Image Above: Nicola Harrison, MD, Bereco
A lively debate around the future of triple glazing was spearheaded by Bereco MD Nicola Harrison at an industry gathering in Birmingham. Nicola was a panellist on the Installer debate at the 2023 Glazing Summit held on October 12 at Edgbaston Stadium.
During the debate, which centred on the challenges impacting the industry in the face of rising costs and market slowdown, conversation turned to triple glazing and whether it is an effective solution.
Several panellists argued that triple glazing is a hinderance, barely benefitting householders but Nicola disagreed. Instead, Nicola highlighted how triple glazing is undeniably beneficial to homeowners. In fact, she believes as the industry edges closer towards the Future Homes Standard, demand for triple glazing will increase significantly.
“It was a very interesting and wide-ranging debate,” she said, “and we looked at pricing, consumer demand and the impact of technology. Triple glazing offers a good solution for homeowners in terms of sustainability and keeping fuel bills to a minimum – especially when combined with the sustainable timber windows we supply.
“Both the Future Homes Standard and further changes to the UK building regulations is likely to impact the demand for triple glazed windows and ultimately cause major problems with supply chains. This is because glass companies are still not set up to supply this product in high quantities. So, as an industry we need to start preparing for this increase in demand.
“At Bereco, we’ve worked with triple glazing for many years and we’ve seen fantastic results time and time again. Plus, when contained within our timber frames, it can return a U-value of 0.8W/m²K which is significantly better than the new 2022 Part L Building Regulations allow for.
“Speaking to our customers who’ve had triple glazing installed, we’ve been told that their investment was worth every penny in terms of warmer homes, lower bills and contribution to overall sustainability generally.”
