Highland Homestyle
Being experts in the field of energy conservation, our team at Highland Homestyle look to identify ways of improving the energy consumption of your home. If you currently have good quality UPVC window frames installed we can evaluate whether the current glazing units can simply by changed to our most advanced insulated units with Low E Coatings, warm edge spacer bars and an inert gas filling between the panes called ‘Argon Gas’ which provides an additional layer of insulation
By upgrading to our most advanced glazing units you can expect to increase the U Value of your existing PVC windows from 2.9 to a 1 (see diagram below for a simple way to understand U Values). A recent example saw a saving of £700 a year to our customers living in a 3 bedroom house in Perthshire. With an average lifespan of 25 – 30 years it is not surprising that the savings in fuel bills over that period far outweigh the initial cost outlay of this service. Not to mention the savings of not having to replace the existing frames.
Adequately maintained UPVC windows have a lifespan of up to 50 years and are designed to prevent heat loss, however, the glazing units of older windows are generally much less efficient that today’s glass. Often there is no Low E Coating or insulating gas and the old gold or silver spacer bars were made of low-grade aluminium which actually conducts cold from the outside pane of glass to the inside pane of glass and likewise the heat is drawn from inside to outside, causing the energy efficiency of the window to drop significantly and allowing your precious energy to literally ‘fly out of the window’.
Our Glazed units are formed with a structural foam, ‘super spacer’ between the panes, presenting a non-metal, warm-edge technology which raises the temperature of the outer glass edges and provides a tighter seal to prevent the insulating gas from leaking.
Our ‘super-spacer’ allows for expansion and contraction which is one of the main causes of sealed units failing and subsequently ‘misting‘ between the glass and therefore, during enhanced testing, caused the glazed units to last 5 times longer than those manufactured with metal spacers.
Not only are they more energy efficient and longer lasting but they also provide enhanced sound absorption which when coupled with our ‘acoustic glass’ can drastically cut down on noise pollution into your home.
Our ‘Super-spacers are made of structural foam and are pre-filled with desiccant to further enhance the life expectancy of the window as well as having lower sightlines than aluminium enhancing the visual appeal of your current windows.
Argon Gas is a colourless, odourless, non-reactive and non-flammable inert gas which when pumped into the cavity of the 2 panes of glass provides an excellent thermal performance by slowing down convection inside the air space. It does not convect heat as readily as air and not only does it keep the heat in during winter but it helps to keep it put in the summer, helping to provide a far more comfortable living environment all year round
Low Emissivity Coatings (Low E)
By using less heat to keep your home warm, less energy requires to be produced, thus lowering greenhouse gas production as well as saving you money.
The Low E coating on our glass reflects long wave radiation (heat). It allows less heat to escape through your windows because it reflects the heat from fires and radiators back into your home. At this same time it lets the suns heat through your window contributing to its energy efficiency by providing ‘free heat’ from the sun. This is known as ‘passive solar gain’. So whilst offering positive benefits to the environment, it also has great benefits for your home, health and wealth.
Put Simply The U Value is like a speedometer, it is a measurement of the speed that heat moves through a material, the lower the U value, the slower the speed that the heat travels and therefore the better the insulation value. So put simply you should be looking for the lowest U value available, this will give you the highest insulation available.
To put some values on different types of glass, here are the U values for glass you will be familiar with:
Single Glazing
Older Double Glazing
no argon gas between the panes and no glass coatings
Older Double Glazing
with argon gas between the panes and no coatings
Pilkington Optitherm S1
