The hot prospect
By Owen Jones, technical director at Distinction Doors.
The energy bills price cap will go some way to alleviate the pressure on many UK households, but it is only a sticking plaster. Fundamentally, the way we build, maintain and run our homes must change.
Not just in the face of rising energy costs and limited energy supplies, but as a way of creating warm, comfortable and healthy homes for everyone.
The update to Approved Document L will help us achieve this. For new builds, the build fabric must meet an overall efficiency value, with a back-stop thermal transmittance (U-value) for certain elements, e.g., doorsets. For existing buildings, replacement windows and doorsets must meet a limiting U-value.
This change means that doors used in refurbishment schemes, which account for most door sales in the UK, must now achieve 1.4W/m2K U-value or Doorset Energy Rating (DSER) B. Be aware that the rules only apply when a complete doorset is replaced, not when a glass unit is replaced, or even a new door leaf fitted into an existing frame.
While this update changes the goal posts for the door industry, we must also consider that recent events may also change consumer thinking which will impact product demand.
There are several possible scenarios for the months ahead. There’ll be consumers that rein it in, sit tight and weather the storm, spending very little. Others will choose to invest in improving the efficiency and thermal performance of their home, for long-term reward.
And those who wish to move house but realise that financially, now may not be the time to do so, and instead use the money that would otherwise have been spent on estate agent fees etc. to improve their property.
As the UK’s largest supplier of composite doors, it is our responsibility to ensure that consumers can access high-performance, attractive products, easily. A new entrance door is an investment. It can protect a home from the harsh and sometimes damaging effects of the UK weather and contribute towards pleasant living conditions.
Tried and tested
Our doors are proven to be more energy efficient than traditional timber or solid timber core doors. In a test at the University of Salford’s Energy House our 44.5mm Signature composite door was 19% more thermally efficient than a 48mm solid timber core composite door and 17% more thermally efficient than a 44mm traditional timber panelled door.
Built to perform
Our doors are respected for their durability and integrity. So much so that our 44.5mm nxt-gen blank range and 44.5mm Signature and Contemporary blank ranges have proven specific requirements to meet the certification of PAS 24: 2016. We are also proud to be the first stockist and distributor of glass reinforced polyester (GRP) door blanks in the UK to be granted prestigious Secured by Design (SBD) status.
Our doors also offer exceptional weather resistance. Thanks to the water-resistant polymer composite rails, our doors will help keep water absorption away which helps prevent a bowed door. This can happen with solid timber core composite doors, even when there is a simple change in weather.
For added benefit, our decorative glass is also triple glazed and laminated as standard for improved thermal efficiency.
When judging the performance of one brand composite door against another, be aware that there is a misapprehension that increasing the thickness of the GRP skin on the door blank will make it more thermally efficient. This isn’t the case. In fact, the thermal performance could be compromised because the insulating foam core is reduced in thickness.
Compliant doors
And so, for those fabricators and installers looking to update their composite door portfolio compliance against Approved Document L is a good starting point. This will give a sound indication as to the doors thermal performance and whether it is future-proof, based on current standards. Our customers can use the Oracle U-value calculator from Buildcheck to access our door data, and with the addition of their specification, produce a certificate of compliance.
