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of what is known as the circular economy.
The circular economy is a concept that is becoming increasingly important as the industry seeks to reduce the amount of embodied carbon in our homes and buildings. It matters because there is no point in manufacturing a product that, for example, allows a home to run more energy efficiently, if it has a massive carbon footprint itself associated with its production and disposal.
This is why it is important to use products and systems that consider the whole life cycle, including
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how they perform in-use as well as the sustainability of the complete supply chain.
Optimising energy efficiency in our homes for warmth and cooling
Today’ s windows and doors are increasingly regarded as‘ energy system components’, regulated by ever more stringent Building Regulations. So the contribution that different products and systems can make to a home’ s energy efficiency needs careful consideration, beyond window energy ratings( WERs).
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And that extends to integral blind units, recognising the dual role they perform. Integral blinds can help create thermally superior windows and doors but can also reduce the risk of overheating.
Let us start with thermal insulation to keep warmth inside the home. When you choose a Uni-Blinds ® integral blind, you get an IGU featuring high quality low-emissivity( low-e) glass as standard and a warm edge spacer. These components minimise heat loss extremely well, particularly given how we always manufacture IGUs with a dual seal to maximise gas retention over the unit’ s lifetime.
The glass specification can even be upgraded to our Low One product to offer higher thermal performance, reflected in the 1.0 W / m2K centre pane U-value. That may be beneficial in projects where the homeowner is seeking the maximum thermal insulation, such as self-build eco-homes.
The other dimension to the glass is solar control – its ability to reflect excessive heat from strong sunlight. This can be incorporated into a Uni-Blinds ®
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integral blind by specifying COOL-LITE SKN 176 or similar, a premium type of product with dual functionality to enable homes to retain their heat more effectively in winter and be less prone to overheating in summer.
The latter is rapidly growing in significance from a sustainability perspective given the warmer summers that the UK now experiences. More and more homeowners are turning to mechanical solutions to address this issue by installing electricity-thirsty air conditioning systems which, whilst understandable and effective, are counterproductive in the UK’ s efforts to become net zero carbon. That is why being able to mitigate the risk with a passive
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product like solar control glass is better environmentally and to keep electricity bills down.
The shading potential offered by Uni-Blinds ® can also contribute to keeping homes cooler. Our pleated blackout integral blind, for example, is often chosen for children’ s bedrooms to keep daylight out during the lighter evenings, but a benefit that is often overlooked is that it can also help to keep these rooms cooler too.
To find out more about the performance of Uni-Blinds ® integral blinds, which all feature world-leading ScreenLine ® systems from Pellini, and the glass options, visit www. morleyglass. co. uk
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