Rod, otherwise known as @silikaltd on Twitter, posed this question at the weekend:
@glazingblogger I've had 5 enquiries recently with customer wanting a quote for acoustic glazing - I think this could be the next big thing
— Silika (@silikaltd) September 5, 2015
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.
We do a few sound reduction installations and you do have to be very careful. Based on a standard 28mm unit you can’t better asymmetric double glazing due to the larger air gap. You can only make triple better when you go to the larger 44mm. Not a problem in itself of course, just that a lot of people are still miss selling the ‘free upgrade to triple’ If you want a decent sound attenuation installation you can’t simply change the glass. Everything from how you mount the frame and how you make good internally makes a huge difference. Not… Read more »
Absolutley , it is even more awkward to advise on accurately than U-values , sound reduction varies over different frequency bands and in some cases can be purely subjective , the problem with this industry is that too many people ,(including a well known trade federation) make promises they can’t deliver on because they expect people to be blinded by their ‘science’ . With promises of sound reductions at point of sale it is almost impossible to verify the results at installation , that in our industry, is a perfect opportunity to let the chancers loose with the customers.