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A Window of Opportunity
The GGF and British Glass have worked with Elmhurst Consultancy on a report to highlight the Heat Loss through windows and doors.
The report demonstrated that the Heat Loss is much greater than previously thought and this prompted us to develop a dual branded Infographic which we are pleased to share with Members . It is entitled ‘A Window of Opportunity’
The infographic details findings from the commissioned report and follows on from the GGF report: The Route to Net Zero and the jointly commissioned report ‘The benefits of upgrading existing building stock to best technology available glazing in the UK’, which looked at the lost opportunity for not incentivising window installations.
The Infographic's Purpose
Last spring, the Treasury re-published the Energy Saving Materials list and once again, Glazing was not included. Following the release of this, British Glass and the GGF created the infographic.
When two MPS asked Treasury why Glazing was not on the list, the replies denoted to a report stating that 86% of homes already have double glazing, implicating this is ‘job done’. However, the industry is aware that this is incorrect which encouraged British Glass and the GGF to begin the journey in proving that not all double glazing is the same.
The infographic aims to serve as an easy to follow document, which articulates a story to educate and inform Government, Treasury and Stakeholders about windows and doors and the contribution that they can make to energy efficiency.
Aide Memoire
In addition to the infographic, we have produced an Aide Memoire for all members which explains the findings in more detail and that you can download via the button to the left.
Key Points from the Infographic
The infographic is made up of 4 pages of easy to follow diagrams, annotations and descriptions that highlight the importance of replacing existing single and double glazing with double or triple glazing to current standards.
The infographic also highlights that windows installed today perform 50% better than older double glazing and 70% better than single glazing. Over 80 million BFRC rated E windows would benefit from immediate replacement as they are inefficient and at least 20 years old, by installing replacement windows, homeowners could reduce heat loss by 22% on the average house.
The research highlighted that at current capped energy prices, the average annual saving per household is £467, just by upgrading windows to current standards.
What's Next?
The government takes their cues on energy efficiency and C02 emissions for the Climate Change Committee (CCC). They produce a Carbon Budget and the 6th iteration was published in December 2020. The Government usually takes it at face value to inform their own policies.
The GGF and British Glass have a list of MPs and influencers that we wish to speak to, and we are actively seeking meetings. This includes BEIS, Treasury, Ministers and Civil servants in Westminster but also we need educate and influence the other devolved Governments in the UK.
GGF President Natalie Little, Group Managing Director John Agnew, Head of Membership and Customer Relations Ben Wallace and Head of GGF Technical Department Dave Borland have recently had the honour of attending Number 10 Downing Street to meet with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Political Advisor, Ameet Jogia MBE, to discuss the infographic.
GGF President, Natalie Little said: “This meeting was certainly a milestone for our industry and any progress that the GGF makes in the space is progress for all stakeholders in this industry.” Natalie continues: “We successfully highlighted to government that the research calculates a significant 80 million windows would benefit from immediate replacement, saving as much C02 as taking 1.88 million cars off the road. We were also able to demonstrate the timely cost saving benefit to individuals as the research estimates the average annual saving per household for upgrading windows to current standards at £395.”
We have also started conversations with Zero Waste Scotland and the vehicle they recommend is the Circular Economy Bill.
This won’t be achieved by BG and GGF alone, it has to be a whole industry coalition and this is where we hope that Members and other stakeholders will lend their support to identifying and educating those that have a voice and can make a difference.
