Here, Martin Saunders, Sales Director for Eurocell Profiles, looks at how energy efficiency and sustainability are becoming major driving forces within the company.

“Around a quarter of all carbon dioxide emissions, the main greenhouse gas, are emitted from buildings. With environmental concerns high on the agenda, it has resulted in consumers, specifiers and developers increasingly focusing on products that help them tackle these issues. In response, the window industry has, in the last few years, developed a range of energy efficient products that provide sustainable and long term solutions.

We recognised this shift in the market several years ago and since then have been helping our fabricators gear up to meet demand. This involves focusing on two key areas. Firstly, we set about developing more thermally efficient and sustainable profile systems, which included a large amount of work on recycling.

At the same time we focused our efforts on becoming BFRC Certified Simulators, which allows us to assess fabricators’ windows and guide them through the process of creating cost effective energy rated products.

Energy rated systems

One of our most innovative new products to be launched has been Thermalogik, our unique outer frame profile system. The exceptional thermal performance is achieved because it is designed as a single-piece profile and therefore avoids the need for separate reinforcement extrusions, which saves on material and speeds up the fabrication process.

To further improve the energy efficiency of our window systems, we developed PVC-u Thermal Inserts, which offer improved thermal performance. The inserts are manufactured using 100 per cent recycled PVC-u, allowing our fabricators to clearly demonstrate the sustainability of their ‘A’ rated windows to customers. The inserts are used as reinforcements in sashes, transom/mullions and can be mitred and welded into the frame adding structural rigidity. This ensures a much more efficient as well as lower cost fabrication process.

Having sustainable and thermally efficient profile systems, in itself, is fine. However, we felt that it was important to help our fabricators communicate these benefits in a clear and understandable way to their customers.  The British Fenestration Ratings Council’s (BFRC) Window Energy Ratings (WER) scheme is now the most widely used in the UK. So much so that its A-G Energy Window label is recognised by most consumers as it is similar to those used on white goods in the home. The ‘A’ (best) to ‘G’ (worst) rating allows customers to compare the energy efficiency of different products enabling them to make an informed decision before purchasing. Many homeowners, when faced with the choice of a window with or without an energy rating, are more likely to trade up to the energy efficient, environmentally-friendly option, particularly when they realise it will save them money on heating bills in the long run.

Gaining assessment

Most of our fabricators have been pleasantly surprised by how easy it is to gain a window energy rating. This process is definitely helped by the fact that Eurocell got involved with the BFRC scheme at such an early stage and have a wealth of knowledge on the subject.  Although for us it involved a fair amount of investment, it means we now have five, shortly to be six, BFRC Certified Simulators, which we believe is the most of any extrusion company.

Being in the position where we have five qualified Certified Simulators allows us to guide fabricators through the process, enabling them to market their products using the BFRC A-G Energy Window label.

All 5 of our BFRC Certified Simulators can carry out the thermal calculations as well as offering guidance on creating a cost effective energy rated window – because price is still important to even the greenest consumer.

Once we have simulated the window and shown that it meets thermal performance requirements, the results are verified by one of BFRC’s four Independent Agencies, such as BM Trade, BBA, Build Check or BSI.  Following successful verification, the window goes through the process of becoming BFRC registered and the fabricator is authorised to use the BFRC A-G Energy Window label.

According to the BFRC, the number of window products rated A to E is doubling each year. This is being driven by consumers who are looking for higher rated products because it allows them to do their bit for the environment and saves them money in the long run. On the commercial side, the introduction of legislation such as Energy Performance Certificates and Display Energy Certificates has created demand for higher rated products. The Building Regulations are quickly catching up, with the minimum requirement currently on refurbishments being an ‘E’ rated window and a ‘D’ in new extensions – however this is likely to change to a ‘C’ as further updates are introduced.

The latest innovation at Eurocell is to go beyond just an ‘A’ rated product and work with fabricators to develop windows with even higher positive Energy Indexes. Our tests have shown that using a combination of our energy rated profile system and PVC-u Thermal Inserts, it is possible to fabricate an ‘A’ rated double glazed window with BFRC Energy Index of 9kWh/m²/year.

This means the window allows more heat from the sun to pass through the glass (g value) and into the room than is going to be lost through the window (u value). The ‘A9’ window would therefore gain nine kilowatt hours per square metre per year, which will contributes towards heating the home. What it actually means is that fabricators will be able to offer their customers ‘free’ energy and our system is currently the highest rated double glazed window available on the UK market. For our customers, that means a cost effective alternative to triple glazed windows, which are significantly more expensive.

Gaining a Window Energy Rating and choosing a profile system supplier that can support you through the process is crucial for fabricators looking to grow their businesses. At Eurocell we remain committed to developing energy rated and sustainable profile systems, as we all have to face up to the fact that our activities have an effect on the environment.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 9th, 2009 at 2:28 pm and is filed under Environmental Stories, Eurocell Stories, UPVC Profiles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.