Did you know that installing sustainable windows can reduce your home’s heat loss by 25% – 30%?
With the climate crisis intensifying and a UK Government push towards making our homes greener and more sustainable, customers are increasingly concerned with the sustainability of the products they buy.
In this blog, we’ll explain more about what sustainability means, what makes a window sustainable and how to choose the right sustainable windows for your home.
What Does Sustainability Mean?
Sustainable is sometimes used interchangeably with ‘eco-friendly’, but they are different concepts.
Eco-friendly means ‘does not damage the environment’’. ‘Sustainable’ means can maintain or be maintained without depletion.
When using sustainability for products and materials, we are looking at the production, the maintenance required, and the potential for recycling.
How the product is finished, (eg any coatings or varnishes, its longevity and the energy performance also contribute to how sustainable a product is.
What is the Most Eco-Friendly Window Material?
Ranked in order, the most sustainable/eco-friendly materials for windows are:
- Aluminium
- Natural timber
- uPVC
Aluminium is the most environmentally sustainable material for windows. Not only is anti-corrosive, but immune to swelling, cracking and warping. A good aluminium window will have a U-value as low as 1.2 W/m2.
Aluminium comes out on top because it takes far less energy to recycle than the cutting, transportation, and reworking of timber.
That’s not to say that timber windows aren’t sustainable. Wood is a natural insulator, and a high-quality timber window should have a U-value of approximately 1.2 W/m2. Manchester Window Factory offers a range of wooden casement and sliding sash windows made from sustainably sourced timber, including Sapele, Meranti, and Accoya, which comes with a 50-year insurance-backed guarantee. You can check the sustainability of a timber window against its FSC certification, proof that the wood comes from sustainable sources.
Why Is Aluminium So Environmentally Sustainable?
Aluminium is known as ‘the green metal’ for several reasons, including:
- It has an average lifespan of 45 years
- It is infinitely recyclable, with no loss of quality, creating more carbon savings each time
- Around 75% of all aluminium ever produced is still in use
- It can be recycled in as little as six weeks
- Recycling aluminium takes up to 95% less energy than producing aluminium from raw materials (bauxite)
- Recycling also saves 97% of the greenhouse gas emissions made in the production of new aluminium
- Aluminium is the most abundant metal in the earth’s crust but is usually found combined with minerals
- Recycling 1 tonne of aluminium saves 9 tonnes of CO2 emissions and 4 tonnes of bauxite
- 1 tonne of CO2 is approximately the same as driving over 3,000 miles in a standard car
- Recycling just 500g (a standard-sized can) of aluminium saves approximately 7 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity, enough to power a TV for three hours
Are uPVC Windows Sustainable?
uPVC traditionally had a bad reputation for sustainability because many people thought that uPVC couldn’t be recycled. This is not true of modern uPVC. You can recycle uPVC up to 10 times without losing condition or function.
It is a great insulator, reducing carbon emissions by around 40% compared to timber windows.
You also need to consider that uPVC requires less maintenance (saving energy).
While uPVC windows are not as sustainable as aluminium or timber, they are still a sustainable option and offer other benefits.
Is Window Glass Sustainable?
So far, we’ve just looked at the frames, but how sustainable a window is is also determined by the glass.
Glass is a natural, eco-friendly and sustainable material. Made from sand, limestone and soda ash, it is infinitely recyclable.
Many people want to know if double glazing is necessary for sustainable windows.
The short answer is yes. Double offers significantly better insulation (measured by the R-value) than single-glazing. Double and triple glazing offer low U-values (the heat lost).
On the other hand, triple-glazing requires far more energy in manufacturing than double-glazing, making it less sustainable.
We offer several glazing options for double-glazed windows, including acoustic, self-cleaning, obscure, and energy-efficient Planitherm windows.
Let Manchester Window Factory help you pick the right sustainable windows for your home
Choosing your sustainable windows will come down to personal preference and budget. If you want a second opinion, we’re always happy to help.
At Manchester Window Factory, our expert team has over two decades of experience selling and installing windows, doors, and conservatories.
We offer a range of sustainable window options for eco-conscious customers and are happy to fit your new windows.
You can fill in our online form for a free, no-obligation quote and read positive reviews from just some of our many happy customers.
If you want to know more about any of our products or services, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. You can call, email or drop into our Altrincham showroom for a face-to-face chat.
We look forward to hearing from you!
