Licensed Pilkington energiKare Partners

Pilkington Glass manufacture high quality float, toughened and laminated glass to enable the double glazing industry to produce energy saving windows and doors.

Aluminium and UPVC windows using Pilkington energiKare are all rated C or above by the British Fenestration Rating Council as they significantly reduce the amount of energy you use to heat your home. When you are choosing replacement aluminium or UPVC windows, products that carry the Energy Saving Recommended logo (an Energy Saving Trust initiative backed by Government), such as those containing Pilkington energiKare, have achieved a Window Energy Rating C or above. Aluminium or UPVC windows carrying the Energy Saving Trust Recommended logo confirm that they particularly energy efficient, and that the double glazing installer has adhered to strict guidelines.

Why is Window Energy Rating Important?

The British Fenestration Rating Council (BFRC) scheme is the UK’s national system for rating the energy efficiency of windows. Window Energy Ratings (WER) use a consumer-friendly traffic-light style A-E ratings guide similar to that used on ‘white’ goods (such as fridges, freezers, washing machines etc.). The aim of the WER ratings label is to enable consumers to make more informed choices about the energy efficiency of the windows they are looking to purchase.

With carbon emissions high on the global agenda and the current high cost of fuel, the Energy Saving Trust is looking for ways to help us make our homes more energy efficient. Each energy efficient aluminium and UPVC window rated by the British Fenestration Rating Council has a window energy rating label, such the aluminium dual frame "A" rated window system approved by the BFRC designed by Hazlemere Windows that they manufacture in High Wycombe, supply and install. Each BFRC Window Energy Rating Label displays the following information:

• The rating level A, B, C etc.
• The energy rating (m²·K)
• The window U value (m²·K)
• The effective heat loss due to air penetration as L W/(m²·K)
• The solar heat gain

What are Energy Efficient Windows?

So exactly what are energy efficient windows? They are windows that help to contain and conserve heat within the home keeping out wind and rain, resisting condensation and yet allowing natural "free" energy - the warmth of the sun (solar gain) to heat the home. They can be made using any frame material - aluminium, PVC-U, steel or timber or even a combination of materials.

An A-C window energy rating is achieved by the right combination of window frame with a high quality double glazed sealed unit. The outer pane allows optimal amounts of solar energy through the glass, whilst the inner pane uses a technologically advanced glass coating to reflect the heat from inside back into the room.

Why are aluminium windows environmentally friendly?

Carbon footprint wise, aluminium is the "green metal", so the best material to use environmentally in the manufacture of both new and replacement windows and doors, as aluminium can be recycled indefinitely, as stated by a report produced in January 2009 by the Council for Aluminium in Building, entitled "Aluminium & Sustainability".