uPVC Windows Guide

If you are considering purchasing windows for your new home, or replacing your older windows with a more energy efficient type, you might be interested in the following 9 brief points which are made regarding PVC.  A quality PVC window with good double or triple glazing will provide you with a window unit that will raise the thermal capacity of your home, if other factors such as attic insulation are also considered.

As with any product on the market, there are always questions regarding the effectiveness of PVC as a product and its possible detrimental effects on the environment.  The following points will hopefully answer some of the queries that homeowners may have.

1.    Value: The PVC in a PVC window will outlast most of the materials in other windows and performs better than them.  When it comes therefore to getting value for money with uPVC window prices you are gaining on two fronts.  Because PVC windows are long lasting you will not have to change them for a long time and because they are very energy efficient your fuel bills will be lower over the lifetime of the windows and subsequently you will save money.
2.    Durability: About 90% of the applications PVC is used for are what would be called ‘long life’ applications.  This description aptly applies to PVC windows and doors and also to such products as uPVC cladding.  Some studies have shown that in relation to windows and their profiles, 40 years is the projected lifespan.  This is more than any manufacturers will give a warranty for – in fact most will only cover the windows for ten to twenty years – but that is to be expected.  uPVC windows and doors will survive well against corrosion, inclement, prolonged weather and impact damage.
3.    Good for the environment: Advanced production technology has meant that the resin manufacture for PVC now can save a lot of energy in the production of PVC and this means less greenhouse gases are being produced when manufacturing companies are producing PVC.
4.    Part-produced from renewable resources: About half of the ‘feedstock’ required to produce PVC comes from salt.  As salt is abundant and renewable resource, PVC doors and windows are being produced from ‘feedstock’ that can be renewed and the same cannot be said for some other commonly used building materials.
5.    Low maintenance: PVC or vinyl windows will require little or no maintenance throughout their lifespan.  This is a fact that is both beneficial to the homeowner and to the environment, as for example, other window types will require painting every few years, which will produce undesirable paint emissions.  Over the lifetime of a timber window for example, a homeowner could have to paint the window possibly a dozen times.  This can lead to a large accumulation of emissions and leftover paint, brushes and paint tins that all have to be disposed of.
6.    Recyclable: Improvements are being made every day worldwide with regard to recycling PVC.  There have been various initiatives introduced  by governments involving PVC manufacturers and the building industry and these initiatives have seen a dramatic rise in the ability of  PVC recycling.  Vinyl2010 is one such major voluntary initiative taken by the PVC industry, which looks at all parts of the PVC cycle, raises awareness of issues that need to be addressed within the industry and promotes action where necessary.
7.    Tested fire performance: Due to the fact that PVC has a chlorine base, it is an inherently flame retardant material, which does not easily catch fire.  For example the ignition temperature of PVC is circa 390 degrees celcius as against an ignition temperature of circa 250 degrees celcius for timber.
8.    High Standards of manufacture: Manufacturing PVC is a process that, like most processes of production, is strictly monitored to ensure that consumer health and welfare is protected.  Emissions that are produced during the production of PVC have to be monitored by the Environmental Protection Agencies of the various countries involved.
9.    Versatility: PVC is a highly versatile product that can be used to produce a PVC window of almost any style.  Whether a homeowner requires PVC sash windows,  casement windows or bay windows does not matter – all of these window types are easily manufactured and marketed at a competitive price.

If you have decided to install double glazing in your home, then congratulations.  You have made a good decision and will most likely reap the benefits over the coming years.  However in order to make the most of your decision you have to first select quality window units and proper replacement glass for your home.  Then you have to find a window or glazing installer from the many double glazing installers that are out there looking for your business.

This is not necessarily the most difficult thing to do, once you take your time at the process and carry out plenty of research.  When it comes to selecting an installer that you would be happy to install your windows, it will certainly help if you have some basic knowledge of what double glazing windows are about and of the installation process also.

The reason that double glazing is so popular worldwide is that it helps a home to become energy efficient if double glazed windows are used in conjunction with other actions, such as attic insulating, etc.  double glazed uPVC windows are especially popular, as they allow you to improve the thermal capacity of the home at a fairly reasonable price.  A PVC window also helps to improve the security of a property and is reasonably maintenance free.  The fact that they are available in a very large selection of styles and colours makes them attractive to homeowners also.

