Personally, I’m as tight as a submarine and I hate spending money. Nothing leaks out of my wallet unless it undergoes the Peter North value for money test and trust me, I would cut out eating and drinking if I could. Having said that, I care about some things. With a couple of kids and hopefully, grandchildren one day, I try to be considerate to the environment as much as their inheritance.

That’s why I think it’s quite unbelievable that in a time where we are all being told how important it is to protect the environment, there are still homes in existence without the proper insulation to prevent energy simply drifting out of the window. The reason for this is undoubtedly the cost – many of us simply can’t afford the installation, or don’t want to justify the initial outlay by considering the long term savings we could accumulate.

Personally, I would insulate my loft with old rags and t-shirts if it meant spending less on heating every year, but I have actually taken the offer of free insulation from the UK government, which they are giving everyone [I think] because they need to hit some carbon reduction targets or get fined or something like that. So, after the installers inspected my ten year old underwear, which was acting as insulation, they kindly agreed to replace it – just kidding.

By hallmarkwindowsanddoors

✽ Where do We Throw Money Away?

Every house in your street loses energy and heat through its windows – and that’s a fact. As well as through the glazing itself, energy is also lost through other areas such the seals and frames. Remember the old aluminium frames producing a wet windowsill every morning? I just think it makes sense to have something fitted that saves a few pounds here and there, but I’m all for weighing up the pros and cons.

Every room normally has a window. So windows are the first areas that should be tackled in the fight against heat loss. Installing double-glazing will ensure that you have a warmer, quieter home and it will help your energy bills drop over the course of a year too, but by how much? Is it worth the expense? Here’s the thing. If you are staying in your home for the next five years, it may or may not be worth you replacing old windows. Any longer and replacements are probably justified. I’m not saying they are going to pay for themselves, but they will look a lot better than the misted up windows in place and you will save money on woolly sweaters in the winter too.

✽ Weigh Up The Benefits Of Energy Efficiency

While there is the initial cost to worry about when it comes to fitting double-glazing to your property, you should try to focus on the bigger picture, despite how hard that might sound when most of us constantly to watch our spending. The biggest advantages to opting for a double glazed system include:

✽ Energy Bill Reduction

If you replace all of your single glazed windows with B-rated glass [second in the energy saving list] you stand to save around £180 per year on energy bills, which is a mammoth saving for any household, equating to around £15 a month. When you consider a house could cost thousands to fix, you’d better hope the windows add value to your home. In fairness, most decent manufacturers use A-rated glazing and these are going to save you a lot more and fuel prices are rising all the time.

✽ Protecting the Environment

Carbon dioxide is the gas responsible for global warming, so by using less fuel to heat your home and creating less of it, you’ll be helping to protect the eco system. You can expect up to a 700kg per year reduction in carbon emissions from your home.

✽ Keeping Warm

By installing energy efficient glass you will reduce the heat lost out of your windows, resulting in fewer cold spots in your house and increasing your overall comfort levels, particularly useful if you want to decrease the chances of winter illness.

✽ Keeping Noise Pollution Out

In addition to keeping the heat in, thicker windows have the brilliant added feature of keeping noise out. You won’t have to put up with the rumble of traffic disturbing your reading, or your noisy neighbour shouting at the top of their voice waking you up in the morning. Your home may even become a more relaxing place, although it may take more than windows to guarantee that! In fairness, it depends where you live because some people only have the birds to annoy them at 5am, but others have more pressing worries.

Most manufacturers of double-glazing these days use the standard energy rating scheme for their windows, grading them from A to G. You may have come across this rating system on appliances such as your fridge or washing machine, and the principle is the same with glass. Look for B-rated windows as a minimum and you’ll be well on your way to a brilliantly warm home which saves you money in the long run, despite the initial outlay.

About the author: Peter North is an avid blogger who has worked as a  window and conservatory installer through his twenty year career in the trade. He believes installers of Double Glazing in Berkshire are still trying to learn from him.