All of our customers know how concerned we are about the environment. That’s why our range of Window Energy Rated (WER) systems offers all of our customers a greener option when buying replacement windows.
As most of you know, Hazlemere were extremely proud to be the first company in the UK to design, manufacture, supply and install a dualframe aluminum green window system that achieved an ‘A’ Window Energy Rating in 2007.
We continue to promote energy efficiency during 2009 and ensure that homeowners can have cost effective, environmentally friendly windows. All of our windows are rated by The British Fenestration Rating Council (BFRC), so we wanted to explain how the ratings work for your home or business.
The British Fenestration Rating Council (BFRC) Scheme is the UK’s national system for rating the energy efficiency of windows and is recognised within the Building Regulations as a method to show compliance for your replacement windows installation.
WER’s use a consumer-friendly traffic-light style A-E ratings guide similar to that used on ‘white’ goods, such as fridges, freezers and washing machines. These ratings labels will help you make more informed choices about the energy efficiency of the windows you are looking to install.
With carbon emissions high on the global agenda, we are constantly looking for effective ways to make our homes more energy efficient. Each window rated by the BFRC has a unique label, and this label will display the following information:
• The rating level – A, B, C, etc.
• The energy rating e.g. -3kWh/(m²-K) in this example the product will lose 3-kilowatt hours per square metre per year.
• The window U value e.g. 1.4W/(m²-K)
• The effective heat loss due to air penetration as L. e.g. 0.01 W/(m²-K)
• The solar heat gain e.g. g=0.43
To make this even simpler, this rating will determine how well our products will function. For example, helping you maintain heat during the colder months, and keep the cold out. Prevent condensation and improve overall sound insulation.
Energy Efficient Windows are easy to recognise, so always look for the BFRC Label. See our Energy Rated Windows for further information.
CATAGORY|Saving Energy, Windows & Doors
Here at Hazlemere, we are passionate about saving money. And if you can save money while saving energy, then that makes us even happier.
With the help of double-glazing windows, you save energy and money but there are also other factors that assist in reducing your carbon footprint. By following our very simple, yet highly affective tips on how to be more energy efficient, your home or business will play its part in not only reducing your energy bill, but reducing your CO2 emissions too.
Save money by having an energy efficient well insulated double glazed property
Turning down your thermostat by just one degree will reduce your energy bill by at least 10%. Resist the temptation to open your windows.
2. Here’s a bright idea: switch off lights
Cut your consumption by switching off indoor and outdoor lights when not needed.
3. And another
Energy saving light bulbs last around 10 times longer than ordinary light bulbs and use a fraction of the energy an equivalent traditional bulb does.
4. Be switched on by switching off
It seems obvious, but turn the main cooker switch off and don’t leave your washing machine on standby. This will cut your energy bill by roughly 5% each year.
5. Don’t leave anything on standby
TV’s, DVD players, Internet modems and PC’s contribute to roughly 20% of an average household energy bill. Turn them off!
6. Adapt to a multi plug adapter
Try plugging all of your multimedia equipment into a multi-plug adapter and then switching the whole adapter off at night with one switch. That will shut off all of that ’standby’ power being consumed.
7. You snooze, you lose
Charge your mobile phone when you are awake so you can unplug it once fully charged. The same principle applies to your laptop.
8. Wall and roof insulation
Eco wool will insulate your roof and walls more effectively. Up to 35% of your homes heat escapes through the walls, and up to 25% through the roof.
9. Be a sun worshipper
Invest in solar thermal panels on your roof as the hot water from these can be fed into your boiler. The energy savings will also add to the energy efficiency rating of your home.
10. Energy efficient double glazing
And last but by no means least. Quality double-glazing stops energy from escaping your property, and makes it a littler quieter too. We highly recommend that you consider having double-glazing as it will dramatically improves the overall energy efficiency of your home or business and adds value to it as well.
We will happily visit your property to determine which energy saving windows are best for you, or why not see how our Energy Rated Windows can save you money and the planet.
CATAGORY|Saving Energy, Saving Money
Aluminium Victorian conservatory installed by Hazlemere in Beaconsfield Bucks
The simple answer is that conservatories require almost as much design, planning, materials and work as a full blown extension to any home. For starters, you surely will want your conservatory to have foundations as good as if they were for an extension, given the desired outcome is the same, a functional extra room.
