Energy efficiency still sells in the face of rising costs
Unit prices for gas and electricity will increase by double digits this month (OCT 24), making energy efficiency a key sales platform for the window and door industry. We talk to Deceuninck UK’s commercial director, Rob McGlennon, to find out more.
This month [OCT] unit prices for gas will increase by 14% and electricity by 10%, reversing the downward trend in energy prices seen last year and bringing average dual-fuel prices back up to £1,717.
“At 10% the change isn’t massive, average bills under the Energy Price Cap are rising from around £1,500 to £1,700 which we’ve seen since July this year, so it’s an annual increase of £200,” says Rob McGlennon, commercial director, Deceuninck.
“It’s the psychological impact that’s more important. The average energy bills that we saw of almost £2,400 between autumn 2022 and summer 2023, are still fresh in people’s minds.
“An increase, even at 14 or 10%, is likely to make homeowners more receptive to an energy efficiency message.”
This, Rob suggests, 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.
“We’ve seen volatility in the energy market now for three or four years,” he says. “End-user demand for energy efficient products will remain high this year and into 2025.
“In short, the window and door industry is going to live or die by how energy efficient it is.”
This is backed up by independent research that was commissioned by Deceuninck and conducted by YouGov earlier this year.
This highlighted the enduring appeal of windows and doors as an energy efficient home improvement, cited by 11% of homeowners – the second most popular energy saving after a new boiler.
Moreover, windows and doors were the go-to energy saving improvement for the 35-55 age group, cited as their first choice by 14% of respondents. This compares to 7.8% of the over 55s.
“What’s interesting is that we have seen a slight shift in attitudes towards energy efficient home improvements,” Rob continues.
“The 35-55 age group placed most importance on energy efficiency. They’re the age group that felt the pinch of inflation most acutely and were also most inclined to delay spend.
“The prospect of rising energy costs now combined with release of latent demand, makes them a key and receptive market to energy efficiency messaging.”
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 powerfully demonstrates how replacing old windows can save homeowners money while reducing their carbon footprint.
If the energy crisis creates immediate opportunity, a broader shift in system design will also drive more fundamental change.
“It would be easy to dismiss the Future Homes Standard, but it is still having a major impact, despite the less than ambitious decision to hold window U-values at 1.2W/m2K,” Rob says.
He continues: “The point is despite the ‘softer’ target, architects are still pushing for higher levels of performance.
“In preparing for what we thought was going to happen under Future Homes the window and door industry is also setting new expectations with a number of systems on the market which achieve 0.8W/m2K.
“So Future Homes or no, everything is moving towards higher levels of thermal performance.
“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 2022.
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,” 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 G-Award winning systems company’s strategy to reduce its manufacturing carbon emissions by 60% by 2030.
“Elegant is great for end users because the opening and closing mechanism is very easy to use and delivers an enhanced level of security.
“Thermally, Elegant is in a new class of product, delivering up to a Passivhaus equivalent level of performance.
“That’s a powerful proposition in retail and commercial markets where thermal performance remains core to market reach. “
