Double Glazing On The Web

Stephen Waddington, managing director of Speed, a London-based multi-sector PR firm, writes some great pieces for an environmental site called Greenbang. He and his family are attempting to renovate a 300-year farmhouse whilst maintaining their eco principals.

Currently he’s come up against the complex absurdities that can permeate English Heritage, in particular in regards to windows and ethical double glazing. He puts his point across so well I thought it was worth sharing…

“I’ve done the sums. Unplugging the TV at night or using eco-light bulbs doesn’t make a blind bit difference when more than 30 per cent of the energy used to heat a house is disappearing though the windows.

Both solar panels and double glazing are dismissed on grounds of authenticity. Solar I can understand, but the argument that sympathetic double glazing would change the character of the building is beyond me, especially with the quality of craftsmanship available in the UK. But, according to preservationists historical detail must be the top priority where a historic building is concerned.

A study by management consultants McKinsey more than 18 months ago found that emissions from buildings generate two-thirds of London’s CO2 and that the greatest reduction could be achieved through improved insulation. Domestic insulation makes both economic and environmental sense.”

I couldn’t find a better recommendation for the benefits of double glazing if I tried. Luckily (or not, as the case may be), the majority of us do not live in listed buildings, leaving us free to reap all the rewards, environmental and financial, that good insulation can offer.

I know they won’t fit in a stocking, they don’t smell fancy and you certainly can’t wear them, but you’d be surprised how many people are getting them for Christmas.

It seems the credit crunch has left people disillusioned with Christmas; the same old rubbish and useless gift packs flood back into the shops and we find ourselves buying for the sake of buying, recycling the novelty hot chocolate kit or fragranced cooking oil, careful not to give it back to the person we received it from last year… it’s not even the money anymore, although that’s certainly important, it’s more seeing through the sheer nonsense of it all.

Seen in this light, it’s easy to see why couples in particular, are forgoing the usual exchange of gifts and pooling their money instead for more practical purchases such as energy efficient windows. Sounds boring I know, but the benefits are permanent: reduced carbon foot print, reduced waste energy, reduced energy bills, kinder to the environment, home improvement… the list goes on.

Practical? Absolutely. Exciting? Certainly not, but then they’re not going to be left at the back of the draw until next Christmas either. Just make sure you talk it over with the wife before swapping the Channel for the upvc!

Being ‘green’ is a new trend!  Even the celebs are getting onboard, shamelessly plugging their new products and services.  Are you following the herd?  How green is your home?  (Tut tut if your television is on standby!)  The best home improvement that you can make is to ensure your home is running efficiently.  Who would have thought that the words ‘home improvement’ and ‘save money’ could be used in the same sentence!   

Being green is not just about recycling the bottles of Shiraz you bitterly regret on Sunday morning; you can actually save some real cash here folks!  It’s so simple and the best place to start with your energy usage.  Do you have a timer set for your heating?   How well are you keeping that heat in?  There are many low cost measures like a new set of heavy curtains to block out draft and keep heat in.  Draft blockers along the bottoms of your doors can also make a huge difference and speaking of doors, double glazed front and back doors are not only more secure and easier to clean than traditional wooden frames, but can seriously improve your home insulation.

Recycling has become much easier as well with most Councils providing a separate bin for recyclable items.  You can recycle indoors as well, instead of throwing away your Saturday night take-away boxes, give them a wash and use them for storage! 

Just changing your habits and attitudes toward being ‘green’ is a start.  Everyone can help and everyone will benefit from doing so.

With the world’s leaders meeting in Copenhagen this December for the UN summit on Climate Change, the government is coming under increasing pressure to meet our CO2 emissions targets. Frankly, as a leading developed nation, the UK’s performance to date has been shameful. Therefore The Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF) are gaining support for their petitioning of the government to introduce a Windows Scrappage Scheme.

If granted the scheme would operate in a similar fashion to the controversial (and not very green) vehicle scrappage scheme, effectively allowing householders and landlords to renew old and badly fitted windows with a cash incentive of £1000, providing it is used to buy professionally installed, energy efficient double glazing.

With the glazing industry currently representing in the region of 100,000 jobs, it is hoped that as well as reducing CO2 emissions, it would also boost employment figures, not to mention reducing consumer’s energy bills.

The petition is available on the official website of the Prime Minister: http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/windowscrappage.

Are you familiar with this scenario, “he started off quoting X for our conservatory and, after four calls to his manager, came down on his offer by two thirds, but we had to decide immediately and give him a 20% deposit”?

Not surprisingly people are getting wise to this form of pressurized selling, the result is that rising stars in the internet based glazing industry don’t mess around with pricing, they offer one price and one price only - the very best they can offer, with no hidden discounts or schemes and the price is the same if you order one window or ten.

What’s more, you go to them if and when you need new or replacement windows or doors- there’s no knocking on doors or cold calling. Successful double glazing firms in these troubled times, have recognized that to be successful  in today’s very competitive market, the sales pitch and the entire sales process, needs to be as transparent as the windows themselves.

Handy Tip:
When receiving a quote for new or replacement glazing, the quotation should be equally transparent, broken down comprehensively to the nearest 1p. You should be able to see the net cost for a full technical survey, the cost of the frames, the glass in the frames, installation, fixing and even the sealants used.

Price, Service and Quality – not the first things to pop into your head when thinking about double glazing salesmen? It’s a real shame that the old stereotype has yet to die, even though in the real world he’s long gone. All stereotypes are based on truth somewhere along the line: in the late 80’s you couldn’t open your front door without falling over a double glazing salesman on your doorstep. By the early 90’s chances were when you picked up the phone there’d be a double glazing salesman on the end of the line desperate to sell you a deal! Not so anymore.

The industry has been plagued with the bad name it developed in those early days, so much so that double glazing firms in the 21st century have had to dramatically rethink their approach. Glazing firms have had to adapt to the marketplace like everybody else, in today’s customer driven world, it’s always price, service and quality which drive sales and brings in repeat custom.

Fact: Double glazing increases the energy efficiency of your home, therefore reducing climate change and your energy bills.

Problem: The government recognise this fact and in a desperate attempt to reach their target for reducing carbon dioxide emissions from home heating by 29 per cent, there are rumours circulating that homes without double glazing could end up falling into higher council tax bands as a green penalty.

This appears to be countermanded by similar rumours concerning a detailed tax on properties, which takes into account views, conservatories and … you guessed it Double Glazing!

Does the term ‘dammed if you do, dammed if you don’t’ spring to mind?

The government are backing a new competition launched this month designed to promote energy efficiency within Britain’s communities.  

British Gas who are currently spear heading the environmental message, will donate £2 million to be distributed amongst community groups best able to make use of measures such as double glazing and insulation.

The scheme is designed to help generate energy-saving ideas for public buildings throughout the UK.

Yet more proof that simple measures like double glazing, really can make a difference in reducing the nations carbon emissions not to mention our heating bills!

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!

PVC is low in its use of resources. Its production costs are moderate and it has low maintenance requirements. The PVC Aware campaign has been launched, primarily targeting the public sector, to promote the environmental benefits of PVC when used for window frames etc…

Surprising as this might be to some people, PVC does have genuine green credentials, being 100% recyclable. A quote from the  campaign website reads: “PVC, especially when used in such products as window and door frames, may be continuously recycled in a closed loop with the recycled material being used again and again in new window frames and other building products.”

PVC Aware campaign is also being supported by the Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF) who congratulated the organizers on providing customers with the necessary facts to make an informed choice, rather than relying on often media generated ill-formed opinion.

PVC window frames received an A+ rating in the BRE Green Guide www.thegreenguide.org.uk