> Well, today the uncertainty of what was classed as energy efficient and what wasn't reared it's head again today, thanks to the chance visit of a FENSA inspector on one of our installations. The topic of Uni-Blinds, the Pellini Italian blinds within double glazed units, came up between one of our installers and a [...]
>The Green Deal has been on shaky ground ever since the details of the deal have been researched and found to be inconsistent at best. However, the Government's latest set of figures could spell the end for a deal which has had so much lobbying, hours of debate in Parliament, and I'm sure many millions [...]
>I never really took much interest in the Passivhaus energy standard. I saw it being talked about on Twitter a little bit, but took no notice of it. But I decided to take a look at it today and see what all the fuss was about.It was quite enlightening. The Passivhaus energy standard is the [...]
>The Guardian has published an article explaining how the Green Deal will significantly fail to meet up to the targets set by the Government.They claim that out of the 14 million households in need of upgrades, the scheme will only actually reach 2-3 million homes. It get's worse for the Government, as the CCC (Committee [...]
>As always, I like to open the floor as it were, to others to be able to contribute on this site. The guest post below focuses on energy efficiency and how the UK's businesses could still be doing more to improve and reduce their carbon foot print. Enjoy!By Ian Penfold, Architectural Manager, Solar GardFor many [...]
>Some very smart people in South Korea have produced a new type of 'smart glass', which has the potential be cheaper and be more reliable than the current market offering.How does it work? The glass is laced with a charge counterion polymer, which darkens in seconds when outside air temperatures become high - keeping the [...]
>I was reading an interesting article from www.pressroom.pella.com about condensation. I was reading to see what reasons they gave and how to go about reducing it. Then this section came up about external condensation:Exterior condensation on windows occurs primarily in the morning when days are warm and humid, but nights are cool. Typically, it clears [...]
>All the talk at the moment has been about the condensation on the outside of the glass when the weather conditions are cold enough and right, but as we all start to fit more and more energy efficient windows, another problem is going to arise - overheating.All south facing sides are going to experience increased [...]
>So then, I've been away for a week, have I missed anything important?I see that U-Values for doors have been rendered practically useless for a time, which in a way isn't surprising considering the poor application of the changes.One thing I can report is that while in the Highlands I noticed quite a lot of [...]
>Today is now the day where we have to fit doors with a 1.8 U-Value or better, windows with a U-Value of 1.6 or better or to at least a C rating as a minimum. The windows side of things I think most companies are up to date with (hopefully!), but doors is the bit [...]
>For those who have been installing energy rated windows for the last couple of years, you will be all too aware of what this post is all about. Condensation.When we started selling energy rated windows, one of the selling points was the fact that you could cut out a lot of the condensation on the [...]
>I have tried desperately myself to keep optimistic about the WER scheme and it's enforcement on October 1st. But after finding out what I have over the past 48 hours, I've lost all faith I had in it. The more the BFRC's plan has unravelled, the more it looks as though it has just been [...]
>Some of us have thought that the proposed changes to Part L might be postponed to let the rest of the industry get their act together and get themselves ready. But, in a letter to Door-Stop International, Vince Cable has confirmed that it will go ahead on October 1st, with no postponements and no delays. The article [...]
>The petition for a windows scrappage scheme has come to an end, with the Government posting this response:The Government agrees that energy efficiency has an important part to play if we are to achieve our carbon reduction targets. The benefits of energy efficiency for households are clear: saving money on energy bills, reducing reliance on [...]
>Every month, more and more marketing materials gets released telling us how much money our customers can save by putting in energy efficient windows. The problem is, every time we get this new material, the numbers are all different!I've had materials telling me customers can save £180, £200, £461, £600 or even £800 a year [...]
>There are still many in the industry that report that only a quarter, perhaps a third maximum, of all companies are actually actively promoting and selling energy rated windows. We took the decision a while back to sell only 'A' rated windows as standard, which was made easier by our manufacturers dropping the energy rated [...]
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