is that employing an unqualified builder can prove a false economy as projects are left unfinished and can often fail to meet necessary standards.

A quarter of British homeowners are now planning to build themselves out of trouble, according to financial advice website Unbiased.co.uk. But what changes will add value to your property?
Hugo Tugman, founder of Architect Your Home, suggests that any long-term improvements should focus on creating more space. “If you do need to add space, the next best option is to extend upwards – converting a loft is one of the most cost-effective ways to add space. The next option is to extend outwards with a single or double-storey extension.” Speaking in The Independent, May 24th 2009.
Loft conversions can also add both space and value, but homeowners must check with the planning office before making a start.
Given that many people are looking for homes that are environmentally sound and therefore cheaper to run, replacing existing windows with double glazing or installing double glazing and other energy-efficient forms of insulation when extending your property, is another simple way of keeping and even increasing the value in your home.

MP Claims for double glazing. This is not only old news by today’s standards, but it’s also rather dull. The news that MP’s have been claiming hand over fist for all sorts of weird and wonderful things that are not strictly in the tax payers interest or in line with them actually doing their jobs, has been done to death by the media over the past weeks.

Shock horror – MP’s are corrupt, who would have thought it? Surely this is a new phenomenon because they have developed such gleaming credentials for integrity and morality over the centuries, something terrible must have happened to throw them all off course … yarda, yarda, yarda. 

Double glazing on the other hand, sadly for those of us not above the law, is a necessary cost for every savvy homeowner. The reduction of noise levels, heat loss and environmental damage alone, make it the only sensible option for glazing your home, be it replacing old windows or installing glazing into an extension or conservatory, it is the only way to go.

On a more positive note, even though we have to pay for it ourselves, using Double Glazing On The Web means that double glazing our homes will cost an awful lot less than the average MP’s expenses!

In a recent article for The Guardian, Peter Tatchell strongly pushed the policies of the Green Party. Stating unequivocally that; “the Greens are now the most progressive force in British politics, with a visionary agenda for grassroots democracy, social justice, human rights, global equity, environmental protection, peace and internationalism.”

The article continued to offer up the Green Party as a replacement to the current labour government and laid out some clear-cut suggestions as to how they would deal the with current economic crisis facing the country whilst simultaneously fighting climate change. It seems the creation of ‘Green Collar’ jobs it at the heart of tackling unemployment:

“We would put money into energy conservation, which would lead to tens of thousands of jobs in double-glazing, loft insulation and the fitting of energy efficient boilers. This would also help cut fuel poverty and reduce household energy bills.”

It seems that good double glazing not only saves you money and does wonders for your green credentials, but it is also winning votes!

The effect of the recession on householder’s confidence, coupled with the decline in new builds, is having a knock-on impact on the glazing industry. Fewer new builds means fewer new windows and doors. Fewer home improvements mean fewer replacement windows and doors…

There’s no denying that it’s tough and is going to get tougher, although industry will always find a way to adapt and some are better placed than others to weather the storm. South coast based Double Glazing On The Web for example, is an established glazing firm which recognizes the benefits of the internet in reducing costs and overheads, whilst maximizing their client base.

 Web-based sales provide considerable advantages to the sellers, but more importantly they are very customer driven, making the whole buying experience easier and less invasive to for the client. To find out more visit: www.doubleglazingontheweb.co.uk