Manufacturing efficiency

Thermoseal Group customer, Lutley Windows, is revolutionising energy efficiency in social housing. We talk to them to find out more.

West Midlands-based Lutley Windows was established a decade ago, and produces between 160-200 windows per week, for several local housing associations. Certified to PAS2030, it is accredited with Trustmark as a member of the decarbonisation fund.

“We always wanted to get onto the housing association’s rosters, and when the opportunity came up to do some repair work for one of the associations, we grabbed it with both hands,” said Lutley Windows’ managing director, Mark Taylor. “We now work with three housing associations primarily to improve their properties’ thermal efficiency.

“The government sets out guidelines on how to get properties from an E or D energy-rating to a C-rating, and a key part of the guidelines focuses on external wall insulation.

“Financially, and often logistically, it isn’t always possible for the housing associations to do external wall insulation straight off the cuff. But to meet their SAPs and EPC standards, 0.8W/m2K glazed U-values are sufficient, and so we worked with our suppliers to go down the avenue of triple glazing.”

According to Mark, around 97% of Lutley’s windows are now manufactured as triple glazed, and in conjunction with cost effective improvements such as loft insulation and renewable energy usage, the associations are succeeding in transforming the thermal comfort and efficiency of their housing stock.

“The cost of triple glazing a standard house is between £6,000 to £8,000. When you compare this to the £30,000 to £40,000 price tag on external wall insulation, it’s a no brainer for the housing companies,” said Mark.

“And in case the associations decide to go down the insulation route at a later date, they won’t have to remove the windows that we have installed – the insulation can just go straight up to the window, with no insulation lost through the window itself due to its excellent performance.”

Partnering with the right suppliers has been key for Lutley Windows, and their glass division, HSA Glass, in achieving their ultra-energy efficient windows.

“We’ve had great support from Thermoseal Group from the very beginning,” said Colin Potter, HSA glass production manager. “We use their Thermobar spacer, in conjunction with two skins of Low-E glass, a clear toughened skin, and argon gas, to achieve a 0.5W/m2K centre pane U-value.”

For Mark, the support of Thermoseal Group has been integral in securing their continued success in the housing association market.

“Having a close relationship with our suppliers is paramount to us,” he said. “We can’t produce the best products for our clients if we aren’t 100% confident about our components.

“With Thermoseal Group, we’ve been given technical support, product reports and testing evidence, all to help us not only produce the best windows, but to also evidence those benefits when selling to our customers.”

But Mark is not allowing Lutley Windows to rest on its laurels.

“Although most of the windows that we produce are triple-glazed, we don’t market ourselves as a triple-glazing company,” he said. “We simply need a window to achieve a U-value of 0.8W/m2K. Whether that comes from single glazing, double glazing, triple glazing – it doesn’t matter to us.

“At the moment, triple glazing achieves a superior level of thermal comfort for our customers’ tenants. But if we don’t continue to innovate, we won’t move forward.

“That’s why we’re proud to work with the likes of Thermoseal Group who are constantly innovating and testing new products, and who knows – maybe soon we will be producing double glazed units with a U-value of sub-0.8W/m2K!”