Robert Thiroff, managing director of Profine UK and Kömmerling, discusses what consumers expect from their windows in 2026, and suggests that well-engineered products with built-in flexibility are going to help installers get ahead.
Predictions for the home improvement market are a bit more mixed this year, with some feeling slightly more positive and others remaining concerned.
There is undoubtedly ongoing economic uncertainty with continued unemployment and high tax bills keeping businesses and consumers under financial pressure, but we are also seeing interest rates fall, which may encourage more homeowners to spend rather than save.
If the purse strings do loosen a little, consumers need convincing that windows and doors are the best investment. Installation companies need the support of their suppliers and technically better products that deliver flexibility, to navigate this fragile territory.
To convince consumers to buy, we need to meet much higher expectations. Homeowners are now switched on to the fact that light, bright spaces are good for their health and well-being, so more glass is good, but they want thermal efficiency to lower their fuel bills, and noise reduction for more peace and tranquility.
All without compromise to aesthetics. Triple glazing solves a lot of these concerns and is garnering more attention from consumers. But triples need highly efficient, engineered profiles for optimum results.
Designed for triple
The Kömmerling 76 system is an established range of products that have undergone extensive research and development to consistently improve performance. They cater for double glazing and triple glazing or special functional glass in thicknesses up to 48mm where required, because the system’s overall window design means it is more balanced with better load distribution.
Each aspect of the Kömmerling 76 system has been carefully designed with energy saving in mind, including the profile’s heat insulating properties, the insulating glass with edge sealant, and the wall fixings.
Improved wellbeing
Historically, homeowners looking to buy new windows and doors haven’t paid as much attention to noise attenuation as they have to other features and benefits, unless they live in a particularly noisy environment. But this is changing as there continues to be a societal shift to improve mental health and wellbeing. The Kömmerling 76 system allows installers to be proactive with this selling point thanks to its innovative profile sealing technology, as well as the flexibility it offers in its ability to house sound insulating double or triple glazing.
Suitable for any project
The benefits of the Kömmerling 76 system are available in casement and flush sash styles as well as tilt and turn, to suit all design choices. Its clever six chamber design and engineered features make it ideal for large openings and big expanses of glass.
The Kömmerling 76 flush sash range comes with all the charm of more traditional designs and is packed inside and out with heritage features including butt hinges and a dedicated face fix Georgian bar. An optional centre seal gives this flush sash option outstanding performance credentials against 70mm systems in the same style and elevates installers above the competition.
The next generation casement design offers superb weather resistance as well as thermal and acoustic performance and can achieve a U-Value of 1.2W/m2K in a double-glazed window and 0.78 W/m2K in a triple glazed window. The Kömmerling 76 tilt and turn window meanwhile utilises several cutting-edge technologies, including re-engineered profiles for Passive House applications and the pioneering PoCoverTec surface finish.
Competitive advantage
The future remains uncertain, but there are glimmers of hope in the home improvement sector and as an industry we need to be ready to deliver exactly what consumers want.
Installers need all the support they can get from suppliers that understand the market and are designing products that are already ahead of tomorrow’s trends. They also need products that clearly differentiate them from the sea of competition so they can win that much coveted sale.
Kömmerling has worked hard to create a wide range of technically better products that meet the needs of homeowners today and tomorrow.