When it comes to window glazing one of the most important things to understand when talking to installers is the ‘U-Factor’ of the window units.  This is a measure of the ability of the window to prevent heat loss and it is a measure of the entire window unit and not just the glazing.  Other terms to be aware of are the ‘Solar Heat Gain Coefficient’ which judges how well the window is able to prevent the suns heat from entering the home, ‘Air Leakage’, which tells you how much air can leak through particular windows and ‘Design Pressure’ which is a measurement of the ability of the windows to stand up to wind pressure.

These are all pretty technical terms and are explained very basically here.  However, even by knowing this amount of information, you will be able to make comparisons between the different window units and glazing that are on offer and also between the different double glazing installation services on offer.  If a double glazing installer is unwilling or unable to discuss the above measurements with you as they pertain to the windows he is selling, he either does not know his windows very well, or the windows are not very good.

It is probably wisest to purchase from a company that is in business for a lengthy period of time.  This may cut down your list quite a bit, as double glazing fitting companies go out of business quite regularly after only a few years, but this is precisely the reason you want an established company.  There is not much point in getting excellent guarantees with regard to maintenance and service if the company is not around to honour its commitments to you.

Getting quotations does not cost you anything and will help you to further narrow your list of potential double glazing fitters.  When you have narrowed down your list in this way you can go into more detail with the remaining companies on the list, visit their websites If they have one, look at the testimonials they have received and even contact homeowners in your area that have had work carried out by these companies.

Good double glazing installers may be difficult to find at first sight.  However the more enquiries that you make and research that you carry out, one or two names will keep cropping up as being honourable, trustworthy companies that are in business for the long haul and that homeowners have been satisfied to use.

There is no doubt that uPVC windows are now the most popular type of window above all other windows on the market today.  If that is a fact, then the question has to be asked why it is so.  In this article we will outline five reasons why homeowners are choosing uPVC double glazing above a timber or aluminum window or any other window type that is available on the market.  By the time you have finished this market, we hope that you will have an understanding of why double glazed uPVC windows are leading the world in window production.

1. Energy efficiency:  Nowadays the sight of a monthly fuel bill arriving through your mailbox is enough to cause tremors of fear in many people.  Fuel cost are rising constantly and on top of that there is continual talk of ‘polluter paying principles’ and ‘carbon taxes’.  It is very important for all of us to have houses that are as energy efficient as possible.  Older type wooden window frames simply do not have the proper ‘U-factor’ capacity to seal your residence properly.  The ‘U-factor’ is a measurement of the rate of transfer of heat through a material.  Quality double glazed uPVC or vinyl windows with a low ‘U-factor’ are highly energy efficient and these windows will assist you greatly in slashing fuel costs in your home.

2. Range of styles and colours available:  There used to be a standard joke regarding a PVC window that it was available in two colours – white or white!  While that joke may have had a certain ring of truth to it about ten years or so ago, things have changed dramatically in the production of these products since.  They are now freely available from most established window manufacturers and double glazing window installers in a large variety of styles and colours.  One of the most popular choices by homeowners presently are the wood-grain finish windows, which can look like light or dark timbers and are very hard to distinguish from real timber at any distance.

3. Home Security:  Not that long ago security in the home was not top of a homeowners agenda – in fact many people were quite comfortable with leaving keys in their doors at night, or leaving their front door unlocked.  All of this has changed unfortunately and homeowners require now that their doors and windows are secure at night- time and when they are away from their property. uPVC double glazing doors are very strong and durable and quality windows have excellent uPVC window handles and window locks built into the framework of the window unit, which gives them added strength.  In addition to this double glazing is much more difficult to break through than older windows with single glazing, so most homeowners are going for the more secure option.

4. Window maintenance: One of the main advantages of uPVC as a material is that it requires very little maintenance from the time it is installed in your home as a window frame, until the time that you decide to change your windows again.  A uPVC double glazing window requires cleaning, as any window does, but other than that there is very little maintenance needs to be carried out.  On the other hand, if you want timber windows to last, they need regular re-painting and maintenance and even this may not be enough to stop them warping and leaking if you are living in a damp climate.

