uPVC Windows Guide

Double glazing doors and windows made from uPVC are probably the most popular types of doors and windows on the market today.  There are various reasons for this and the main reasons can be dealt with under the headings of energy efficiency, cost effectiveness, security, safety and maintenance.

Energy Efficiency:

Quality uPVC windows and doors are very efficient units that will enable you to keep your home warm and comfortable in the wintertime and cooler in the summer months.  With doors such as uPVC patio doors you can have a lot of light entering through the door due to large sheets of glazing, and yet the door will still be thermally efficient.  uPVC is a more thermally efficient product than timber or aluminium, the other two most used materials in double glazed windows.

By installing quality upvc double glazing in your home not only will you have a more comfortable place to live, but the running costs on your property will be significantly lower as you will have less need for central heating and air conditioning.

Cost Effectiveness:

uPVC windows and doors that are double glazed are not inexpensive and if you are considering installing them it will be one of the bigger home improvement jobs that you will undertake in your home. However given the various benefits that can be accrued by having these units instead of single glazed windows, the initial uPVC double glazing cost has to be considered over the lifetime of the windows and doors and the saving that can be made over that period.

The fact that there are many window and door manufacturers looking for your business means that with proper research you can purchase quality products at very good value. There are options for you to carry out DIY double glazing if you have some experience and talent at DIY and in this way you could save quite a bit of money on installation costs of the windows.

Security and Safety:

Security in the home is a much more important topic than it was in previous years and decades.  The days of homeowners leaving keys in their doors while they slept are long gone and with many homeowners away from their properties during the day, it is important that their homes are secure and safe from burglars.  Front doors for homes especially have to look and be very secure, but it is also advisable to have solid uPVC back doors and side doors also.

uPVC double glazed windows and doors are known for their strength in both the frames and the glazing.  It is very difficult to break through a uPVC frame and especially one that has steel strengthening rods added and quality uPVC window handles fitted.  Double glazing is also very hard to break through or remove without creating a lot of disturbance, which is something that a thief does not want.  Some homeowners for additional security opt to fit window screens over their windows also.  If your uPVC doors and windows are properly locked and secure while you are away from your property, a burglar will most likely move on to an easier target without even trying to gain access to your home.  Some homeowners for additional security opt to fit window screens over their windows also.

Maintenance:

Timber windows are very attractive and timber can become even more beautiful with age.  Unfortunately windows made from timber have the disadvantage that homeowners have to constantly maintain them in order to stop them becoming rotted or warped by inclement weather.  If a timber window does get water damaged and either swells, or bends out of shape, it will no longer perform as an efficient unit.

uPVC products such as doors, windows and uPVC cladding on the other hand are classed as maintenance free, given that the uPVC in the frames will not ever need to be painted during its lifetime.  This is a factor that attracts a lot of attention from hard working homeowners, who would rather spend their limited free time with their families than having to maintain windows in order to keep them performing properly.

Under the above headings uPVC windows and doors will either outperform or equal timber or aluminium windows and doors.  Taking the headings as a package it is usually very unlikely to find one of the other two window types that are able to provide the same performance and quality as windows and doors made from uPVC at the same cost competitive price.

Many people consider installing new double or triple glazed windows in their homes, but they are put of by what they consider to be the high costs involved in purchasing and installing these window units.  There is no doubt that glazing windows in your home is not the cheapest home improvement project that you will ever undertake, but it could in the longer term, be the most beneficial and possibly even the most cost effective.

Let us consider some of the advantages of double and triple glazing and why it is important to have the best windows in your home, relevant to your budget.

By replacing older single glazed windows such as sash windows that you have carried out window repairs on for a long time in order to keep them going and instead fitting triple or double glazed sash windows into your residence, you are going to increase the energy efficiency of your residence.  These replacement sash windows will have the effect of driving down the costs that you are presently incurring trying to keep your home warm in the winter and cooler in the summertime.  Close to 20% of heat loss from a home can occur through badly insulated house windows.  This is a very high figure and such losses are  becoming less and less sustainable with rising fuel costs.

