After the 2014 Triple Glazing Debate, I think the industry had finally started to grasp triple glazing properly, and understood what the optimum form of triple glazing was versus what was bluff and marketing. Long and short of it is, if it’s not a 44mm triple glazed unit, then it’s not worth bothering at all. Then 2015 came.
Larry let down
Perhaps the industry was a tad carried away with the expectations of triple glazing. Even I have been guilty in the past of writing about the chances of triple glazing making a proper break through. 2015 just was not the year.
The energy in the emerging triple glazing market just doesn’t seem to be there this year. There is plenty of conversation around it, but it’s one thing discussing the product, it’s another turning that into products and sales.
In some areas, triple glazing is taking a hold. There are a few companies over the border in Scotland which seem to be doing fairly well in triple glazing sales. Bur further down south, the mass majority of new windows being installed remain the double glazed variety.
The UK climate
One of the arguments against triple glazing is that the UK climate doesn’t really require it. And to a point, I agree. The UK is a generally mild climate, with winters that are more wet than freezing. Although I suspect that those in Scotland would argue that it is plenty cold enough up there to warrant for triple glazing.
However, whilst I agree that the climate in this country isn’t the ideal candidate for triple glazing, this argument is pretty pointless. The reason being that home owners do actually in some cases want the product, regardless of what we think about the weather.
And whilst there is public demand, albeit small and growing slowly right now, there has to be a triple glazing solution out there. And it may as well be the right one to begin with.
2016 the year?
It’s been a product of fits and starts so far. False dawns. Industry hype. Yet sales of triple glazing UK-wide remain in the low percentages. So could 2016 be the year it finally takes off?
It might be. Although in all likelihood it might not. I think that for the foreseeable future triple glazing is going to remain one of those niches that is going to grow slowly. It won’t see the rapid expansion that composite doors and timber alternative PVCu saw in it’s early days.
Triple glazing costs more for a start. For some home owners, the idea of paying more for a small uplift in WERs or reduction in U-Values isn’t money well spent. So most will continue to look at the double glazing options.
There is a but. And it comes in the form of Rustique 3. You’ll have probably read on here and on other publications about this brand new, dedicated triple glazing system that is based on the ever popular Rustique ranges from John Fredericks and Halo. This could be the product that puts the energy into triple glazing properly and gets the industry to start looking at it again.
I have already price one or two jobs up in Rustique 3 myself as our installation company is a customer of John Fredericks, and I can vouch that the cost difference is very little. Certainly little enough to tempt a few customers sitting on the fence about triple glazing. This could be the product that help springboard this emerging market into the next gear.
And if it doesn’t, well it’s going to be a long wait before we can say triple glazing sales are outstripping double glazing.