Until I joined Hazlemere Conservatories in Buckinghamshire, I had no appreciation of the amount of investment and time required to build a professional conservatory base and foundations. The amount of building work required before a conservatory frame can be erected is enormous, compared to the actual installation of an aluminium or UPVC double glazed conservatory. Dependent on the size and complexity of a new conservatory, the building works can take 2-3 weeks, whereas the rest of the conservatory can then be erected and finished within 2-3 days.
I had no appreciation of the high percentage of costs of building a conservatory that are spent in the ground. In very round figures, when buying a conservatory the building works represent about a third of the total costs, the windows and doors cost about a third and the conservatory roof the final third.
To avoid long term disappointment, it is important not to compromise in any of these areas, particularly on the glazing in the roof, which, in my opinion, is what will make or break your conservatory project, and determine whether or not you can use the room all year round. It is essential to have as much ventilation as possible in the summer, so ensure you have sufficient opening roof vents for the size of your conservatory (as these act as chimneys, venting away the hot rising air on sunny days), along with enough opening windows and doors to provide extra ventilation during a hot summer.
Obviously, the more opening roof vents, windows and doors, the more your conservatory will cost, but there is no point in cutting corners if such short sighted measures leave your conservatory uninhabitable in either the winter or summer. Likewise, Celotex floor insulation costs extra, but you will notice the difference on cold winter days if you have not properly heated or insulated your conservatory, only gone for “standard” double glazing, rather than highly thermally efficient glass (yes it costs more!) and not invested in a reflective costing on your conservatory roof, like Pilkington’s Blue Activ self cleaning glass.
If your intention is to be able to use your conservatory all year round, then you will probably need to invest more than you first planned, as you don’t want to invest your hard earned savings in a nice looking conservatory because it was the “cheapest quote”, only to find it’s environment on cold winter days and sunny days unpleasant and unuseable.
Over the last 12-18 months I have met so many conservatory onwers in Hazlemere’s High Wycombe Showroom, who opted for a “cheap” polycarbonate roof, simply because they could not afford a double glazed one, who have subsequently regreted not waiting till they could have afforded it, as retro fitting a new conservatory roof and double glazing, can be almost as expensive as building a UPVC conservatory. Other clients, with a southerly aspect who did not invest in solar controlled double glazing, find themselves “having” to fit conservatory roof blinds with a reflective top coating, or even swap over the sealed units for Pilkington Activ Blue or Neutral glazing solutions, an extemely expensive exercise.
The bottom line is that if you want to have 24/7 use of your conservatory it is far more economic in the long term to invest upfront when building a new conservatory, however hard it may seem at the time, as it will be far more financially painful and time consuming if you do need to retrospectively spend and spend to try and put right, what you wish you had ordered in the first place.
CATAGORY|Conservatories
It may seem a long way off, but on 1st January 2010 VAT will increase to 17.5% from it current rate of 15%. This may not sound like much of an increase, but on a £20,000 new Conservatory or house full of double glazed windows and doors order, 2.5% represents a £500 increase to the customer.
Before tax and National Insurance the cost to tax paying clients of a £500 investment is probably nearer £800, so if you are thinking seriously of major home improvements and want to avoid paying the 2.5% VAT increase after 31st December 2009, then you really need to order very soon, particularly if you want a conservatory.
VAT is due at the tax point, which is when the goods are delivered, so in the case of replacement windows and doors or a new conservatory, when the installation is complete.
Given it can take up to three months to get planning permission or a Certificate of Proposed Lawful Development to build a conservatory on your home, and that it can take 6-8 weeks to build a conservatory, Hazlemere Conservatories are urging their customers who wish to avoid the VAT increase to order immediately.
HMRC have rules in place to prevent customers paying in advance to avoid paying the VAT increase, so the only way Hazlemere can assist its customers to pay the current rate of 15% VAT for their new conservatory is to get the planning application into our customers local council’s planning department ASAP and have completed the installation (after having first gained an approval) before 31st December 2009.
