Sadleronline

Many organisations from various business sectors are looking to this year’s proposed Green Deal as a key element to boost the home improvement market, which hopefully it will but from what I am learning as I explore this opportunity it is not as straight forward as we might think.

The new meaning for Greenhouse

As a “Double Glazing” man, there is said it out loud, I am one of the many that hope it will give us something to get our teeth into but I think there is a lot more to it than knocking someone’s door and saying “ Want your windows done Mrs the Electric company will pay”.

I draw many similarities to the former Decent Home Scheme where the government stumped up a few quid in order to raise the standard of thousands of homes in the United Kingdom, unfortunately this scheme was scrapped due to cutbacks which left many of us with an empty order book.

This scheme was delivered through partnering which really meant main contractors and procurement agencies orchestrating the schemes not the SME are who actually did the work.

From what I see the products will be controlled into the market by The Green Deal providers who will do the Energy Survey arrange finance and control the supply chain and products into the installation, reading the criteria it appears a little out of reach for the average company.

In addition to this the method for repayment of the loan is measurable savings and meter feed in revenue so to me indicates that the key element of the whole scheme is Solar to provide an easy measurable repayment vehicle, can’t see windows alone doing this because the home owner would need to guarantee a reduction in energy and it may not meet the financial model for repayment.

My advice to my fellow “Double Glaziers” is get your products certified and performing to the best thermal efficiency and security possible our Protherm Windows are available with Secured by Design with a U Value of 0.8W/m2K and our Prodoor Composite Door at 1.0W/m2K and we will continue strive to do better.

Review your own business practices and its carbon footprint because this will play a part in the decision making process by the big boys because it is how they are scored also.

Then get yourself amongst the market leaders and let them know you can offer a good local service because part of the overview will be local sustainability and social impact so don’t ignore it, call me a tree hugger but every application and tender I submit focuses on sustainability and we enforce it throughout our working practices.

If you just focus on being “in the game” with the bigger organisations who provide The Green Deal then I believe you will reap some rewards but don’t wait until October or it might be too late.

Good Luck

Alan Sadler

Glass Recycling

Commercial glazing specialist Profix has recently completed a project for East Durham Homes, thanks to their comprehensive environmental procedures and reputation as a great and proven contractor.

 The £600,000 contract was to supply and fit both windows and composite doors to the housing stock owned by East Durham Homes in the Chappel Hill area of Durham, working alongside key partners Kier Construction and Fabstore.

There were specific objectives with respect to the environment which included the recycling of all waste materials involved in the project including the old windows and doors which were recycled at the Profix factory. It was also important to avoid any waste disposal in landfill or in incinerators with the key aim to reduce pollution and to help conserve all natural resources. Virgin raw materials were specified for the new windows and doors.

Recycled timber from old windows and doors

When it came to the recycling of the windows and doors, the handles went for metal re-processing, glass went into a separate skip and the old timber windows and doors were placed in a dedicated skip. Woodwaste Recycling collected their skip, the contents of which were destined for clean re-usable wood, demolition timber and pallets.

“It was important both for the contract and for our own processes to meet the necessary environmental criteria of this project. We already carry out all our recycling according to the latest waste management legislation and our ISO 14001 accreditation and this project has helped further increase our efforts. We look forward to working on other more environmentally sensitive projects in the near future.”

Alan Sadler

Our Sound Solution

The residents surrounding Birmingham Airport, UK are now enjoying a little more peace and quiet thanks to the installation of new windows by Profix Ltd which have drastically reduced aircraft noise and have also provided enhanced thermal insulation.

The social housing specialist worked with Salford University  to develop a solution in accordance with the BRE and tested in accordance with BS EN ISO 140-3:1995 – laboratory measurement of airborne sound insulation of building elements.

Profix’s own high performance acoustic glass was used which also allowed for the development of a window with improved energy efficiency. Not only do the residents benefit from less noise transmission, but they can also benefit from reduced energy bills thanks to the use of the Protherm range.

In addition to the sound and energy befefits the windows carried Kitemark and Secured by Design security accrediation, thus keeping sound and unwanted visitors out and heat and valuables in. 

Energy Star Phonic Glass in Production

Part of a rolling programme the project measurement from homeowner satisfaction survey from Profix is showing a 99.8% satisfaction level. This survey is just one element of the audit process carried out by the company. Key partners include: Fabstore, Birmingham Airport, Pilkington, Edgtech and Birmingham City Council.

“This has been a rewarding project, not just for us but to see the positive impact these windows have on the residents surrounding the airport. Thanks to our in-house glass processing division we are capable of developing some technically advanced window solutions.”

Alan Sadler