Clearview North October 2013 - Issue 143 | Page 50

DOORS&WINDOWS

IS TRIPLE GLAZING OVERKILL FOR UK HOMES?
Developed originally for use in colder
and more northerly climates of Canada
and Scandinavia, triple glazing represents
the next wave of energy saving glazing
developments for our homes. But are 3
panes really going to be better than 2?

‘The fact is that our
weather seems to be
getting less predictable’
Keeping the winter draughts out was, for
a long time, the main point that double
glazing advertising emphasised. Also, replacing
rotting wooden frames with a hard wearing,
low maintenance alternative that made the
house look at least as good as next door and
hopefully would add enough value (real
and perceived) to the house were popular
reasons during the last housing boom for ‘new
windows’.
In fact, it is a now pretty much a given that
‘new windows’ actually means new double
glazed windows to UK homeowners who have

been made more acutely aware of the extra
energy saving benefits of double glazing by a
crippling recession and rising energy prices.
The sales and marketing methods of glazing
companies in the past however have, at times,
caused an image problem with the cautious
UK homeowner and the thought of splashing
out on a high value and new variant of a
product in hard times has prompted some
people to dismiss or delay any commitment,
both mentally and physically, to triple
glazing.
So, is triple glazing in the UK climate really
overkill? Double glazing industry expert,
Dave Pearson, of Swindon based double
glazing repair and replacement company, DA
Windows, explains why he thinks it is not.
“The new triple glazing incorporates all
of the latest developments in glazing. The
extra glazed layer gives triple glazing its truly
amazing thermal insulating properties. That
translates into helping to create savings on
energy bills for a long time to come. “Some
people were sceptical about the benefits of
using solar panels in this country and yet

after the summer we’ve been having suddenly
they didn’t seem like such a bad idea. The
fact is that our weather seems to be getting
less predictable and it only takes a really cold
winter, which is a real possibility, to make you
appreciate any insulation and energy saving
measures you’ve taken.

‘Somehow I don’t think
that energy prices are
going to be falling any
time in the near future’
“Somehow I don’t think that energy prices
are going to be falling any time in the near
future, and if homeowners need to replace
their windows anyway it may as well be with
something that is going to bring superior
benefits for a long time to come. Triple glazing
is certainly not overkill, to me it’s common
sense.”
www.doubleglazingswindon.co.uk

NEW WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY
For the first time since pre-recession days, Britain’s domestic glazing market appears to be
returning to growth. Palmer Market Research (PMR), the industry’s most widely respected
forecaster, is predicting five consecutive years of growth across almost all products, and
an overall increase of 15% in market size to an installed value of £4.15bn by 2017.
The 2012 market itself was not
much to write home about, down
on the previous year by 4.8% to
£3.6bn, wiping out even the very
small increase in value terms that
caught the industry’s interest in
2011.
However the five-year forecast
provides some much-needed
optimism to a sector all-too used
to bad news, even though the
predicted 2017 figure is a full
quarter lower than the market’s
2006 peak.
PMR Director Rob ert Palmer
projects growth for domestic glazed
products in New Housing, and
the crucial Home Improvements

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OCT 2013

market, as more potent than
expected government-driven
schemes such as Funding for
Lending and Help to Buy, plus
increased consumer confidence,
help to push up housing
transactions.
The glazing market in New
Housing also continues to benefit
from the move from flats to houses,
with on average over twice the
number of windows per dwelling.
The Social Housing sector will
continue to take a battering for
a couple more years, as funding
becomes ever scarcer, before starting
to grow again in 2015. Although
tiddlers in the market, bifold doors

are the stars of the report. This is
not just because they were one of
only two products to show growth
last year (alongside French doors),
and because they are predicted to
double in size over the forecast
period, but because they look to
be real market changers. According
to Palmer: “The introduction
of bifold doors has changed the
market both for patio doors and …
conservatories. The access to more
light, one of the reasons why both
patio doors and conservatories have
been purchased in the past, has now
become more readily available”.
Conversely, the new figures will
be a disappointment for those

who saw encouraging signs of
growth in conservatories and wood
windows in last year’s report. The
surge in installed price shown by
conservatories in 2011 hasn’t been
sustained, although the long-term
trend still holds.
For full details visit the website:
www.palmermarketresearch.co.uk

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