28 | DECEMBER 2019
Installer Support
Read online at www.proinstaller.co.uk
WINTER WINDOW
PREPARATION
As winter approaches, many of us are stocking up on coats
and woollen accessories ready for the cold and challenging
weather. We make a good job of preparing our wardrobes for
the upcoming winter season, but how much consideration do
we give our homes? Here, Nick Cowley, managing director of
PVCu and composite window and door manufacturer Euramax
Solutions, explains how fabricators and installers can prepare
their customers to prepare for the winter weather...
The extreme weather
from the ‘Beast from the
East’ that hit the UK in
2018 had severe impacts
on many lives. From school
and airport closures to traf-
fic accidents, the weather
hit before people could
prepare themselves. It can
be difficult to prepare for
the weather on a normal
day, but winter is inescapa-
ble and offers a harsher set
of challenges.
We rely on our windows
and doors for more than
just accessibility, security
and light — and during
winter months, we depend
on them more than usual.
The windows and doors in
our homes play a big part
in keeping us warm, how-
ever, this is often under-
estimated. For this reason,
old or low-quality windows
and doors can cause incon-
veniences in winter and it’s
important to evaluate their
energy efficiency proper-
ties.
A double-glazed
winter
The Energy Saving Trust
UK found that up to 20
per cent of a home’s heat
loss is caused by inefficient
windows and doors. Natu-
rally, energy bills rise in the
winter due to increased use
of central heating. How-
ever, ensuring that your
windows and doors are
highly energy efficient will
reduce heat loss, increase
the thermal insulation of
your home and keep your
energy bills low. So, what
makes windows and doors
energy efficient?
Windows can lose heat in
a number of ways: directly
through the glazing, frame
or the spacer bar between
the glass and frame. To
avoid this, it’s necessary to
evaluate these areas when
preparing your home.
Double glazing consists
of two or more panes of
glass that are fixed into
a sealed frame and is an
effective way to reduce the
amount of lost heat. Dou-
ble glazed windows are
also filled with an inert gas
such as argon gas, which
has a 34 per cent lower
thermal conductivity than
air. The thermal resistance
and extra pane of glass
means that double glazing
helps to retain internal
heat, while reducing ener-
gy bills that peak during
winter.
The benefits of double
glazing are not only energy
efficiency related. Double
glazing can also combat
noise pollution, which is
beneficial in winter when
storms or high winds are
likely.
Material world
While double glazing
offers many benefits, it’s
equally important to ensure
that the frames around the
windows and doors are
energy efficient.
PVCu (polychloride
vinyl) is an effective and
popular choice for win-
dow and door frames. This
material does not conduct
heat, meaning that warm
air is retained inside. It is
also low maintenance as
PVCu is highly durable and
will not be damaged or tar-
nished by severe weather
conditions.
An alternative to PVCu is
composite, which has be-
come increasingly popular
for aesthetic purposes. A
composite combines two
or more different materials
to create one with different
properties to its origins,
making composites par-
ticularly strong. Although
composites can have the
exterior look and thermal