5. Re-sale value of your property:  Many homeowners are not thinking about selling their property when they install their uPVC windows.  However there may come a time when for work reasons you want to change location, or maybe you simply will want to downsize, and this is when you will be glad if your have installed uPVC double glazing windows.  Over seventy five percent of people questioned in a survey, when asked to rate the important points they looked for when they were purchasing or renting a home, put the fact of the home having uPVC windows as one of the main factors.  Having uPVC double glazed windows installed in your home will help you to sell or rent it and will help you to obtain a better price.

These are five of the top reasons why homeowners are continuing to make the change to uPVC double glazing windows.  Some homeowners who have construction or home improvement consider the options of fitting cheap uPVC windows themselves.  These windows are not cheap in the sense that they are of inferior quality, but if you are willing to install DIY double glazing in you can make considerable savings.  So if you are considering changing your windows, or if you are in the process of planning or building a new residence, get a double glazing quote and weigh up the uPVC double glazing cost against the many benefits that these windows could bring to you and your home.

Given the high price of fuel and the expectations that this mean-price is going to climb even higher over the coming months and years, it is important that we consider any and all ways to cut down fuel consumption in our homes.  By installing uPVC windows, a homeowner has the opportunity to obtain an energy efficient uPVC double glazing window unit that will improve the thermal capacity of the home and cut down on fuel consumption.  There is undoubtedly a double glazing cost that has to be taken into account and as there are many different types of these windows on the market, it is important to purchase a quality product as cheap uPVC windows do not neccessarily make the best windows for your home.  In order to do that and t0 be able to decide which uPVC windows to purchase, it helps to understand what is meant by window insulation, what units are used to measure window efficiency and what symbols to look out for on quality windows.

uPVC windows

With regard to materials in general, the resistance of that material to heat loss is called its R-value and this unit is suitable for measuring the insulation capacity of materials that make up walls and roofs for example.  However because windows have to allow light through them, they interact very differently with the exterior environment than solid objects such as walls do.  For this reason a better measurement of the energy efficiency of windows is what is called the U-factor, which measures the rate that heat is transferred through the window unit.  A simple guide to help you remember the difference between the R-value of a material and the U-factor, is that the higher the R-value the better the energy efficiency of the material and the lower the U-factor, the better its insulation properties.

There are other terms that may be quoted when you are researching for a suitable type of PVC window for your home.  These include:
•    Solar Heat Gain Coefficient: This is the term used to describe the measurement of how capable a product is at blocking the sun’s heat.  This value will be lower in a product that is good at blocking heat.
•    Air Leakage:  Most products allow a certain amount of air to be transmitted through them and with regard to windows and other objects that contain openings that need to be sealed when they are closed, this is certainly the case.  The lower the air leakage value, the better the window is at blocking air from getting through.  Presently there is no official requirement on manufacturers to display this measurement.
•    Visible Transmittance:  This calculates the ability of the product to let light through.  The higher this value is, the better the window is at letting light in.
•    Condensation Resistance:  This value calculates how good the product is at deterring the production of condensation and the greater the value the better the product is in this field.

When you are considering any or all of the above terms and their values, you should remember that the value should be relevant to the entire uPVC window unit and not simply the glazing.  Having uPVC or vinyl windows with excellent glazing is of little comfort if the frames and seals and other components are not up to the task.

If you are considering purchasing PVC-u windows for your home, you will no doubt be very interested in uPVC window prices in the present market.  We will not go into different prices of uPVC window in different locations, as the range would be too great to give you a true idea of the cost of getting uPVC windows where you live.  Instead we will give you some broad ideas on how to find cheap uPVC windows and how to compare the uPVC window prices that you are quoted.

One of the first points that we should make is that, similar to any product you can purchase, the cheapest make or model of PVC window is not necessarily the best value window you can get.  There is a huge range of uPVC or vinyl windows on the market, produced by different manufacturers and being produced in a variety of countries.  There is also a double glazing cost that you will have to pay to get good quality double glazing in your window units.

uPVC windows In A Period Residence.

