One of the biggest investments that you’ll ever make in your home is choosing the right glazing method. Have you ever given any thought to triple glazed windows? If you haven’t, we’ve put together some important information to help you decide if they’re really worth the investment. You can always start by looking at double glazing hampshire to see your options.
If you didn’t already know, tripled glazed windows are even more popular now than they were before. Most spaces that contain a lot of aluminium opt for these. However, just like other types, there are still some concerns that revolve around them. But what are the benefits of these and how heavily do they weigh on a homeowner’s mind?
Well, for the most part, it’s quite a tricky decision, especially for self-builders. This is because triple-glazed windows tend to cost a whopping 20% more than regularly made double windows. But why should anyone ever spend this much for them?
Simply put, these state-of-the-art windows offer comfort and quality. Due to this, more and more self-builders are now installing these for the same reasons that they actively install heating under the floor. In essence, it is much better.
Before you jump into triple-glazed windows, it’s best to think of the pros and cons. These are as follows:
What Is a Triple Glazed Window?
Simply and obviously put, these usually contain three panes of glass in the sealed frame. In the case of double, they tend to contain two. However, between each pane is a special pocket of an inert gas like argon or air. Since argon is heavier than air, it provides insulation from heat and noise.
Located halfway between the outer and the inner is the third pane. Double glazing ensures that two airlocks are created which easily improves the energy performance by up to 50%. Since this type of gas is used, the energy efficiency is improved.
Warm edged space bars are also used around the perimeter to reduce bridging and the different coat reduces the loss of energy. Triple glazed frames also have a larger bearing on performance.
Is Triple Glazed Better Than Double Glazed?
This can be easily determined with the U valve measurement. However, this is also done with roofs, floors and even walls if need be. Thus far, glass manufactures have done a decent job of properly perfecting the coating and tinting technique of the glass.
The easily reduce the sunlight and keep the heat in. In some instances, they even self-clean. The overall result of this is that U values have been drastically reduced. Since double glazed windows now have a value of over 3, they can now effectively achieve a 1.4. These improvements significantly improve the overall process.
While building regulations actively insist that windows have values no more than 1.6, Passivhaus has set the triple glazed standard to no more than 0.8 and some manufactures have gone above and beyond to achieve 0.5. Since the value of walls is roughly less than 0.3, windows tend to be the weakest link in the sense of thermal efficiency.
Due to this, there is now tremendous pressure to drastically improve the performance of these even more.
Manufacturing Improvements in Glazing
Several manufacturing improvements have been done with the following:
- Wider cavities are being used between two panes. As such 16mm is the perfect distance between the glass panes.
- Lower emissivity coatings are now being integrated with the glass. This prevents the heat from escaping.
- Cavities are now filled with inert gasses such as argon.
- Cold bridges and aluminium spacers are now being used to surround the glazed units.
