INDUSTRYNEWS
FENSA LAUNCHES NEW WIREDGOV PARTNERSHIP
» FENSA HAS LAUNCHED A NEW
partnership with WiredGov, the government
and public sector news alerting service, that
enables its FENSA Approved Installers to receive
the very latest government and public sector
news including contract alerts, delivered direct
to subscribers’ desktops and mobile phones, at
significantly reduced subscription fees.
The service is used by private and public
sector organisations to learn news including
case studies, white papers, contract awards,
Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) and success
stories from public sector trading agencies.
It includes key features such as the site’s
Contracts Locator, which provides registered
users with online and email updates on all
government and public sector contracts worth
over £10,000.
FENSA has negotiated a generous discount
on the usual subscription to WiredGov for its
Approved Installers, at just £295 + VAT for 24
months (usually £395 + VAT for 12 months).
That’s a saving of nearly £500 and FENSA
Approved Installers can register for this offer
via the FENSA online Installer Portal.
Chris Beedel, FENSA Director of
Membership, commented: “This partnership
with WiredGov will allow FENSA Approved
Installers to be amongst the first to learn about
key policy decisions affecting their businesses,
and crucially receive up to the minute
notifictions about public sector and commercial
contracts. This is an important benefit through
which our community of installers may grow
their businesses.
“As the country exits lockdown the focus of
FENSA is to present our Approved Installers
with every opportunity to get back up to speed as
quickly as possible and this partnership discount
with WiredGov is an excellent example of that.”
Steve Waldron, Managing Director of
WiredGov commented: “The launch of our
partnership with FENSA provides a prime
example of how lockdown has encouraged
an even greater sense of innovation and
collaboration between businesses and
membership organisations across the UK,
delivering value added services to their respective
communities, whilst safeguarding jobs and
speeding up overall economic recovery.”
The new partnership with WiredGov is
the latest in a series of exciting new initiatives
from FENSA that have been introduced
as part of renewed efforts to extend the
services it offers to its Approved Installers.
These include a new consumer focused lead
generation facility, a new suite of specialised
business-related insurance products, plus the
introduction of a new Installer Marketing
package that offers a range of tailored,
affordable marketing strategies.
For more information on FENSA, including
details of how to join, please visit: www.
fensa.org.uk All existing FENSA Approved
Installers can log in to the installer portal to
register for the new WiredGov service and
can email [email protected] for any
questions they may have.
The Green Homes Grant was a disappointment
– but at least we’ve finally got some clarity
» ANDY JONES, GROUP
Managing Director of Victorian
Sliders, comments on the latest
details about the government’s
Green Homes Grant.
First announced back in July,
the multibillion-pound scheme
was billed as a way of boosting
the UK economy in the wake
of coronavirus, and accelerating
attempts to reach the country’s
ambitious 2050 carbon reduction
targets. For the fenestration
industry, that was a big problem.
Customers started cancelling
orders in the belief that they’d
be able to get them significantly
cheaper once the initiative
began.
Weeks later, we’ve finally
got some clarity about the
scheme, and what it means for
fenestration. In my view – and
the view of a lot of people I’ve
spoken to in the industry – it’s a
real disappointment.
Homeowners can only claim
the vouchers if they want to
install insulation, ground or
air-source heat pumps, or solar
panels. If they use them to pay
for one of the above, they can
also use them for glass and
glazing products – but only to
replace single-glazed windows
with double, triple or secondary
glazing, or install energy
efficient doors.
Given that around 90% of
the UK’s windows are now
thought to be double-glazed
already, that drastically limits
the amount of work British
glazing businesses and their
suppliers will get out of the
scheme. It’s also worth noting
that of the windows that aren’t
currently double-glazed, many
can’t be replaced, because they’re
found in listed buildings.
For sash window
manufacturers like Victorian
Sliders, the scheme may prove
more positive – I’m willing to
bet that there are more singleglazed
sash windows still in use
in the UK than casements.
The critical thing now is letting
the public know the full details
of the scheme. The government’s
communications on this have
been vague and unhelpful so far,
so it’s probably down to us to tell
them that most of the products
they want installed won’t be
eligible.
The focus on the importance
of sustainability may persuade
homeowners to invest in energy
efficient window and door
products. But let’s hope that
now, with uncertainty about
the grant scheme over, we can
get back to what’s been one of
the most buoyant periods we’ve
experienced in decades.
www.victoriansliders.co.uk
CLEARVIEW-UK.COM » SEP 2020 » 5