Clearview 254 - January 2023 | Page 40

Annual Predictions

Energy efficiency key driver for industry

Energy efficiency will continue to be a big issue , not just for Local Authorities but within private homes .
HOWARD TROTTER , BUSINESS MANAGER , SHELFORCE
» WITH ENERGY PRICES SET TO RISE again in April , people are going to continue to look at how they can keep their homes warm , and windows and doors are a big part of that , and consumer interest should remain high despite the cost-of-living crisis , so it ’ s far from doom and gloom .
After the impact of Covid I think a lot of good businesses are better placed to deal with uncertainty and I think as an industry we are well placed to tackle any challenges .
2023 for us is going to be really busy and I can see more growth . The fire door market has grown enormously in the last two years and that should continue . We hit the 200 fire doors a week mark last year and I don ’ t think that is going to slow down .
We didn ’ t see a big downturn in 2022 and people were not buying or ordering less , and I expect that to continue .
We are currently having conversations with other Local Authorities to see if we can supply them with our Fireshel fire door . When it comes to fire protection Local Authorities want to buy certifiable doors from reputable organisations and our own personal integrity , reputation and the type of business we are will continue to be attractive to them in 2023 .
www . shelforce . com

Some unavoidable facts ( and a bright future )

TIM FERKIN , MANAGING DIRECTOR , COTSWOLD ARCHITECTURAL PRODUCTS
» GIVEN THE ROLLERcoaster ride we ’ ve all been on since 2020 , trying to predict anything about the future feels like a bit of a fool ’ s errand these days .
But personally , I ’ m not one of those people who expects 2023 to be a terrible year for fenestration .
First , let ’ s start with some unavoidable facts . It ’ s highly likely that the year ahead will be more challenging than 2022 has been . The UK is almost definitely now in recession . The Chancellor certainly thinks so , and dedicated the entirety of his Autumn Statement to tackling it .
And energy prices will probably remain high , causing hardship for millions of homeowners and businesses around the country .
But there are also more positive signs .
At the Glazing Summit , I listened to Barclays Chief Economist William Hobbs – after about twenty minutes of explaining how it ’ s extremely difficult to make predictions about anything – say that he
suspects the current recession will be shorter and milder than many expect .
I ’ m no economist , but that ’ s my feeling too . And I strongly believe it ’ s vital we don ’ t talk ourselves into a recession that ’ s worse than it needs to be .
On the energy front – it ’ s true that millions will struggle , but meteorologists are predicting a mild winter .
That might not sound like much , but if winter
temperatures are one degree warmer than average , that ’ s £ 1bn less Britain will have to spend on its heating .
And natural gas prices are falling . In October , that saw wholesale electricity prices fall from £ 165 per megawatt hour to £ 42 .
In fenestration and construction more generally , I suspect demand will fall , but that this will be counteracted to some extent by ongoing demand from the commercial sector . Beyond 2023 , I remain optimistic . The UK still needs millions more houses , and the net zero agenda will push large-scale retrofitting in both the public and private sectors .
I think the future of our industry is still bright .
www . cotswoldap . com
40 JANUARY 2023
CLEARVIEW-UK . COM