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With Window Energy Ratings (WERs) being the only certain way of complying with the imminent updates to Part L, Martin Saunders, Sales Director of Eurocell Profiles, looks at why he believes there will be a continued move across the industry to this method of compliance.

“The main impact of changes to Part L of the Building Regulations – conservation of fuel and power, is that Window Energy Ratings (WER) will take more of a prominence. The question of course is: are WERs a better measure than U values. My own personal feeling is that Communities and Local Government (CLG) chose the BFRC Window Energy Rating scheme as a method of Part L compliance because it is relatively easy to understand and straightforward. It means that, in our role of ensuring that fabricators and installers can make the transition to the new regulations in October, WERs have a distinct advantage.

There is a caveat to all this of course, because at the time of writing, the updated Part L hasn’t been published. Some believe that it will retain a whole window U value requirement (general opinion is that it will be between 1.5 and 1.7). The 1.2 centre pane U value option may remain, too, and there may even be a Fensa 'checklist'. This would mean that a building inspector could check a window installation and as long as the windows has argon gas, warm edge spacer and low e glass it would be deemed as being compliant.

But until the document is released, the only thing we can pretty certain of that the WER route to compliance will move to a C rating. The speculation has meant that some fabricators and installers are putting off gaining a Window Energy Rating because Part L may retain the alternative compliance routes, or simply that they believe it to be too costly and time consuming.  For whatever reason, we are encouraging our customers to gain a WER as most homeowners understand and accept the A-G rating scale - just try explaining U values to someone outside of our industry! It is the simplicity of the WER ratings band that makes the system so popular. For example, the vast majority of consumers know that an ‘A’ rated window, fridge, cooker or any other product offers the best thermal efficiency.

Gaining a WER is also easier than you think – especially if you are partnered with a profile supplier that can guide you through the process. Aware of the October deadline, we have been running seminars to guide our customers through the process and we currently have five fully certified BFRC assessors. Having this number of assessors gives us the resources to deal with all customers that are trying to make sure they are compliant – whether via the WER or U value route. Customers are guided every step of the way and we provide independent advice, including all the reports needed to achieve accreditation.  We carry out our seminars in conjunction with the BBA and BSI to give fabricators a complete solution for the new regulations.

At first glance, gaining a WER may seem quite an undertaking, however, once fabricators have attended our sessions they are often surprised how straightforward it really is. When this is complimented by our marketing support - explaining how Part L 2010 can be a benefit to their business and add value to their product offering, they leave much more positive than when they arrived!

If WERs does become the preferred method of compliance it will mean that solar gain is recognised in the updated Part L as an important aspect on building energy usage. That’s because WERs take into account available solar heat gains (window g-value) and subtracts the thermal losses (window U-value and air leakage) – with the resulting numerical value being the (Energy Index), which is often seen as a positive or negative number alongside the A-G banding.

Having had an ‘A’ rated window for some time now, our focus has therefore been on developing a window profile system that maximised the Energy Index (IE). With ‘A’ rated windows now commonplace in the market, we felt that improving the Energy Index would allow our fabricators to differentiate themselves from all the other ‘A’ rated products on the market – resulting in the launch of our A+14 window.

An Energy Index of 14 kWh/m²/year means the window will allow more heat from the sun to pass through the glass and into the room than is going to be lost through the window. In this example, the window will gain 14 kilowatt hours per square metre per year, which will contribute towards heating the home. A+14 is currently the highest performing double glazed PVC-U window on the UK market and gives fabricators an important element of difference, whilst our PVC-U Thermal Inserts ensure that it still offers value for money by reducing reliance on expensive glass specifications.

Based on the confusion that surrounds the Part L updates, it is little surprise that some fabricators have taken the decision to ‘wait and see.’ However, our advice is still to look closely at the benefits of gaining a WER certificate – as it is widely recognised and understood by consumers, which is half the battle when selling the benefits of energy efficient windows!