Double glazing discounts?

Double glazing discounts?

The prospect of buying replacement windows, as a consequence, sends an understandable chill down the spine of many a consumer. But while some homeowners will find themselves in a ‘double-glazing nightmare’ most won’t. Window companies, are by-and-large, cleaning up their act. There are the rogues but if they’re clued-up, homeowners can avoid them.

Buying windows, door & conservatories?

So where should you start if you’re thinking about buying windows, doors, conservatories or orangeries? Well the first thing is that if a salesman starts by dropping his price by 30 per cent within minutes of walking through the door, tries to get you to sign on the day or throws in any of the phrases already mentioned, the alarm bells should be ringing.

Most will, however, be professional. They will discuss your requirements, the options available to you and go away and deliver a quote by post, email or phone call. If they’re doing it on the day, they’re probably shooting from the hip – that’s fine for cowboys but not responsible businesses.

KJM has a ‘No pressure promise’ – we won’t try and close the deal on the day, we won’t hound you on the phone. We send out the quote, we’ll call to check that you have it and that’s it. Where our customers go from there is up to them.

To avoid ‘the Cowboys’ consumers should be buying from a FENSA registered installer as a bare minimum. This means that they deliver work to agreed standards and are subject to quality spot checks.

KJM is a fully registered member of FENSA, we’re also registered with the Glass and Glazing Federation, are Trading Standards and BBA Trust Mark approved, while we’re also members of Checkatrade.

We believe that this has been important in supporting our growth because these schemes offer home owners peace of mind. Ultimately it’s word-of-mouth recommendation which is the foundation of our successes.

We install the highest quality products and fit them to the highest standards. But sometimes products do need the occasional ‘tweak’. Our customers know that if small adjustments need to be made over time or something isn’t quite right after a few months, there’s support just down the road.

It’s also important to us that all of our sales people are fully trained and fully understand our products so that they win business but also and no less importantly, so can talk homeowners through the right products for their property.

Getting the aesthetics right or the right security options are critical. Rising energy prices mean that energy efficiency is definitely on the ‘need to know about’ list.

Energy rated windows

There are two systems for rating the performance of windows and doors – U-values and Window Energy Ratings (WERs). U-Values assess a product on how effective it is at keeping heat in or how much heat is lost through it, as a single measure of performance.

Window Energy Ratings do the same and use the U-Value (heat loss) but also balance heat loss against solar gain (warmth which passes into the room from the sun) and also throw into the mix additional heat loss through air penetration.

This not only sounds complicated but is, however, fortunately for the rest of us, the WER system uses more or less the same system that is used on fridges, washing machines and Home Energy Performance Certificates to give windows a ranking from ‘A/A+’ to ‘G’ using a ‘traffic-light’ type colour code.

To be compliant with building regulations, all new windows must achieve a minimum WER ‘C’ rating or U-value of 1.6 or less. Windows fitted today – whether timber, PVC or aluminium – go far beyond this minimum. For example, at KJM we supply an energy saving triple-glazed window with a U-value as low as 0.8W/m².K and WER off the A+ scale.

Alongside energy efficiency window aesthetics have also been hitting the headlines. The double-glazing industry has come in for significant criticism, notably for some hugely unsympathetic PVC-U installations to period properties in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Clearly uPVC double-glazing won’t be right for everyone but significant innovation in PVC window technology means homeowners can now select products and finishes from a vast range to fully compliment and enhance the appearance of their property.

Always popular among home owners for their low maintenance qualities but less so among building conservationists, colour choices, traditional jointing systems and flush casement finishes, make it very difficult to spot the difference between a traditional timber window and u-PVC.

Conversely wooden windows, which have always delivered strong aesthetics now deliver significantly improved weather performance and security.

Windows and doors can define the character of a property so getting it right is absolutely critical. Good retail companies will sit down with homeowners and work with them as design partners to support them in making the right choices.

The same applies to other areas where new and better products are giving homeowners more choice. For example higher specification conservatories, sun rooms and orangeries are giving homeowners far more flexibility and year-round living space, for example for use as dining room, sitting room, or even gym.

There are also a number of alternative options including the addition of an atrium or ‘lantern’ roof to a ‘traditional’ brick extension, plus ancillary products, for example bi-folding doors, that when retracted can open whole facades to the great outdoors.

There are a lot of options out there and that can make it confusing for the homeowner but equally it means that they will almost certainly be able to select a product that meets every aspect of their individual need. A little careful research early on and the right choice of company can pay dividends in the long run.

As a closing thought, we’re frequently asked by our customers as to why we don’t discount. The answer is that we’d rather offer homeowners the best price we can first time around!

For more information visit kjmgroup.co.uk email [email protected] or call 01264 359355

Also read Double glazing grant schemes.