The advantages of double glazing throughout the year

by Natasha Christou Digital Marketing Consultant

The UK has enjoyed a surprisingly hot summer this year. In fact, while we have all been enjoying beer gardens and barbecues, the Met Office has revealed that June was among the five warmest, driest and sunniest Junes since records started in 1910. However, this pleasant period has followed a harsh winter in which the Beast from the East battered our shores and brought many parts of the country to a standstill.

It’s safe to say that each season brings its own challenges on your household. Here, with David Laing, who specialises in double glazing in Newcastle, we look at what advantages double glazing brings to your property throughout the year.

How does double glazing work?

Double glazing limits the amount of heat energy that is able to transfer from each side of the panes through convection. It consists of placing two individual panes of glass parallel to each other with a slight empty space separating them. If one side becomes hotter, the molecules will start to vibrate quickly — causing a chain reaction and spreading over the solid glass surface. However, this energy can’t pass through the empty vortex and this means the energy and heat slows down. Modern forms of double glazing are more efficient, as it substitutes the empty space for either an inert gas or a vacuum.

Heat insulation

When you think of double glazing, the main benefit that springs to mind is heat insulation. During those cold winter months, single glazed windows will mean that you lose a lot of the warmth provided by your central heating. With single glazed windows, you are likely to lose between 50% and 70% of any heat in your home.

Save on energy bills

Not only will double glazing help to keep you warm, but it will keep the pennies in your pocket! As it works as an insulator, any energy expended via your central heating will be kept within your property. Therefore, you won’t need to have your heating on for as long and when you do turn it off, you won’t be losing vital heat through your windows.

Keeps in the coolness

Besides the obvious insulation benefits, double glazing can maintain cool temperatures too. So, if you thought these heatwaves have made your room stuffy and you don’t have double glazing, now might be the time to make the switch!

Reduces condensation

Condensation can be a damaging component to your property. It is a sign of too much moisture being in the air and this excess moisture clings to the coldest surface area it can find; often your windows. It can also cause mould to form, meaning your interior design gets damaged — and it can be an eyesore too!

Noise insulation

It’s not just temperature control that makes double glazing so popular. With longer days and lighter evenings during the summer months, it’s more likely that your neighbours will play host to friends and family in their garden into the early hours. Then there’s the children, who are more likely to be playing in the street as the sun continues to shine. Situations like this can create noise pollution. That’s where double glazing comes into play, as it works as a form of sound insulation.

Prevents UV damage

Also, if you have furniture sitting beside your window, the sun’s powerful rays in the summer months have the potential to damage your furnishings. Double glazed windows can limit how much UV rays can make it through to your home, thus minimizing any damage to your property.

Tightens security

We don’t like to think about our property as being at risk, but unfortunately it has to be at the back of our minds. If we were to leave our homes unattended, we would like to feel safe in doing so. Double glazing can help ease your fears slightly, as it enables you to lock your windows from the inside. Also, the glass is much tougher, making it very difficult to smash.

All the above reasons show that double glazing has many benefits throughout the year. If you haven’t already got double glazing, there’s no time like the present to make the switch and improve your home. Even if you have, it may still be worth checking how your windows fare on the government-approved ratings scheme to see if you could be missing out on the full potential of your windows.