Residence Collection specialist, HWL, is helping installers counter the cost of glass increases even on products with astragal bars, by supplying them unglazed.

According to HWL, sourcing glass locally rather than buying in glazed frames from your fabricator cuts the cost of IGUs by around 10%.

Having pioneered the development of a non-glass-bonded 90° jointed R9 window on both internal and external faces of the sash, HWL is one of only two Residence Collection fabricators in the UK to offer R9, R7 and R2 as a non-glass bonded product.

As well as delivering immediate benefits to installers by simplifying handling and reducing weight, it also puts HWL in a unique position of being able to supply non-glass bonded residence products with astragal bars in ‘kit form’.

This means installers can buy glass from their local supplier, delivering average savings of 10% or more compared to buying glazed frames from their fabricator.

Graham Howatson, director, HWL said: “We supply a lot of products with astragal bars. They go hand-in-hand with that heritage finish, so they’re used on R9, R7 and to a slightly lesser degree on R2.

“Historically that’s meant we’ve applied the astragal bar here in the factory and so our customers have had to buy units from us.

“We’ve now removed the last barrier to sourcing glass locally for Residence products by creating a new astragal bar fitting kit, which can be used to install the astragal bar on site.

“It delivers some big savings on glass, especially given increasing costs and volatility in glass supply.”

Residence Collection astragal Bar kits from HWL are supplied pre-prepped with an aluminium carrier and glass cleaning wipe.

All fitters have to do on-site is wipe down the unit using the supplied glass cleaning wipe, peel back the adhesive tape, and place the carrier and clip in the astragal bar.

“You’re basically looking at three steps,” explained Graham, it couldn’t be easier but can make a big contribution to your bottom line.”

HWL pioneered the development of a non-glass-bonded 90° jointed R9 window in 2017, replicating a traditional 90° mechanical joint on both sides of a welded sash.

This effectively eliminates the pre-existing requirement to glass-bond the sash, reducing weight and simplifying handling and installation by allowing installers to glaze windows in the same way as any other PVC-U system.

“It comes back to the fact that we’re a specialist supplier”, Graham continued.

“We don’t manufacture standard products, which means we’ve focussed on how we can make the supply of our flush window and door ranges, which include Residence and Kömmerling Timberwelded 90° jointed flush casements and flush aluminium options from Sheerline, better.

“We believe that it’s the little things that make a big difference.”