Here at Hazlemere Windows, Doors and Conservatories we have spent some considerable time developing our products in response to the proposed changes to Part L of the Building Regulations that are scheduled to come into effect on 1st October 2010. As soon as the Government formally announces these changes (which is supposed to be around Easter time), it will mean big changes for both property owners and the entire double glazing industry.
The proposed changes, if all adopted by the Government on 1st October 2010 (which is expected as they are a necessary part of its commitment to reduce carbon emissions) will have wide ranging financial, legal, and timescale implications for every property owner in the UK who wants to replace windows or doors, build an extension or a conservatory or build a new house. Here at Hazlemere Windows head office and factory in High Wycombe, Bucks, we have been gearing up for these major changes for a fair period of time, as if enforced on 1st October 2010 as planned by the Government, they will make many double glazing products currently being sold in the UK obsolete overnight.
Consequently, Hazlemere has developed and had certified A, B and C rated aluminium and UPVC windows that will comply with the new regulations. These have a technically higher spec that D, E, F and G rated products, argon filled sealed units and higher specification glass and spacer bar. Consequently they do cost more to make, but in terms of energy efficiency and energy saving they are top notch, delivering the highest level of energy efficient performance.
The good news is that Hazlemere has been manufacturing and selling these products for years, so has the knowledge and expertise as independent double glazing manufacturers and installers to help home owners choose the right energy saving products for their property. In addition they have been tested and approved by the British Fenestration Rating Council and endorsed by the Energy Saving Trust. Hazlmere’s aluminium windows achieve an A, B and C energy rating by having a thermal break between the inner and outer aluminium frame.
Once the Government announcement on Part L of the Building Regulation changes is made, and all the detailed legal and financial ramifications known, both homeowners and the double glazing industry will know the cut off date for installing existing products, which as we understand it is likely to be 30th September 2010.
The bottom line, as it appears to me personally, is that it will be UK property owners like you and me (should we want to improve our property), who will legally be obligated to pay for and install higher energy rated double glazing to help the Government get anywhere near meeting its carbon emission targets. Not only this, but all the UK double glazing industry is going to have to gear up to these changes. Fortunately, in Hazlemere Windows case, we have spent considerable time and effort investing in energy efficient energy saving windows, so the Hazlemere Group is very much geared up for the future to assist properties cut their carbon emissions and thereby reduce their carbon footprint.
CATAGORY|Carbon Footprint, Home Improvements
When I was thinking about the ways I could insulate my own home against future cold snaps, I came across an excellent Wales Online article by Graham Henry of the South Wales Echo. Having lived in Wales for three years when at Lampeter University in Dyfed during the early 1980’s I recalled a time when I was one of only a handfull of students that had gone back early before the start of the term, only to be caught up in and witness the greatest snowfall of my lifetime, yes far greater than the January 2010 snowfalls in Southern England.
The snowfall was so great, there were drifts over seven feet deep and all the roads were impassable even for snowploughs and tractors! All the electricity supplies were cut off for days and the only heating we had was the gas stoves in the Refectory (at least we had food!). None of the University rooms on campus had any heating, so at night we literally froze, however many layers of clothes and gloves we wore. We ended up being cut off by road for over a week, something I will never forget, as it delayed the start of term. Boy, did we appreciate heating and lighting after that!!
So when I read “How you can beat the big freeze and cut your carbon footprint” published on Wales Online on 12th January 2010 by Graham Henry of the South Wales Echo I thought it would be helpful to let you read the article, given the recent Arctic conditions in the entire UK.
“THE big chill has meant many people have been forced to stay in their homes and crank up the heating. That can hit not only the pocket – leaving many fearing higher bills during the cold snap – but also the environment. Wales already has the unwanted title of highest carbon emitter in the UK, with the Energy Saving Trust estimating we waste £200m of energy every year due to poorly insulated homes. So, as the mercury plummets, we have a handy guide of top tips to keeping warm this winter without harming the environment or your bank balance.
1. Cavity wall insulation
Cavity wall insulation saves around £115 a year from heating bills. The typical cost of installation is about £500, but with many grants available to qualifying Welsh residents the cost can be as low as £99.
