The growing urgency for low carbon
With the need for more energy efficient building materials increasing, low carbon glass is not only a viable solution now, but a necessary one according to Paul Higgins, commercial director of TuffX.
The market for low carbon glass is increasing in importance and we need to sit up and take notice. It’s a fantastic tool for our armoury, both to win more sales with energy conscious consumers, and to play our part in reducing carbon emissions in a construction sector that is responsible for a high proportion of global carbon emissions.
Reducing emissions and combatting climate change has often been seen as something to be dealt with in the future, but this isn’t the case anymore. As time has moved on, the urgency has increased, and with the deadline for the Future Homes Standard just next year, and the ultimate aim to achieve net zero by 2050 creeping ever closer, reducing carbon emissions has become a very real issue for today’s installers.
Our new Labour government has big plans to build more homes and to make Britain a clean energy superpower, but how new and existing homes will become more energy efficient is still uncertain. Although we have been promised 1.5 million new homes, there has been no mention of the green credentials these new homes will need to meet.
Meanwhile, there are plans to upgrade existing homes to become more energy efficient and reduce carbon emissions, but as yet low carbon glass, or any type of windows and doors, have not been mentioned in these plans. Instead, the focus is still on solar panels, better insulation, and low-carbon heating.
But that does not make energy efficient windows, or low carbon glass any less relevant. Homeowners looking to update their windows and doors are likely to be looking for the very best in energy efficiency, sensible products for the environment, and home improvements that future proof their properties. Low carbon glass is a great solution.
Glass is a particularly important material to put under the spotlight because of its increasing popularity. More consumers want bigger windows, or wider expanses of glass in the form of patio or bi-fold doors. There is also a trend towards glass balustrades, which potentially use even more glass. With this increasing desire for glass to be used in all areas of our homes and buildings, and with the increasing urgency for our homes to use less carbon, low carbon glass is becoming increasingly important.
TuffX has been aware of this requirement on the horizon for a while, so we were keen to deliver a low carbon glass option sooner rather than later. And we have already seen demand for the product take off. Balustrades particularly are a great item to utilise low carbon glass because they contain such a high volume of the material. If you think about new build estates, renovations, or commercial properties, the amount of glass in balustrades is significant and therefore has the potential to make a big difference to the overall carbon emissions of the project.
The TuffX low carbon glass products look the same as any of our other quality glass products and have the same high level of performance. The only difference is that they contain up to 50% lower carbon content. Maintaining excellent aesthetics is an additional challenge and a particularly important aspect to get right with glass, because so much of the product is on show. We are pleased to be able to offer our customers the very best solution of excellent performance with uncompromised aesthetics.
The green agenda has been building momentum for years now, and with the Future Homes Standard just around the corner, and the ultimate goal of reaching net zero by 2050 edging closer, expectations are only going to increase. Whether from government or consumers, more will be expected of the glass industry, and we are pleased that our customers are ready with a solution with immediate effect so they can stay ahead of the conversation and the competition.
