Buying double glazing?

Choosing new windows? Looking for double glazing? Fitting new glass in older windows? Here are some important things you should consider.

The glass matters

It may sound obvious, but if you're choosing new or replacement windows for your home the most important aspect you need to consider is the glass your installer uses in them. Many people don't.

Selecting the right glass can make a huge difference to how your windows perform and how your home feels. It can significantly impact factors such as comfort, warmth, energy efficiency and security. It can also help reduce noise, overheating and the fading of furniture.

The Planitherm difference

Beware of uncoated glass used in double glazing – it won’t provide all the functional capabilities you need to keep your home comfortable, warm and energy efficient. Ask your installer about Planitherm glass instead.

Manufactured by Saint-Gobain, it uses a special coating that transforms normal glass into a material that reflects the heat you generate back into your home, rather than allowing it to escape through your windows. The same coating allows free heat from natural daylight to pass through the glass, capturing it to warm your rooms.

Additional layers on some Planitherm packages also help make your windows stronger and more secure, giving you peace of mind and making your home a comfortable, energy efficient, safe place to be.

All three glass packages in the Planitherm range – Energy Standard, Comfort and Comfort Plus – can be used in either double or triple glazing applications.

Comfort and efficiency

Energy efficiency is high on people's wish list when they buy windows. The frames and how your windows are assembled can help with this, but the glass you use in them can make the biggest difference.

Planitherm can be used to achieve the best possible Window Energy Ratings (WERs), but it goes further, with a range of comfort features. Depending on the package you choose and the room you’re fitting your windows in, Planitherm glass can retain indoor warmth and capture or control the level of heat from outside – for a light, comfortable, more energy efficient home.

Security

Lots of people think about robust handles with secure locks when investing in new windows – but the glass you choose can make the biggest difference of all to the security of your home.

Planitherm Comfort and Comfort Plus glass both include a special layer that's harder to break. Designed to protect against vandalism, it meets the official police security initiative ‘Secured by Design’ standard whenever it's used in an approved frame.

Of course, ask your installer about the type of lock that will best suit your needs, but be sure to ask about the glass too.

Noise reduction

Your choice of frame for your windows and the way they're sealed can only make so much difference to how much noise you hear from outside – and how much sound from indoors leaves your home.

Choosing a quality glass with noise reducing properties, will make the biggest difference. Planitherm Comfort and Comfort Plus glass provides 20% better noise reduction than traditional double glazing*.

For added comfort and protection

If you've experienced the powerful fading effects of sunlight in particularly sunny rooms, you'll know it can quickly fade furniture, floor coverings, curtains, photos and more.

Not all glass protects against these damaging UV rays, but Planitherm Comfort and Comfort Plus glass does. An invisible layer provides 99%** UV reduction – safeguarding your furnishings and memories.

*Compared with a 4mm/16mm cavity/4mm (uncoated) Double Glazed Unit filled with air.

**Calculated from UV transmittance in accordance with EN 410.