2. Loft insulation
Insulating your loft can save around £150 every year on energy bills at the recommended level of 27cm. The typical cost of installing loft insulation is around £250, but there are many grant schemes operating in Wales to help ease costs. Insulation reduces the need for the heating to be on high, and leads to less energy being wasted.
3. Replace old boilers
Replacing an old boiler with an A-rated one and fitting a full set of heating controls can reduce your heating bills by up to 40%. Any boilers that are more than 15 years old can be considered G-rated and might be inefficient. The Government’s boiler scrappage scheme offers a £400 cashback voucher when you scrap your old boiler and replace it with an A-rated boiler or renewable heat technology.
4. Tweaking your thermostat
Turning the temperature of your thermostat down by just 1°C can save you 6% on your heating bills – about £30 a year. You probably won’t notice the difference at home but, if you do find that you’re cold, set your boiler to come on earlier, That way, you won’t be cold while you wait for the house to heat up.
5. Water tank insulation
Just fitting a “jacket” around your water tank could save you about £35 a year and190kg of CO2. Installing a British Standard jacket around your tank reduces heat loss by more than 75% and insulating your primary pipe work can save another £10 from your bills and around 60kg of CO2 emissions.
6. Draught proofing
Draught proofing your windows and doors can save about £25 a year and around 130kg of CO2, meaning that it often pays for itself within a year. Seals are usually made from self-adhesive foam, rubber or brush material and you can get them from DIY shops or you can have a professional fit them.
7. Wear layers
There is often no substitute for keeping warm by wearing a few layers of thin clothing rather than just one big, bulky item. Try wearing slippers inside and don’t leave the house without a warm hat and scarf.
8. Glazing
Installing double glazing in your home can cut heat loss through windows by 50%, as well as saving you £135 a year on your heating bills. It can also cut around 720kg of carbon dioxide (CO2) usage a year. For those who can’t afford double glazing, there is a budget alternative. Cover windows with a clear, plastic film that tightens over the pane when heated with a hairdryer, which reduces heat loss cheaply.
9. Blocking unused chimneys
You can seal unused chimneys with newspaper or a purpose-made “chimney balloon” which inflates to block the fireplace. Remember to take them out again should you decide to use your chimney.
10. Stick to new year’s resolutions
Stopping smoking is a little-known way of keeping warm during the cold snap. Not only will it save you money, but kicking the habit can improve your circulation within just two weeks and means that you don’t have to go out in the cold to have a cigarette.
Exercise can also help circulation and keep you warm from the inside. You don’t need to join a gym, just a little bit of housework each day can improve your health and reduce the need for heating.” (”How you can beat the big freeze and cut your carbon footprint” published on Wales Online on 12th January 2010 by Graham Henry of the South Wales Echo)
For advice on how to stop wasting energy, you can contact the Energy Saving Trust on freephone 0800 512 012 or visit www.energysavingtrust.org.uk
CATAGORY|Carbon Footprint, Home Improvements
In 2009 the Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF) petitioned the Government to introduce a national windows scrappage scheme, whereby householders would be encouraged to scrap their old poorly insulated windows in return for a £1000 grant towards the installation of new, professionally installed, energy efficient ones.
The petition has been signed by over 4,000 people to date, via ePetition, on the Official website of the Prime Minister’s Office – number10.gov.uk.
The GGF maintains that consumers would save approximately £1000 and enjoy a facelift to their homes, as well as lowering fuel bills and becoming more energy efficient homes. The Government would also benefit from reduced emissions from the existing housing stock, helping it to meet the necessary greenhouse gas emissions targets. In addition that would also reclaim some of the grant money in VAT.
GGF chief executive, Nigel Rees, is encouraged by a similar scheme that has been launched in the heating industry, where home owners receive a £400 grant to install an energy-efficient boiler. Replacing a home’s single glazing with energy-efficient windows could save on average £150 and 0.3 tonnes of carbon!
“There are thousands of homes in the UK with single glazed windows, which could benefit from a scrappage scheme,” he said. “This would have numerous other benefits. Not only would the household save money in the long term, but the scheme would help the UK to meet its carbon emissions targets.”
