Misleading U value claims on entrance doors continue to threaten the credibility of the industry, says Apeer’s MD, Asa McGillian, adding that installers should protect themselves from future damage by partnering with a supplier that is open and honest about product performance.

When it comes to bold claims made by consumer brands, it has been demonstrated time and again that being ‘economical with the truth’ rarely pays off in the long run.

BP’s ‘Beyond Petroleum’ rebrand in the early 2000s promised a shift to renewables and sustainable energy, but the reality was that around 95% of the organisation’s expenditure was still funding oil and gas.

In 2011, Coca-Cola was found to have misled the public after advertising its Vitamin Water drink as ‘nutritious’, even though it contained a quarter of the recommended daily amount of sugar in its ingredients.

In 2014, Red Bull was forced to settle an advertising lawsuit for $13 million after claiming – falsely – that its product “gives you wings” when in fact it offers no more stimulation than regular coffee.

The list goes on…but the theme is consistent. If you exaggerate or lie about what your product can do, then it doesn’t matter how strong the marketing is, how big the brand is or how much money you have behind the business because eventually the truth will be exposed and the deception backfires.

So why do some organisations in our industry still think they can get away with deceiving the public? I’m talking of course about the ongoing issue of false U value claims on entrance doors, a scandal that I have previously highlighted in the industry press and one that I’m determined to pursue until we finally have a level playing field for all businesses in the sector.

Open & honest on U values

Energy efficiency continues to be a huge driver for sales, and we know that from the feedback we have from our trade partners as well as the data in market surveys that shows how much of a priority it is for homeowners.

It’s why we’re so happy to promote the outstanding U Value performance that is on offer over the complete range of Apeer 44mm, 70mm and 90mm composite doors.

We market these energy efficiency figures with confidence because we’ve invested considerable amounts of time and money on R&D and manufacturing and because we’re prepared to back up our claims with independent testing. So, we are happy to prove, for example, that all 62 designs in the Apeer 70mm door range meet and exceed the 1.4 W/m²K requirement for replacement and 1.0 W/m²K for new build.

We’re also more than happy to reveal the independent test results from competitor doors that are nowhere near these figures, despite claims to the contrary.

Those include composite door manufacturers who are offering timber core products with the same thermal performance as foam cored doors, or a 70mm monocoque slab – with no insulation – that can match a slab with 110kg/m³ density structural foam.

For clarity, the testing was carried out by TUV Institute Rheinland, where an impartial team undertook full testing to ISO 8302:1991 / EN 12667:2001 ‘Determination of Thermal Resistance’. IFT Rosenheim also conducted a side-by-side Thermal Hot Box test with our 70mm high density foam filled door and a hollow monocoque door.

The Apeer door actually exceeded our declared U value of 0.9 W/m²K but the competitor door – unsurprisingly – couldn’t even make the required minimum of 1.4.

This should all seem quite obvious to industry insiders, but the general public – despite being more aware of U values – will most likely take any stated performance figures at face value. And it is this trust that some players are still taking advantage of.

The reason this is so dangerous, is that when the deception finally unravels, it threatens to not only bring down those who are directly responsible but also runs the risk of tarnishing all those honest businesses such as Apeer that have actually worked very hard to deliver products that do exactly what they say on the tin.

I would urge all installers therefore, to do their due diligence and question composite door suppliers on the validity of their products.

At Apeer, we are more than happy to produce independent testing to support our claims. Can your door supplier do the same?