When you are looking to shave some £££s off your energy bills, tackling those old draughty windows may immediately spring to mind. You may be aware that traditional double glazing has now been upgraded to new triple glazing that promises even more insulative benefits for your home.
Unlike regular double glazing that is a sandwich of inert gas sealed between two panes of performance glass, triple glazing takes things a step further with three panes of glass separated by the gas layers for increased insulationfor your home.
Of course, triple glazing does come at a premium. At the best of times, making a decision on the best windows and doors for your home can be tricky as you want to make the right investment. Our question is, is triple glazing worth it for the average British home?
Deciding to upgrade to triple glazing is not a straightforward decision.
Opting for triple glazing would be an easy decision if double glazing did not have the exemplary thermal and acoustic performance it does. And over time, innovations in the glass technology and engineering of double glazed windows has meant that thermal performance has consistently improved.
To objectively evaluate the performance gains you can expect with triple glazing versus double glazing it is best to take a look at 3 key parameters, that your window manufacturer can provide:
- Window Energy Ratings (WER) is a helpful energy rating system for windows produced by the British Fenestration Rating Council. You can use these standardized ratings to compare triple and double glazed windows to which ones will add more heat to your home.
- U value measures the thermal performance of your windows. Lower U values mean that the windows will help retain more heat in your home.
- G value is the solar factor of the windows, the amount of sunlight that can pass through your window into your home to warm it up.
Triple glazed windows tend to carry higher WER ratings (A++ or higher) than double glazed windows (A and above). The U values of triple glazing are also lower with a slightly higher G value due to the additional glass. However the ratings for many high-quality double glazed windows are already more than adequate for our climate and weather conditions.
If it ain’t broke…
If you are keen to save money on your new windows it may be more cost effective for many British households to purchase double glazing rather than triple glazing. This is because performance double glazing already delivers exceptional energy bill savings which may not be fully matched by the additional cost required to upgrade to triple glazing.
If you are keen to include some triple glazing in your property, it may prove practical and cost-effective to prioritize the windows in your home that do not get as much sunlight, where triple glazing can really prove its worth.
We are here to offer advice and expertise on how you can install new windows that deliver maximum performance and value!
Talk to our helpful team of reputable local tradesmen about the best approach to installing performance glazing in your home. We would be delighted to undertake a site visit where we can advise you on the types of glazing that will work best for specific windows in your home. Learning more is simple as reaching out by phone or email and our team will be delighted to assist you.