See how Hazlemere home improvement’s energy rated windows can help reduce your carbon footprint, as well as imparting your support for the national windows scrappage scheme – saving us all energy and money in the long term.
For more information visit: http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/windowscrappage
CATAGORY|Carbon Footprint, Saving Money
When it comes to reducing our own carbon footprint or reducing our energy consumption, we all have to start somewhere. Doing nothing yourself just because other people do nothing to reduce climate change is obviously not the answer, but leading by example is always a good way to go.
We can all start by being more efficient by using energy-efficient light bulbs, turning down the thermostat on our central heating or night storage heaters. We can get a Home Energy Check done, run our fridges at 3-5°C, plus heat hot water to only 60°C, draw curtains earlier in the day thereby retaining more heat indoors. We can also set the washing machine to 30-40°C, dry clothes naturally, recycle, switch electrical equipment we are not using off as soon as we have stopped using it and print less emails and literature.
An important and effective way to reduce our carbon footprint is to insulate our homes and workplaces. We can do this by improving loft insulation, insulating cavity walls, laging boilers and pipes, insulating hot water tanks, installing solar hot water systems, along with energy efficient, energy saving double glazing.
We can choose to travel less, work from home wherever possible rather than commuting, car-share and fly less. Other ways to reduce our carbon footprint and help the environment include eating green, cutting down on meat consumption (farming animals for food leaves a huge carbon footprint), buying as much local produce as possible therefore reducing “food miles”.
We can also opt to think rainforest and shop “forest-friendly” (look for the logos of the Forest Stewardship Council or the Rainforest Alliance) when buying wooden things as deforestation accounts for 20 per cent of the world’s carbon emissions. It is never too late to start to reduce your carbon footprint, which at the end of the day is your call, but whatever your actions (and those of others), we will have to all live with the consequences in the short, medium and long term.
CATAGORY|Carbon Footprint, Saving Energy
I was thrilled when the former Dr Who, Colin Baker, in his Bucks Free Press article entitled, “Look Who’s Talking” on Friday 4th December 2009, suggested that “Anyone wanting to reduce their energy consumption should look at http://www.hazlemere.co.uk/blog/category/savingenergy”
Colin Baker’s column also discussed the GGF’s campaign to encourage the government “to introduce a national window scrappage scheme, recommending a grant of £1,000 to encourage homeowners to replace energy inefficient glazing with environmentally friendly windows.”
This former Dr Who, Colin Baker further comments on the potential merits of a national window scrappage scheme stating that a “single glazing scrappage scheme from central government could result in considerable savings in fossil fuel depletion, emissions and waste, offering immediate potential savings of 10% as a result of this initiative alone.”
Naturally I found his article both very intersting and amusing, especially when he said that I like him are “a failed manager of the universe”, which made me wonder if he had read my profile on my own personal blog “Champions Don’t Give Up, They Get Up“. I trust he found my blog entitled “Why on earth do double glazing companies in Bucks use high pressure selling tactics” interesting? Although, as the sixth Dr Who, I am sure Colin Baker had more pressing matters to concern him.
The first Dr Who I can remember from my distant past was, the third Dr Who, Jon Pertwee, but I certainly remember Colin Baker as Dr Who, who is now a school governor who suggests we should invest in the present to save energy for the future…”replacing these windows would pay for itself in a compartively short time in terms of the legacy we leave just the next generation, let alone those after.” (Colin Baker, Look Who’s Talking article on page 15 of the Bucks Free Press on 4/12/09)
The former Dr Who, Colin Baker also kindly says about Bucks based independent double glazing window and door manufacturers, suppliers and installers Hazlemere Windows that “independent and local are both good in my book.” Find out what else Colin Baker had to say in his article about reducing energy consumption
CATAGORY|Carbon Footprint, Saving Money
“The Carbon Trust estimates that investing in energy efficiency measures yields a return of between 15 and 17 per cent and nowhere is that investment more required than in buildings – commercial, public and domestic.” says an article on the telegraph.co.uk website by Andrew Charlesworth entitled Talking Energy: energy efficiency, where he goes on to state that “Buildings in the UK account for about 44 per cent of our carbon emissions, says the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. Building improvements would save an equivalent of 36 million tCO2e (tons of CO2 equivalent) per year, and enhancing the efficiency of lighting and appliances could save 31 million tCO2e, according to McKinsey, a consultancy.”
