If you are experiencing noise pollution in your home or business, you may be comparing solutions, such as acoustic glass vs triple glazing.
Your choice of glazing plays a huge role in noise reduction and energy efficiency, so you need to think carefully before investing.
Both acoustic glass and triple-glazing offer noise reduction, improved insulation, fewer carbon emissions and better security than double-glazing, but which is best for your home?
Don’t worry, we’re here to help.
At Manchester Window Factory, we have more than 25 years of experience providing and installing windows, doors, and conservatories.
In this blog, we’ll outline the pros and cons of acoustic glass compared to triple glazing and try to help you decide which is better for you.
Acoustic glass vs triple glazing
Let’s get straight to it with a side-by-side comparison.
Acoustic glass can be double or triple-glazed, but we will compare double-glazed acoustic glass versus triple-glazed windows.
What is acoustic glazing?
Acoustic glazing is a window composed of two or more panes of glass, often of different thicknesses, with a layer of polyvinyl butyral (PVB) laminate or acoustic foam and air gaps filled with an inert gas such as argon or krypton.
It is specifically designed to reduce ambient sounds (noises outside) from penetrating a building and is used in busy cities, homes near train lines or motorways and particularly close to airports and flight paths.
It can be incorporated into any style window, from sliding sash to stormproof casement, plus some doors and roofs. It is also used to dampen internal noise, such as for meeting rooms and private offices.
The acoustic glass available at Manchester Window Factory is STADIP SILENCE. Featuring a special film interlayer of polyvinyl butyral (PVB), STADIP SILENCE has an airborne sound insulation level of up to 54 decibels. This means that the noise of a train passing at a distance of 100 feet (approximately 73 dB) will be reduced to less than a quiet conservation (30 dB).
What is triple glazing?
Triple glazing has three panes of glass, usually the same thickness, sandwiched with air gaps filled with an inert gas, typically argon or krypton.
Although not their primary function, triple-glazed windows offer a higher level of soundproofing than double-glazing. This is due to the extra pane of glass and the second gas-filled air gap, which buffer the sound. The best triple-glazing has a noise reduction rate of around 40-50 dB, only slightly less than acoustic glazing.
You can find a more in-depth explanation of triple glazing in one of our previous blogs.
Pros & Cons
Pros of Acoustic Glass
- Reduces noise by up to 50%, a difference of around 10 decibels
- Insulates to reduce heat loss
- Absorbs around 99% of harmful UV rays
- Works well for internal dividing spaces such as schools, offices and meeting rooms
- Difficult to break for extra security
Cons of Acoustic Glass
- Effectiveness can depend on the thickness of the glass
- More expensive than triple-glazing - Soundproof windows can range in price from £900 to almost £4,000 + VAT per window
- It can be heavy and require a specialist frame
- Frames can warp over time due to the weight of the acoustic glass
Pros of Triple Glazing
- Makes homes and buildings warmer
- Reduces overheating
- Offers an up to 35% reduction in heat loss compared to double glazing
- It can be A+++ energy efficiency rated, whereas double glazing can only reach A+
- Offers improved temperature control
- Can help reduce heating bills by 20% - 50%
- Hard to break for better security
- Better sound reduction than double glazing
Cons of Triple Glazing
- Significantly more expensive than double glazing (around £400 - £4,300 per window)
- Might be unnecessary in the UK, where we don’t endure many extreme temperatures
- Increases CO2 emissions by up to 40-50%
- Heavier so requires more energy and costs more to transport
- Uses more materials than double glazing at a higher cost to the environment
- Less flexible than soundproof acoustic glazing
- Can sometimes stop noise from getting out of the rooms, creating an echo chamber
Conclusion
This question brings us full circle back to whether or not you should replace your existing windows with acoustic glass windows.
As you can see, the advantages and disadvantages of triple glazing and acoustic double glazing are quite similar. Neither is perfect, so your decision will come down to your needs and personal preferences. For soundproofing, acoustic glass is more effective than standard double or triple glazing. However, triple glazing will offer some noise reduction with other benefits, such as increased overall comfort.
You can also choose to install acoustic glass in some rooms and standard double or triple glazing in others, depending on their purpose.
Ultimately, you need to look at all the facts and determine whether acoustic windows make the most sense for your home.
There are also some other suggestions for reducing noise pollution in our previous blog.
We hope this blog has helped you pinpoint the pros and cons relating to your specific needs and financial circumstances, enabling you to make an informed decision.
If you would like to know more about acoustic glazing or any of our other products, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
We look forward to hearing from you!
How to Get in Touch
To request a free brochure, you can call us on 0161 976 4739, use our contact form or chat with us via the chat button at the bottom right of this website. If you live locally, you can also visit our Altrincham showroom, and check our contacts page for up-to-date opening hours.
We look forward to hearing from you!
FAQs
To answer this question, you must determine your current glazing situation and how much you would potentially benefit from replacing your windows with acoustic glass.
Your budget, location, and level of environmental concern may also be deciding factors.
For example, if you currently have single glazing, you likely need to upgrade.
Single glazing is not recommended in UK homes. It is compulsory for UK homes built after 2002 to have double or triple glazing to meet energy-efficiency requirements and building regulations.
The question then becomes whether you go for standard double glazing, acoustic glass double glazing or triple glazing.
If you are searching for information on acoustic glazing, you probably need noise-reducing windows. If so, you can discount standard double glazing and turn your attention to the other options.
STADIP SILENCE windows and glass facades range from 6.4mm to 16.8mm. STADIP SILENCE double-glazed windows from Manchester Window Factory are typically 28mm thick, broken down as 4mm-thick panes of glass, one with the interlayer, with two air gaps of either 8mm or 16mm each, filled with an inert gas such as argon.
Acoustic glass is specifically designed to combat and reduce noise pollution by absorbing, reflecting and dampening soundwaves. At least one pane of glass is usually coated with a polyvinyl butyral (PVB) laminate, offering better noise reduction (up to 54dB) than standard double glazing.
It does this job very effectively and offers better safety and security, with coated glass being much more difficult to break, either on purpose or by accident.
Our acoustic glass also blocks UV rays without compromising the clarity of the glass, giving you excellent views and preventing sun bleaching.
Only you can answer whether acoustic glass is worth the money for you. It depends on initial cost versus long-term savings, improved energy efficiency and overall quality of life.
However, acoustic glass definitely offers a good return on investment for UK homeowners concerned with noise pollution. Not only does it create a more comfortable environment and increase energy efficiency, but it can also increase property value and futureproof your home for potential new building regulations.