How often do you feel cold in your home even though you’ve had the heating on and all the windows are shut?
Windows contribute up to 25-30% of heating and cooling energy in residential properties, so if you’ve noticed irregular temperatures in your home, then your windows may be to blame.
There is a solution, though. Double-glazed windows can improve your home’s energy efficiency, boost your security and even increase your resale value.
Whether you’re looking for double-glazing in Stevenage, St. Albans, or further afield, read on to discover more about double-glazed windows and the five ways they can improve your home today.
What Are Double-Glazed Windows?
As the name suggests, a double-glazed window is any window made up of two separate sheets of glass parallel to each other. There is a 12mm to 16mm gap filled with air or argon gas between these two panels. This gap acts as a buffer, preventing noise and cold air from entering and warm air from escaping.
The British Fenestration Ratings Council (BFRC) rates the energy efficiency of windows on a scale of G to A+. The rating is based on how effectively the window stops heat escaping, how much air is able to leak out of the window and how much sunlight can pass through the glass.
Double-glazed windows can be made from a wide range of glasses and frame materials, so you should ask a professional window company for their advice on which option would best suit your home and budget.
What Are the Benefits of Double-Glazed Windows?
While single-glazed windows were once more common, double-glazed windows are now the standard for both replacement and newly constructed windows. There are some good reasons for this.
Not only can multiple-glazed windows reduce your heating bills, but they can also make your home safer. Here are five of the biggest benefits of installing double-glazed windows.
1. Improve Your Home’s Energy Efficiency
One of the biggest benefits of installing double-glazed windows is the improved energy efficiency of your home. If you find that your heating bills are on the high side, upgrading your windows could be the answer.
This is because air can easily move in and out of your home through doors and windows, even if they’re shut. With fewer reinforcements than doors, windows are often a heating weak point. As a result, this lets out any heat and causing you to spend even more money heating your home.
Double-glazed windows are naturally insulated, with the space between the two panes of glass containing a layer of air that acts as a buffer against the cold air from outside. This, in turn, helps keep warm air inside and stops it from seeping out.
The double-glazing cost is a wise investment, as you will find your home will stay warmer for longer. Better temperature stability will not only keep you more comfortable but will also save you a lot of money further down the line.
2. Make Your Home Safer
Just as windows tend to be weak spots for letting heat in and out, they can also provide weak spots for unwanted guests to target. Double-glazed windows are one of the safest options. So if you want to increase your security, contact a window company near you to arrange getting a double-glazing quote.
This is because double-glazed windows are usually made with harder, reinforced materials like laminated glass. Also known as “safety glass,” windows made using these materials are much more difficult to break through.
3. Reduce Noise Pollution
Single-glazed windows allow sounds, waves, and vibrations to pass through them without any resistance. While this might not be such a problem if you live in the countryside, for those who live in towns, cities or near main roads, the noise pollution can be overwhelming.
The layer of air between the two panes of glass in double-glazed windows doesn’t just keep the cold air, but it also helps keep the excess noise out. It increases the distance that the sound waves must travel through, and so reduces the overall level of noise.
Laminated glass windows will also decrease noise levels. This is because the layer of plastic between the glass will act as a buffer, absorbing sound vibrations.
4. Increase Your Home’s Resale Value
Choosing to install double-glazed windows is a wise long-term investment. Good-quality double-glazed windows can improve the value of your home and make it more appealing to prospective buyers.
Double-glazed windows come in a number of different styles, with a choice of frames. In order to maximize the added value, choose aesthetically-pleasing styles that will appeal to a wide range of people.
As a general rule of thumb, the more windows you replace with up-to-date double-glazed windows, the more value you will add to your home.
5. Protect Your Furniture and Fittings
We all love a bit of sun. But too much sun coming through your windows can actually damage your furniture. As well as other fixtures and fittings. This is because the ultraviolet (UV) rays emitted by the sun can bleach objects if they are exposed to enough sunlight.
Items you need to be especially careful of include your carpet, curtains, blinds, and even patches of your wood flooring that are repeatedly exposed to UV light.
By installing double-glazed windows, you can help block out these UV rays and protect your furniture. When Googling for “double-glazing near me,” be sure to check how effective each type of glass is at blocking UV rays. Some windows are Low-E (low emittance). This means they reduce the number of rays filtering through to your home, but don’t block all rays.
Decide how important this is to you. If you have a south-facing room with an expensive wooden floor, it may be worth investing in windows. These will help block out as many UV rays as possible to avoid uneven tones.
Choose Double-Glazed Windows Today
Now you know what double-glazed windows are and what they can do for you. All that’s left is for you to get your own windows upgraded.
At Apex Windows we offer a variety of window replacements for your home. Whether you need double-glazing in Luton, Bedford, Watford, or beyond, contact us today to find out more about our services and discuss which option is right for you.