A very happy New Year to you all!
For many this will be the first day back to work after a well earned Christmas break. So, to start the New Year off, here are three products that I believe are going to be red hot this coming year.
Skylights/Lantern roofs
Whatever your preference is to call them, the lantern roof market is going to be very competitive this year. Although predictions are that in general 2016 is going to be challenging for the UK glazing industry, I think that the market for skylights and lantern roofs is going to be a red hot one.
The competition between the companies making these products is fierce. There are the well known ones, fighting it out in the market place and online for domination of an emerging new market. Then there are the new ones entering the fray, looking to establish themselves in a growing niche that looks set to grow strongly for many years to come.
It’s a new market that has become so energetic because of the need for installers and fabricators to diversify and find new ways to boost revenue streams as the existing ones become a little less profitable. 2015 was a good year for lantern roofs, 2016 will be even better. I expect new lantern roof products as well, including those that mix timber, aluminium and PVCu to create a wider range of choice. I expect more colours and more glazing options to be added to the mix as well. Keep an eye on this one.
Aluminium windows
When it comes to aluminium, it has certainly been king in the world of bi-folding doors and sliding doors. It’s been a revolution in that part of the market and when home owners think about changing their patio doors or adding a bi-fold to their home, their first thoughts are generally of aluminium.
But many will have also noticed a rise in the popularity of aluminium windows for residential homes in the past few years. PVCu has certainly dominated, but aluminium has been chipping away at it’s dominance now for the past five years or so.
During 2016 I expect the aluminium window market in the residential sector to really get a shift on. There are a number of innovations happening right now in the aluminium window market, with Origin’s flush window system was one that really stood out for me.
These new innovations will help installers take a better look at selling more aluminium windows to residential projects, and although 2016 is going to be a tough year, I can still see healthy growth in this part of the market.
Triple glazing
Will 2016 finally be there year triple glazing gets a strong foothold in the rest of the market? Time will tell, but I have a hunch that triple glazing could start to make waves this year.
For a start, the general prices have been coming down. Some companies are choosing to discount triple glazing to the same price as double glazing to help boost demand. But the general pricing point of triple glazing has been coming down since it’s proper introduction a few years ago. My tip, if you’re looking at getting into triple glazing in 2016, take a look at Rustique 3 by John Fredericks.
Now that the industry has woken up to the fact that 44mm triple glazed units or more is the only way forward, the marketing and information flowing down to the home owners may spark new interest in the product.
Does our climate really need triple glazing? Some say yes, some say no. But climate won’t dictate if triple glazing will take off or not. If the industry simply sees it as the next progression in product, then it will become established, whether it takes a while or not.
I’ll be doing a more in-depth look at triple glazing in 2016 later on in January. Over the next few weeks I’ll also be taking a look at the companies to watch for this year, and who to put on your “must-see” list for this year’s FIT Show.