The same goes for windows and doors, and whilst the lead time on replacement or new double glazing is not as long as on conservatories, Hazlemere customers who want to be absolutely certain that their installation will be totally completed before the end of 2009 really need to order soon, as most customers are amazed when we advise them that delivery can be up to three months on certain products (other products are nearer two months delivery at present), which is due to the massive increase in demand for home improvements since January, when it seems home owners have decide to improve rather than move.
Obviously if hundreds of Hazlemere Windows, Door & Conservatories customers suddenly decide they all want to avoid the VAT increase, then delivery times will get even longer than they already are. Therefore, if you want to save money on planned major home improvements, now is the time to seriously consider ordering to ensure your project is completed prior to 31st December 2009.
CATAGORY|Conservatories, Retail, Windows & Doors
There are no doubts many businesses across the UK who will hope the Government delays its highly unpopular 2.5% VAT increase on December 31st.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has made a robust stance in calling for a delay to this Value Added Tax increase. The BRC has reinforced the nationwide plea by many UK retailers not to raise the current 15 per cent to 17.5 per cent VAT at the end of the year, given it is the busiest and lucrative time annually for the high street, and could potentially damage thousands of businesses within the sector.
A report released by the BRC in May announced that the VAT cut to 15 per cent during 2008 cost the retail industry a staggering £90m to action, and when (as currently planned) the increase goes ahead in December, is likely to cost retailers the same again.
For some unknown reason the BRC are only requesting that the deadline be put back one month, but more significantly they want an instant freeze on all new business rate burdens and the reinstatement of empty property rate relief, as the many empty retail shop units in most high streets are a detriment to all retailers, looking to attract footfall.
“Changing VAT rates back to 17.5 per cent at the end of December will soak up a lot of effort at the busiest and most important time of the year for most retailers,” say Stephen Robertson, the Director General of the BRC. “For some shops post-Christmas sales were 50 per cent above normal, so it’s a time when staff should be focusing on serving customers. Re-pricing is very labour intensive and the need for overtime and bank holiday employees will make it a costly distraction for retailers. The Government should postpone the reintroduction of the 17.5 per cent VAT rate by at least a month.”
The VAT increase, combined with planned business rate rises and other rising costs, is likely to lead to further job losses. The retail sector has been the backbone of our economy for decades; providing one in nine UK jobs, so surely the Government needs to quickly recognise this and sustain the foundations and heritage that are now under serious threat of collapse.
Hazlemere Windows are one of thousands of businesses in the UK who could be affected by the increase. Paying the 17.5 per VAT wouldn’t just equate to a surge in their business rates, but could potentially lose us business. We provide windows, doors and conservatories to both the domestic and commercial customers, and are conscious the increase in VAT to 17.5% from 1st January 2010 could deter people from ordering in early 2010.
Mark Austin, Marketing Director, Hazlemere Window Company Ltd
“Whilst most businesses can claim most of VAT back, sadly the vast majority of Hazlemere Windows, Doors & Conservatories retail customers can not,” says Mark Austin, Marketing Director at Hazlemere. “Therefore any tax increase is clearly not an incentive to purchase retail goods to help stimulate the British economy.
Hazlemere Window Company supports the BRC’s initiative to delay the implementation of the VAT tax increase by a month, and would much prefer no increase until the retail economy was in a healthier position.”
CATAGORY|Commerce, Retail
Hazlemere Windows are well known as the regions largest independent manufacturer, supplier and installer of high quality made to measure aluminium windows, doors and conservatories. However, Hazlemere are also becoming known throughout Buckinghamshire and Berkshire for the supplying and fitting of manual and remote control electric made to measure ABS, GRP, solid wood and steel, roller, sectional, side hinged plus up and over garage doors.
Hazlemere Electric GRP Up & Over + Wood Grain Effect Remote Control Garage Doors
Hazlemere Garage Doors have a
showroom in High Wycombe that has on permanent demonstration an up and over electric garage door and a remote control glass re-inforced polyester sectional garage door, along with samples of roller shutter garage door finishes, steel garage door options and solid wooden timber choices. Each garage door supplied and fitted by
Hazlemere Garage Doors is made to measure. Hazlemere
Garage Solutions also supply and fit PVC garage flooring, steel cabinets and wall mounted steel storage, so can totally transform your garage into a tidy functional, workplace with more than sufficient storage space for your bikes, garden implements, mower, tools and vehicles etc.
CATAGORY|Home Improvements
