Rod, otherwise known as @silikaltd on Twitter, posed this question at the weekend:

That started off a long conversation, of which I missed most due to a hangover! Still, it seems obvious that there is a growing trend in the demand for acoustic glazing. So, as Rod asked, could it be the next big thing?

Next field to attack

If you look at the shopping list of improvements to glazing, energy efficiency is one that we can tick off the list.

There have been huge improvements over the past few years, with U-Values coming down all the time, and energy ratings seemingly on a never ending journey skywards. So it seems logical that since we have that problem all but solved, the issue of noise pollution should be the next target.

It’s easy to forget how noise pollution can affect all of us. So much time and press has been spent in the last few years focusing on the energy efficiency side of things, that reducing noise has gone a little unnoticed.

The products and knowledge has always been available. It’s just that the industry has promoted heat loss as the number one problem. But as I’ve said, with that licked, it’s time to focus on noise reduction through windows.

Triple glazing vs double glazing

Of course when triple glazing arrived on the scene, the marketers were proudly stating that this would be the saviour to noise reduction. Three panes better than two and all that. Except that wasn’t strictly true.

The Triple Glazing Debate last April cleared that up once and for all. To help reduce noise using a glazing solution, the glass used in the units have to be made up of different thickness’s in order to stop noise travelling through it so well. This meant that triple glazed units, all with equal thickness glass and cavities, would in fact not be the saviour to homes that lives near a motorway.

The issue of noise pollution as an important one, as Andy Carrington from GQA Qualifications wrote in a blog post in 2014:

The need to reduce all forms of pollutants is ever growing and a natural progression within our industry could lead to a reduction in the pollution of noise. Noise, and the effects of noise, is a main factor in our well-being and has been a major contributor to the discomfort of people’s lives for many years, potentially leading to a number of serious health problems that continue in today’s society with road associated noise, lawnmowers, trains, aircraft, people noise, music and so on.

He’s not wrong. Too much noise can do us all serious damage. And perhaps those five recent enquiries which Rod talked about in his tweet is a sign that the general public is now looking to noise reduction as the next priority.
Could it be the next big thing? Possibly, but it has to be advertised and sold right in the first place. Saying triple glazing will be the solution will only be right if the correct sealed unit is used. A unit with equal glass thickness and cavity width won’t do the trick. We have to make that point clear to the public if we want to truly help home owners reduce noise in their homes.
To get daily updates from DGB sent to your inbox, enter your email address in the space below to subscribe:
[wysija_form id=”1″]