“Energy efficiency must not be regarded as some kind of soft option or nice to have, but rather as a rigorous and vigorous action programme to reduce substantially the country’s demand for energy,” wrote former energy minister and MP for Croydon North Malcolm Wicks in his report Energy Security: A National Challenge in a Changing World, published last summer.
Andrew Charlesworth goes on to explain that “While new-build projects present the biggest opportunity to reduce emissions per building, in the UK 60 per cent of the premises we will still be using in 2050 are already built, according to the Carbon Trust. Heating and lighting domestic buildings account for about two-thirds of our emissions from buildings, so clearly this is where one solution lies to save money and carbon.”
“National Energy Action, a charity that campaigns for the eradication of fuel poverty (defined as households spending more than 10 per cent of their income on fuel), believes the Government should initiate a comprehensive retrofit of UK housing.”
“Improving the thermal efficiency of the housing stock is the core intervention that can be made in the eradication of fuel poverty,” says Jenny Saunders, chief executive of NEA.
“There is already an established measure of a building’s thermal efficiency — the Energy Performance Certificate, which is mandatory for houses sold after October 2008. An average 80-year-old terraced home with 100m2 floor space has an energy efficiency of only about 50 per cent.” states Andrew in his extremely helpful article article. He goes on to encourage us to improve the energy efficiency of our homes, which “can be increased up to 80 per cent by conventional retrofit measures, such as loft and cavity wall insulation, double glazing and low-energy lighting. Saunders argues that every UK home needs to be upgraded to at least this level, and preferably to be 81-91 per cent energy efficient.”
CATAGORY|Carbon Footprint, Saving Energy
Whether you are thinking of buying or selling a home, it is wise to give some advanced thought to what you should look for/need in a HIPS pack. An EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) is an important document that is required. What are Energy Performance Certificates?
If you want to impress a prospective purchaser, and make your home as saleable as possible, it is wise to ensure your property is as highly energy efficient as possible, to enable your property to get a decent rating, making it a more attractive proposition than a property that will cost a fortune to heat and have a huge carbon footprint. If you want your home to have a decently rated Energy Performance Certificate, ensure that your boiler has been serviced and that it is an energy efficient as possible, your loft insulated, walls cavity filled and make sure your windows and doors have been double glazed with energy efficient glass.
Likewise, if you are looking to purchase a home, these energy saving measures will make your new property much more economic to run, whilst reducing your own carbon foorprint. As long as such important energy efficient home improvements have all been installed, the HIPS pack provided by the owner should contain an Energy Performance Certificate with an impressive rating.
The Directgov.uk website explains that “EPCs carry ratings that compare the current energy efficiency and carbon dioxide emissions with potential figures that your home could achieve. Potential figures are calculated by estimating what the energy efficiency and carbon dioxide emissions would be if energy saving measures were put in place. The rating measures the energy and carbon emission efficiency of your home using a grade from ‘A’ to ‘G’. An ‘A’ rating is the most efficient, while ‘G’ is the least efficient. The average efficiency grade to date is ‘D’. All homes are measured using the same calculations, so you can compare the energy efficiency of different properties.”
“An EPC is required by law when a building is constructed, sold or put up for rent. If you are a landlord or homeowner and need to provide an EPC, you’ll need to contact an accredited domestic energy assessor. They will carry out the assessment and produce the certificate. The accreditation scheme makes sure that domestic energy assessors have the necessary skills and are able to carry out the survey to agreed standards.” Find out how to get an Energy Performance Certificate
Why you need a Home Information Pack (HIPS)
“A HIP is a set of documents that provides the buyer with key information on the property and must be provided by the seller or the seller’s agent. It is a legal requirement to have a HIP and you can’t market your property without one. The HIP lets buyers see important information about the property at the start of the process, free of charge. This means there is less chance of buyers becoming aware of any surprises at the end of the process. The HIP can help reduce delays and extra expense to the buyer and seller.” (Directgov.uk website)
For Freehold UK properties a HIP pack must contain a HIP index, the new Property Information Questionnaire (PIQ), a Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) or Predicted Energy Assessment (PEA), sustainability information (required for newly built homes), sale statement, evidence of title, standard searches (local authority and drainage and water). If the property is Leasehold, all the above is required in addition to a copy of the lease.