• By replacing older single glazed windows and instead fitting double or triple glazed windows into your residence, you are going to increase the energy efficiency of your residence.  This will have the effect of driving down the costs that you are presently incurring trying to keep your home warm in the winter and cooler during the summer.
  Installing energy efficient double glazing windows will also reduce your carbon footprint.  As well as being good for the planet, this could have further positive implications on your finances, if carbon taxes are introduced in the future.
• One of the main by products of having properly sealed windows and quality replacement glass in our homes is the fact that we are more comfortable.  Window glass replacement will help create a well sealed home which will have less draughts and cold spots in colder weather and will be cooler in the summer.  At the end of the day, you and your family’s personal comfort is what all of this is about.
• Properly insulated windows will cut down the amount of noise and air pollution that gets into your residence.  Many homeowners living close to a motorway will testify that good glazing helps them to live in a quieter atmosphere.
• Double glazed windows work by placing two sheets of window glass or glazing in a framed unit with a gap of about 16mm between them.  This gap is sealed and either is a vacuum or there is a gas in the space, which effectively forms a barrier of insulation.  Triple glazing windows simply use three sheets of glazing instead of two.
• Not all double glazed windows are of the same quality.  A double glazing window comprises various components including frames, glazing seals and spacers.  The ability of the window to act as an efficient insulating unit will be dependant on the quality of each of the components.
• The combination of all of the window components will result in a window unit with a certain energy rating.  This is a measure of the quality of glazed windows in energy efficiency terms and is a very useful indicator for a buyer as to which windows are going to be better at doing their job.  Window ratings range from A-rated windows, which are the most energy efficient down to a much lower G-rating for lesser quality products.
• In Britain A non-profit body called The Energy Saving Trust will recommend to purchasers windows that are rated C or higher.  If you see window with The Energy Saving Trust logo, then you know that the windows are up to their job.

Glazing windows possibly used to be a luxury that you enjoyed if you had the financial means to replace your existing windows.  Some homeowners installed secondary double glazing in the past and this is satill an option, but nt neccessarily a very effective one.  Given that the window glazing market has become much more competitively priced, that energy costs are rising, and that there are also DIY double glazing options open to homeowners if they are interested in DIY imporvements, many people give serious consideration to getting a double glazing quote and to having the best windows in their homes that they can afford.

Double glazing your windows is one of the most successful ways of improving the energy efficiency of your windows and therefore your home.  You can get in professionals to do the work for you, or if you have some home imporvement talents, you can carry out DIY double glazing on your  windows.

In this article we will try to explain window glazing briefly and as un-scientifically as possible.  This can be a bit difficult when you start to talk about such things as ‘spacers’, ‘solar heat gain coefficients’, ‘low emissivity glass’ ‘secondary double glazing‘ and the many other terms that arise when we talk about double or triple glazed windows and doors.  However we will attempt to keep the terminology to a minimum and see if we can break down glazing for your windows into some basic and understandable points.

•    Multiple glazing is the assembly of various panes of glazing into one unit.  This could comprise two panes of glazing windows (double glazing), or three panes of window glass (triple glazing), and so on.  If we are talking about double glazing, then between the two sheets of glazing will be present a gas or a vacuum.  This gas or vacuum will be thermally efficient and will also have properties that assist in insulating your home against sound pollution.
•    The glass in a window unit is necessary, not surprisingly, in order to allow in light and allow the homeowner to see out of the property.  This may sound obvious, but in terms of insulating a building properly, it would actually make more sense to leave out windows altogether, because they are one of the highest contributors to heat loss in a building.  The thickness of each glazing sheet can range from a high of circa 10mm down to 3mm and are usually all of the same thickness.
•    Different and specialized types of glazing can be used when carrying out window glass replacement or installing new windows.  These can include low-emissivity glass, which has the ability to reflect radiation from the heat of the sun, tinted glass, which can help to reduce heat build up in the room and coated glass, which is a glass with a coating on it, which can improve the insulation of heat and noise in the home.
•    Spacers are the strip of metal or foam that you see between the panes of glass when you look at a double glazed window.  These spacers keep the panes of glazing apart and create a seal which traps the gas between the panes, or helps to seal and create the vacuum.  These spacers are used whether you are dealing with timber, aluminum or uPVC windows.
•    The manufacturers of double glazed house windows will most often carry a warranty for ten to about twenty years and this lifespan can be effected by various  factors, including whether the units are installed in the Northern or Southern Hemispheres. Typical reasons for homeowners changing window units or having to get them repaired would include seal failure and desiccant saturation. Desiccant is present in the spacers and its function is to remove the moisture from the sealed area that has formed during the manufacture of the window and also it stops moisture formation inside the gas or vacuum area.

These are some of the basic points that come to the fore when you are considering window glazing or replacement glass for your home.  Many homeowners face the choice of replacing their windows at some stage after they have exhausted the idea of carrying out window repairs to their existing window units.  Consider getting a double glazing quote for your home as double glazing windows are now the most popular choice with homeowners, as they provide excellent energy efficient units at a competitive price.