The Term "Double Glazing" Is Dead

Ever wondered if the term “double glazing” is one that is pretty irrelevant now? Perhaps it was the best way to describe our industry in the 80’s and 90’s. However, we well and truly tarnished that brush and gained a reputation that rivaled that of bankers, MPs and estate agents.

But we’ve come a long way since then. Our industry looks and operates in a totally different way to a couple of decades ago. So perhaps it should be time we stop calling our industry the thing it really isn’t any more.

Far more than just one product

In the year I was born, double glazing was really the mainstay of the industry. Triple glazing wasn’t even a pipe dream. Bi-folding doors were even less than that. Solid roofs were the reserve of builders. Timber alternative PVCu was yet to be invented. Composite doors were a good 15 years away. The double glazing industry was called that, because there pretty much was just that to sell.

But this is 2016. PVCu isn’t the dominant force that it once was. Composite doors reign supreme in the door world. Aluminium is making a raging comeback. Triple glazing is gaining ground in some parts of the country. Solid roofs have changed the old conservatory market forever. We’re far more than just double glazing.

So I reckon it’s high time we started using our proper term, fenestration, in a much more general sense when it comes to describing our industry. After all, fenestration is about much more than just double glazing.

Refresh the image

To home owners, the “double glazing” industry represents new windows and doors. But we know ourselves that our industry does far more than that.

Some companies have made an effort to market themselves as the complete “home improvement” company. Some businesses have seen this as an opportunity to re-brand and make the most of this chance to market the expanding range of high-end fenestration products. And that is great.

However it’s not industry-wide. But it should be. If we dropped “double glazing” for “fenestration”, over time perhaps the perception of our sector might straighten out somewhat, backed up by the marketing of the wider range of products our industry now provides.

Either way, the term “double glazing” is dead when it comes to describing our industry. It is outdated. It’s archaic. It’s associated with a period where we did not do ourselves much justice. It’s time to switch it up, ditch the old connotations and start molding new images and descriptions around our modernised, innovative and forward thinking industry.