With saving energy an every increasing priority for governments due to the environmental benefits, it is wise to either buy an energy efficient home that has a low carbon footprint, which will save you money off your energy bills, or improve and invest in the energy efficiency of your existing home by making it as insulated as possible, reducing your carbon emmisions, which if and when you decide to sell, will give it a decent EPC and more likely to fetch its market value.
CATAGORY|Carbon Footprint, Home Improvements, Saving Energy, Saving Money
There has been alot of online activity from consumers to find out whether or not there is in fact a government national windows scrappage scheme. Such a financially helpful scheme would not only assist hard pressed householders, during these recessionary times, but also act as an incentive to property owners to fit the latest technologically advanced energy efficient energy saving double glazed windows, as well as be a much needed boost to double glazing installers, challenged by rising raw material costs and a mature declining market.
Two national double glazing companies currently have their own sales and marketing “discount” schemes to try and generate new sales under a “national scrappage scheme” banner. However as Renegade Conservatory Guy points out on his blog it was only a matter of time before they “created their own window scrappage scheme”, and going by some of the comments by consumers on his blog on the subject, some seem very unimpressed by such clear marketing ploys.
Sadly, there is no government windows scrappage scheme……yet, but you can join the campaign led by the Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF) by signing up the the number 10 petition submitted by Nigel Rees of the GGF. So far 1,730 have signed the following petition, which has a closing date of 24th March 2010. “We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to introduce a window scrappage scheme in the UK to improve the energy efficiency of the existing housing stock.” Sign the petition
Obviously, if a government funded national windows scrappage scheme did ever come into being, it would hopefully act as an incentive to install energy efficient energy saving “green” windows. Under the proposed GGF scheme it is hoped that householders will be encouraged to scrap their old poorly insulated windows in return for a £1,000 grant towards the installation costs of new, professionally installed, energy efficient double glazed ones. The benefits to consumers would include the £1,000 saving, a facelift for their property, lower energy bills and a reduction in their carbon footprint as a consequence of more energy efficient homes. Both the environment and Government carbon reduction targets would also benefit with the reduction of emissions from the existing housing stock.
Consequently, the Buckinghamshire based Hazlemere Window Company fully support the GGF’s call for a national window scrappage scheme, particularly after the proven success of the national car scrappage scheme, which reportedly has accounted for one in five of all new car sales over recent months!
The GGF is a recognised authority for employers and companies within the flat glass, glazing, window and home improvement industries and is a trade association for companies that make, supply or fit flat glass and related products. The GGF also provides helpful information for homeowners, professional specifiers and anyone seeking professional and unbiased information on any aspect of glass and glazing in the UK. The GGF is a promoter of energy efficient glazing and the GGF’s Carbon Calculator enables homeowners and others to see how much money and carbon can be saved by installing new energy efficient windows.
Energy efficient windows (EEWs) can make a massive difference by improving the thermal performance of the existing UK housing stock. Nigel Rees, Chief Executive of the GGF, commented recently that “Energy Efficient Windows (EEWs) have a huge role to play in improving the thermal performance of the existing housing stock”. “EEWs can reduce emissions by 10% from dwellings nationally and reduce national domestic energy expenditure by 10%.”
In a recent online press release entitled “Will the GGF proposed national scrappage scheme save our planet” the issue of dealing with PVCu waste was rightly raised, suggesting that if the proposed scheme is adopted, it is anticipated that this would trigger an upturn in demand for the latest generation of double glazed windows and doors. No doubt any upturn in sales would trigger questions about the disposal of old PVC windows and doors in an environmentally responsible way. Despite the fact that it is often said that PVC is not recyclable, this is not the case. Firms like Ecoplas recycle PVC. As the press release states “There is a range of methods already available for deriving residual value from used plastics products. In fact, PVC, like all other thermoplastic materials, can be recycled relatively straightforwardly.”
