Are window systems energy efficient enough?
How long will energy prices remain high and what does demand for more energy efficient products mean for system design? We report.
The energy crisis has brought window and door energy efficiency into sharp focus. Government targets to lower the UK’s carbon footprint are also driving a longer-term strategic agenda to up the energy efficiency of homes.
This has a direct impact on systems companies, fabricators and installers. Short-term energy efficiency creates market opportunities. Medium term it has the potential to redefine the way that windows are designed, made and specified.
“The point is academic but without the Energy Price Guarantee, average household energy bills would, under the Energy Price Cap have hit £4,279 from 1 January this year,” says Rob McGlennon, managing director, Deceuninck
“Things aren’t quite that bad because of the Energy Price Guarantee, but at £1,000 or more than most people were paying before April 2022, they’re still bad enough,” he says.
“The way that the energy market is hedged means that despite a recent fall in wholesale prices, household bills will remain at record levels for at least the first half of this year,” Rob continues.
“This means end-user demand for energy efficient products will remain high this year and for much of 2024 then running into 2025 we have the next round of regulatory change under the Future Homes Standard.
“In short the window and door industry is going to live or die by how energy efficient it is.”
The Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) – the maximum average household bill – goes up by £500 at the end of next month [March] to £3,000. Rob argues with the Government already announcing massive cuts to support for business, it is unlikely that it will be extended beyond March 2024.
“We saw funding for the Energy Bill Relief Scheme for business cut by 85% at the beginning of January,” Rob says.
“That’s an indicator of where the Government is likely to go from the end of March 2024. With the real price of energy still high, energy efficiency will remain a very important retail sales platform this year and for much of 2024.
“We also shouldn’t underestimate the psychological scar that energy bills have had on consumers.
“It makes them receptive for far longer to product offers which help them lower the cost of home heating as a guarantee against future increases.”
Deceuninck is supporting its customers to take the energy efficiency message to the homeowner and to maximise opportunities from the current demand for more energy-efficient products, through its Energy Calculator.
Available to Deceuninck customers as a website plugin, it demonstrates how replacing old windows can save homeowners money while reducing their carbon footprint.
The energy crisis may have created immediate opportunity, but according to Rob it is regulation that will drive change in system design.
“The changes to Part L last year are part of a wider Government strategy and the journey to Future Homes,” he says.
“The standard is a key element of the Government’s strategy to cut carbon emissions, lowering the amount of energy used in heating homes by making the more energy efficient, while heating them through renewable sources.
“To get there we could see the Government push new build to U-values as low as 1.0W/m2K or even as low as 0.8W/m2K by 2025.
“Energy efficiency creates a continuing opportunity today and tomorrow but a challenge in the medium term which requires a careful reconsideration of window design.”
Deceuninck has already embarked on this journey, launching its new Elegant window at the end of last year.
The new energy efficient fiberglass composite window system offers U-values as low as 0.8W/m2K. It is also defined by contemporary minimalist features, which replicate aluminium in an advanced, low maintenance and energy efficient, composite system.
“Elegant is a tilt-and-turn system, which gives it a commercial reach. With U values as low as 0.8W/m2K, it’s also Future Homes ready,” Rob says.
“Given the current context there is also a unique opportunity to push it to homeowners as not only a highly energy efficient window but also a sustainable one, expanding the reach of tilt-and-turn windows.”
As well as being more energy efficient, Elegant is designed to be easier to recycle at end of life, a key element of the G22 Sustainability Award winning systems company’s strategy to reduce its manufacturing carbon emissions by 60% by 2030.
“Regulation is less of a pressure point in the replacement market,” concludes Rob. “The systems we have today and in development mean we’ll meet future requirements.
“For new build, it’s going to be different. Window design from 2025 is going to need to evolve. That’s what we’re working on today through products including Elegant and those on the horizon in the coming year.”