In order to weigh up which is the best vinyl windows for you and your property, you should consider the following points:

•    The more research you do on the general subject of uPVC vinyl windows, the more you will be able to gauge the different levels of quality you are being offered.  Start your research by looking up websites and consider all of the different aspects of uPVC windows.
•    Pay attention to the reputation of the manufacturer of the windows you are interested in.  Does the manufacturing firm have a good name?  Look up the website of the firm and see if they have testimonials from satisfied customers on the site.
•    Consider the type of locking system you want for your windows.  Most quality uPVC double glazing windows have a multi-point locking system built into the frame.  If you are getting cheap uPVC windows that have an inferior locking system, you may wish to think again.
•    Again the quality and type of glazing being offered with the windows will always affect uPVC window prices.  You may have the option of purchasing such specific types of glazing as toughened glazing, security glazing and glazing which assists in suppressing sound.  These will add to the uPVC window prices overall.
•    The ‘R-value’ of the window unit is always important if you want your windows to be efficient with regard to heat retention.  The ‘R-value’ is a measure of the resistance of the window to heat loss and the higher the value the better the performance of the window.  Cheap uPVC windows that have a low ‘R-value’ may be a poor purchase in the long term as they may do little to help you lower your heating costs.
•    Consider the shipping costs of the windows you are purchasing, if you are dealing online.  Even cheap uPVC windows will suddenly become a lot more expensive if they have to be shipped to your home from a far-flung location.  When it comes to uPVC windows prices always keep a close eye on the bottom line price.
•    One way of ending up with good value or cheap uPVC windows is to install them yourself.  If you are reasonably competent at home improvement tasks, you might like to consider taking on the job of installing the windows when they arrive.  You will save a considerable amount of money, but beware, if you give up have to get in an installer half way through the job, it could end up costing you more.

As you can see from the above points, there are a lot of issues to be considered if you are looking for PVC-u windows and good value PVC window prices.  Take your time over your decision and remember, there is good value out there for these types of windows.  You just have to find it.

Residing in some countries does not present a problem with regard to insulating your residence, whereas if you live in a country with a damp or cold climate, then you will know that insulating your home is a priority. There are many different aspects to home insulation that need to be looked at as part of an overall package, and but one of the most crucial sections is window insulation.  To this end uPVC windows are the windows that consistently comes out on top when consideration is given to window insulation properties.

Proof of this point can be made by looking at countries like Great Britain or Ireland, where a major percentage of the windows fitted are uPVC windows.  The reason for this is that these countries have the type wet and mild climate that a uPVC window is ideal for insulating against.  Another point to make with regard to a mild, wet environment is that timber windows suffer greatly in this weather, unless they are regularly maintained and re-painted.

If you have studied the benefits that a uPVC window can bring to your home and are considering installing PVC windows, you should also take into account the following points.

Have a budget in mind before you start negotiations with any suppliers of uPVC double glazed windows.  In relation to this point, you should also bear in mind that the cheapest quote you will get is not necessarily the best.  There are a large amount of these window suppliers both online and offline and quotes they will give you for uPVC window prices will have to be weighed against each other carefully.  However, if you do proper research and take your time selecting a suitable product, you may well find cheap uPVC windows that still have all of the attributes that you expect form a good quality window.

Not only is a PVC window excellent at helping to insulate your property, but it will also make your home more secure.  A lot of burglars enter a home through a window and having quality windows locks and quality uPVC window handles does help ensure that you make illegal entry to your home difficult.

As you are taking the step of installing uPVC windows in order to improve the insulation of your home, you should give serious consideration to the various types of glass and seals that are being offered with the windows you are purchasing.  Keep in mind the window energy rating (R-value) of the PVC-u window.  This is a numerical value given to a window that takes into consideration the energy balance of the unit (window and frame).

Considering the many advantages of uPVC windows it is easy to see why they are the most selected window by homeowners in studies carried out.  There are many suppliers of PVC windows online and also offline in your own geographical area.  Type ‘uPVC window’ into a search engine and you will not be short of choices and look up local suppliers to compare what they have to offer.  You can narrow the results you will get from the search engines by inserting ‘ uPVC sash windows ‘ or other more descriptive terms.