Managing Director of Ecoplas, Ian Tippett commented on the recent proposal. “Whilst I feel it is a good idea to incentivise homeowners to make energy efficient changes, it is equally as important to prevent post consumer windows and doors going to landfill. Our company specialises in this area and it is both environmentally beneficial and cost effective. At Ecoplas we have the capability to process old window frames and convert them to reusable material which can be used as a raw material in the manufacture of new building products. We are keen to expand our operations in this area and to support companies wishing to show a real commitment to deal with their post consumer waste responsibly”.
Whilst the GGF proposed window scrappage scheme will obviously not save the planet, it would, if introduced, send the right signal to consumers that the government is committed to encouraging and supporting energy efficiency, reducing the UK’s carbon emmissions and helping homeowners save energy. So, lets have a government national windows scrappage scheme please!
CATAGORY|Carbon Footprint, Saving Energy, Windows & Doors
Rose Watson & family outside her now much more energy efficient home
I recently read a helpful article by Alok Jha on the Guardian webite about how Rose Watson, a homeowner in Nottingham, had taken some drastic steps to reduce both her family’s carbon footprint and her energy bills. It was entitled “
One womans war on energy waste“, and rationally set out the moral and ethical delimma facing every property owner about the difficulty of genuinely wanting to reduce one’s carbon footprint and save energy, whilst trying at the same time to save money in these recessionary times.
The article explained that “When Rose Watson moved into her Nottingham home nine years ago, there was no central heating, the gas heater in the living room was leaking carbon monoxide, and any warmth in the building tended to leach out of the draughty single-glazed windows.” Consequently her family were pouring out energy and money through the single glazed windows.
However, Rose addressed these issues. “Over the next two years, following the tips from the Energy Saving Trust (EST) and others, Watson got hooked on simple ways to green her home. Her paper-thin loft insulation was topped up to the recommended 200mm, energy-saving lightbulbs went up in all the rooms, the single-glazed windows were replaced with double-glazing, and draught excluders were fixed under all the doors and around the front door.”
Caroline Rams of the Energy Saving Trust (of which Hazlemere Window Company Ltd are members) says that Rose Watson’s actions shows what an average British family can achieve with ease when trying to make their first cut in carbon emissions. “Rose has a busy life and a large family who certainly keep her on her toes. Yet she has always found time to prioritise her energy- saving behaviour; so much so that it has become second nature. She is the perfect example of how you don’t have to change too much of your lifestyle to become green.”
CATAGORY|Carbon Footprint, Saving Energy, Saving Money
According to a telepgraph.co.uk article entitled “Homeowners failing green targets to pay more council tax” by Personal Finance Correspondent, Myra Butterworth “Under the new proposals, the Government would increase Council Tax and Stamp Duty for millions of homes that are not energy efficient. It could also mean families are unable to sell their home unless they spend tens of thousands of pounds on getting their properties insulated and double-glazed.”
Of more concern to homeownersk, the article goes on to say that “It is understood that Government advisers The Energy Savings Trust, wants it to becomes illegal from 2015 to put a home up for sale, which has a rating lower than band E.” Window Energy Ratings (WER’s) vary from A-G, with band A being the most energy efficient and band G the least energy efficient.
Hazlemere Windows offer a range of energy efficient windows that will address this potential problem, in a wide range of finishes, including wood grain effect UPVC. However, due to the extra metal strengthening that has to be added to PVCu wood effect windows, the highest window energy rating that can be achieved for a wood grain effect UPVC window is “B”. If you can live with, or prefer a white finish, you can install A rated windows in your property, which achieve the highest WER energy efficient rating there is…..”A”
Hazlemere supply and fit both “A” rated UPVC and “A” rated aluminium windows that achieve the highest energy efficient rating possible. So if your property has out of date glazing that is poorly insulated and letting lots of heat escape, save money by finding out about Hazlemere’s energy rated windows that will not only keep heat in more efficiently, and offer better insulation, but also reflect heat back, thereby cutting down on the amount of energy you use heating your home, which will in turn reduce your energy bills.
CATAGORY|Carbon Footprint, Saving Energy, UK Politics
