Improving your home’s energy efficiency can be easily done by installing triple glazing, which comes with additional benefits, not least of which is security.
Today, you will rarely come across anyone that would ever think about installing single glazing. The current building regulations do not allow it, except for listed properties. The question is, will there ever be a time when double glazing is considered insufficient and triple glazing becomes the norm?
When considering new Solidor doors, energy efficiency may currently high on the agenda for most homeowners. With other persuasive arguments in favour of triple glazing, is it really worth investing in this high-performance alternative?
What is the difference between double and triple glazing and why is it necessary?
New buildings usually feature massive swathes of glazing i.e. sliding doors, picture windows, roof lights, etc., but all that glass has implications when it comes to energy efficiency since heat passes through it more readily than it does an insulated wall.
Glazing companies have had to rise to the challenge and create better-performing products with the introduction of even more stringent building regulations. Triple glazing is one such solution since it ensures improved insulation due to the presence of two air pockets as opposed to just one.
A Low-Energy Home
Triple glazing is standard in northern Europe’s colder climates. It is also regarded as an essential ingredient in the modern, ultra-low-energy new build houses that use a combination of features to ensure maximum efficiency, from high levels of insulation to ensuring airtightness by eliminating every micro-gap in the fabric.
Triple Glazed Windows Ensure Better Insulation
Triple glazing comes in well above the building regulation standards when it comes to energy efficiency, but only if products are properly installed. It doesn’t make much sense to have properly insulated windows if there are still gaps around them where air can leak out.
Extra Features
It isn’t just the three glass panes that make a unit more efficient. Other features that are available in both double-glazed and triple-glazed products that are performance-boosting include an inert gas such as argon inserted between the glass panes that are less conductive and by extension more insulating compared to air.
Low E gas also helps improve insulation: the product features an invisible coating of metal oxide on one of the inward-facing panes that reflects heat back into the room.
Finally, it is important to look for products that have “warm edge” spacer bars made from plastic composite that sit between the panes that conduct less heat compared to aluminium that’s traditionally used for this component.
Noise and Security Benefits
Triple glazing acts as a security deterrent since it is very hard to break.
When it comes to noise reduction, there is a minor benefit, but if your main priority is acoustics, then there are other options that are far more efficient, such as secondary glazing or units that have a larger gap of air between the laminated glass and panes.
Is Triple Glazing Worth It?
Certain circumstances make a “yes” to triple glazing far more likely. If you live in a cold climate, you can be sure that it will make a significant difference to your comfort than if your home is located in an area with a milder climate.
Glass has one of the most energy-intense manufacturing methods currently available, so it is also about deciding whether that additional pane is worth it for your additional comfort as opposed to thinking about it strictly from the perspective of lowering your bills and saving the planet.
