Triple glazing overlooked in FHS consultation

When the consultation on the Future Homes Standard was finally published last week, the expectation was that it would include a requirement for stricter U values to be introduced on new build homes.

The understanding – for quite some time now – was that the uplift in the 2022 revisions to Part L was just a stepping stone to U values that would be closer to 0.8, delivering near Passivhaus levels of energy efficiency that would only really be achievable with triple glazing.

New, ultra-energy efficient systems were launched and glass companies started to gear up for an increase in triple glazing production.

But, at the eleventh hour, it seems that the government has decided that solar panels and heat pumps are a more cost-effective way of reducing carbon.

There are those who will be relieved that we can now carry on as normal with double glazing. That’s because there are well established arguments against triple due to its increased cost, weight and manufacturing complexity.

But a large proportion will see this as a missed opportunity for the industry, especially as demand for energy efficient products, including triple glazing, is reported to be higher than ever.

That includes Edgetech, which has now postponed the Triple Glazing Question event that was scheduled for March 2024 – almost 10 years since the first Triple Glazing Question conference was held at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry.

Back then, after a lot of debate, the general consensus was that the industry was in no great hurry to replace double with triple.

An uplift in U values in the Future Homes Standard however, would have undoubtedly helped to generate a different outcome this time around…

But let’s not be too downbeat!

In many cases, the systems and technology to meet stricter values already existed, and together with the new products that have been introduced throughout 2023, there is now a fantastic portfolio of innovative, high performance – and high value – windows and doors available to make the most of opportunities at the premium end of market going into the new year.

On behalf of all the team here at Glass Times, have a fantastic Christmas and here’s to a fruitful 2024.