Windows form a vital element in building design. It is well known that windows are one of the main sources of heat loss and heat gain. If you are involved in building design, careful consideration to window design will reap many benefits. In addition modern windows can provide lighting, heating and cooling.
Naturally the location of windows such as south facing is important. The more glass the more solar gain and energy loss for example.
The British Fenestration Ratings Council (BFRC) has calculated an energy performance rating for windows using a label to classify windows from A to G . Similar to other appliances or tests which use these ratings, A is the best, G is the worst.
U-Value – a measure of heat loss, also known as thermal transmittance.
A low U-factor is best, and UK building regulations currently specify that it should be less than 3.3 W/m2K (where watt is a unit of energy, m2 is the area of the window, and Kelvin is the difference in temperature from outside to inside)
Solar Heat Gain Co-efficient (SHGC) – also known as solar factor, or g-value, measures how much a window will absorb heat from sunlight. It is a number between 0 and 1, where a low SHGC means less heat gain.
Air Leakage (L50) – measures how much air leaks in and out of a window when it is closed.
BFRC rates the energy performance of a whole window, by considering both the frame material and glass characteristics and naturally the higher spec glass, the better.
The choice of framing material Frames can significantly affect a windows performance, depending on the type of frame material. Wood frames are energy efficient, and can be sourced from a certified sustainable supplier, but can also be expensive and need to be painted regularly to protect them from water damage.
Fibreglass frames are low maintenance and energy-efficient but can also be expensive. Aluminium frames are inexpensive but conduct heat easily and are therefore less energy efficient than other options. One of the most popular materials in the UK for framing is PVC, also called uPVC, and PVCu.
These are made from vinyl and are inexpensive, energy efficient and low maintenance. They do not need to be painted and are highly resistant to moisture. Some vinyl frames have been insulated to give improved thermal performance.
Window Glazing
Energy efficient windows have two or more panes of glass separated by an air gap to slow heat transfer and provide noise insulation. These are known as double paned or insulated windows. Traditionally air or dry nitrogen was used between the panes, but recent models use low conductance gas fills of argon or krypton that gives even better thermal performance and significantly lowers the U-value.
Another new development in window technology is low-emittance coating also known as low-e. These are microscopically thin layers of metal or metallic oxide that are coated onto the window glazing. Different types of coating have different properties, but all are designed to lower heat flow through the window – some reflect heat back into the building and others reflect heat back outside.
Spacers are used in between the layers of glass in a window, to hold them together at the required distance. Conventional spacers were made from aluminium, but because of their high conductivity they provided poor thermal insulation and created condensation problems around the window edges.
New spacer products, known as warm spacer technology, or warm edge spacers, have been developed from materials that have a low conductivity rate and high thermal efficiency, and include fibreglass, vinyl, silicone foam and reinforced thermoplastic. Some warm edge spacers incorporate a thermal break in their structural design.
Professional Windows are experts in the installation of doors for schools. However, many make the mistake of installing a pvc door in a high traffic environment and by design, pvc doors are not suitable as school entrance doors or fire exit doors. Professional Windows in Surrey do of course, provide pvc entrance doors as well as aluminium doors but we know which product is suitable for which installation. 
