Week two of 2015 and the industry still seems to be waking up. Not yet firing on all cylinders, the cold weather and suspected Christmas credit card bills might just be holding back the free flowing spending on homes just a little. Still, things continue to look positive in our industry at the moment, with many companies reporting good sales and expectations that 2015 will be another good year. So in the week that saw the Beagle2 lander rediscovered, a controversial Charlie Hebdo front cover and Oscar nominations, it’s time to look back at what I covered on DGB.

Summary

I started the week with a post looking at the possible risks to our industry both inside and outside of it. I had started my first week’s posts quite positively. But I thought it prudent to keep in the backs of our minds of the dangers that still remain out there, and the issues that could become problems later on this year.

Summary

It was back to positivity for Tuesday as I took a look at 5 places where the industry might head to in the future. This one drew in a few comments, and plenty of shares on social media. I hope that the industry does go down some of the roads I predicted. My own personal favourite would be if the glass industry started to incorporate smart glass tech in their products. So many cool uses for it!

Summary

I published a second post on Tuesday in response to the news that inflation had dropped sharply in the last month and it was now at a record equaling low. It really is a good time to be a consumer at the moment, and hopefully all that extra cash in people’s pockets will encourage them to spend more on their homes, specifically windows and doors!

Summary

Next up was a post addressing a point that I had been stewing on for a little while, the energy rated certificate. As windows get more efficient, A ratings continue to rise. The BFRC tackled this by setting an A+ rating for those that were +10 or above. But with windows now approaching the +40 mark, what is the BFRC going to do? Can’t have an A++++++ rating on a certificate!

Summary

I always knew this one would draw a few comments, and I was proved right, as I put forward my thoughts on what features would make the best window and door company. The reaction on Twitter was quite strong, even to the point where people thought I might have been a bit biased. Truth is although our company does use a few of them, we use them because we think they are the best at what they do. Anyway, this one got plenty of views and plenty of shares on social media.

Summary

Last up, something just for fun. I reported on some market research carried out by Synseal in which they asked 2000 people a series of questions to determine at what point people have actually made it in life. The 50 points they came up with were quite funny to read out, and people all day on Twitter were ticking off what they had and had not got.