Double Glazing On The Web

Ok, so there’s frost on the ground, it’s dark at 4:30pm and there’s talk of more snow… You could be forgiven for not putting those new patio doors at the top of your priority list.  In fact if you’re anything like me, you don’t so much as venture into the back garden between October and May, but trust me, come the odd day or two of British summertime, you’ll wish you’d planned ahead!

Picture it now; smart new double glazed patio doors leading directly onto your lawn.  This year you’ll enjoy serene evenings with just the summer breeze and the sound of the dusk symphony from the song thrush.  You can be looking out through your patio doors at the frosty mornings, the drizzled afternoons and the snowy winter evenings whilst enjoying all the extra heat that you may have been losing before choosing double glazing.
 
The rate this year is flying by, summer will be here before you know it… better get stuck in on the weeding then!

That awful time of year is upon us once again and no I don’t mean Christmas. If you were pleasantly surprised by your last energy bill don’t be fooled, as I am every year - remember that the bill would be for your last quarter (July – September), so sadly folks it won’t be long until the dreaded (October – December) bill comes crashing through the letterbox or down your broadband connection and you’ll have to pay the price for being all warm and cosy during the colder weather.

Don’t be disheartened, there is a solution!  Double glazing can reduce your energy use enormously.  Your heating bills can be shrunk by scrapping those drafty old timber windows and installing new double glazed windows.  Not only will you make a saving on your energy use, heating bills and carbon footprint, but your property will instantly become more desirable and could increase in value. 

Admittedly, energy prices are perhaps a little out of our control at the moment, but you certainly can control how much of it you use!

Did you know that when you have your windows fitted by a FENSA registered installer, you will receive a certificate from your local council which goes in your properties HIP?

The government introduced the HIP Home Information Pack, to aid home buyers as part of the 2004 Housing Act. Essentially a set of documents concerning the property, they contain an energy performance certificate, details of local authority searches, title documents, guarantees etc. They became mandatory for homes with four or more bedrooms from 1 August 2007 and were extended to three-bedroom properties from 10 September 2007.

Professionally installed double glazing has a significant impact on your homes carbon footprint. So much so that local councils feel the need to document the quality of your double glazing and more importantly, the fact that your new windows were installed by FENSA a registered company.

The bottom-line is that if you are investing in new windows or any double glazing upgrade, then it is well worth sourcing a reputable double glazing firm. Check that they trade in high quality raw products i.e. uPVC and toughened glass and that they are FENSA registered with an experienced team of fitters.

With the big freeze still bearing down upon us, for many without double glazed windows it can’t help to learn that up to 50% of the heat in our homes is lost through our windows and that’s while the windows are closed! This equates roughly to £135 per year for an average household, or for the environmentally conscious, that’s around 720kg of CO2.

It’s no wonder then that as the cold weather continues, across the country there has been a noticeable increase in double glazing enquiries for new double glazed windows. Similarly there’s been a dramatic rise in interest in new boilers…strange that. The trouble is that doubled glazed windows, just like boilers and water tanks, don’t rate highly on many of our ‘things we would like’ lists – it’s not until they shoot to the top of the ‘things I really must get’ list that we actually do something about it.

It’s a shame because although few people start to shop around for boilers or double glazing in August when the weather’s nice, that’s likely to be the time when the best bargains are to be found. Leave it till the heating’s broken or your energy bills are the equivalent to burning £5 notes for warmth and it’s guaranteed that every engineer and double glazing fitter in the country will be rushed off their feet!

OK I’ve heard it all now – always with my ear to the ground for all things Double Glazing, never did I think I’d come across a car with it installed! Apparently I was wrong though. According to Girlracer website, the superior interior of the Audi A8 is indeed ‘shielded from the elements by double glazing’ well I never!
Read more on the website though, it’s not as daft as it sounds … green credentials etc.
http://www.girlracer.co.uk/motoring/news/2561-new-audi-a8-revealed.html

Measuring up your own double glazed windows and doors couldn’t be simpler and by measuring yourself and ordering online, you could save time, money and inconvenience.

Cut out the middle man altogether - all you need is a regular tape measure.  Be sure to measure the window or door 3 times, and take the smallest of the 3 for quoting purposes.  Always measure in millimetres and be sure to take the width measurement from plaster to plaster and the height from plaster to cill.

Now you have your measurements, it’s time to find the best deals!  Make sure you compare your quotes before deciding on a supplier; testimonials can also be a very useful tool in the decision process. 

So you found a great deal online and your window or door has arrived safely.  The final, most crucial stage is to source a reputable and reasonably priced professional to carry out the installation. Many online double glazing suppliers can either recommend a fitter or will carry out the work themselves.   

All that is left now, is to decide how to spend the money that you saved by measuring up your double glazing yourself!

Did you know that the phrase daylight robbery originates from exactly that - a tax on windows? It sounds ludicrous doesn’t it? Nevertheless I heard it firsthand from a London taxi driver so it must be true. Apparently families would brick-up unnecessary windows to avoid paying raising taxes on windows. Eventually an enraged member of parliament spoke out and charged the government with Daylight Robbery!

Remarkable as it sounds, it seems that although progress has brought with it all the benefits of double glazing, we as a nation haven’t come so far.  It was only a few months ago that I was writing about a possible government initiative that would see the implementation of a tax on properties that would take into account views, conservatories and … you guessed it double glazing!

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.

You can’t beat a good old home make-over programme with your tea and biscuits, it’s classic ‘triumph over tragedy’ TV! You also can’t help but feel envious.  A team of professionals arriving at your home to reverse your embarrassing amateur attempt at ‘chic’ is nothing short of a dream come true.  In 60 minutes your dwelling could be transformed into magnificence AND you’ll be on telly! 

The recent credit-crunch has led to a significant increase in DIY home improvements and research shows that in order to save money, DIY enthusiast’s are attempting large projects that normally require a skilled professional.  Surely Double Glazing installation isn’t something that anyone would have a stab at……unbelievably, yes it is!

Many DIY projects fail miserably and end up costing considerably more in the long run.  If you are planning DIY home improvements, especially something as ambitious as new windows and doors, be realistic: do you really have the ability, skills and time to do this work yourself?  If a skilled professional isn’t within your budget, perhaps you should consider delaying the project until such a time arrives.  The cost of rectifying your ‘efforts’ could amount to more than it would have cost in the first place for the professional.  It’s also highly likely that your spouse will never let you forget either!

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.