Double glazed French doors have become very popular with homeowners in UK, as a replacement for the traditional wooden and timber doors. Providing efficient heat insulation while allowing the sunlight in, French doors are being installed by a lot of people. However, everyone is not happy having done so. Why?
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The National Home Improvement Council (NHIC) is highlighting the universal benefits of insulation – irrespective of the time of year.
Winter is often a popular season for homeowners to invest in double glazing insulation because of the favourable impact it has on energy consumption, lowering heat loss through windows by up to half. But according to NHIC technical consultant Andrew Leech the benefits of installing such heat-trapping devices stretch far beyond merely lowering winter fuel bills.
Energy savings can be notched up all-year-round – especially given Britain’s notoriously unpredictable climate – and homeowners will also enjoy the added bonus of knowing their home is contributing to the fight against climate change. "I think now is a good time – let alone whether it’s winter or not – to insulate your property because it’s something that should be there all year round," Mr Leech said. "You shouldn’t just be thinking about it now, at winter … It’s the sort of thing you ought to do in any case."
He cautioned, however, that installing insulation without professional assistance can be "tedious" and is "not an easy job".
You can get a wide selection of double glazed windows and doors from Safestyle, with free professional installation and 10 year guarantee.
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The British Airports Authority (BAA) has endorsed the practice of installing double glazing insulation to block out the noise caused by overhead aircraft. According to the Guardian, BAA recently wrote to 41,000 homeowners living under Heathrow’s night-time flightpaths, offering them subsidies towards the installation of double glazing in windows and doors.
Anyone living within a 90-decibel "noise footprint" surrounding the airport is eligible for the scheme, prompting some critics to accuse the authority of opportunistically pre-empting the construction of Heathrow’s third runway. BAA dismissed that suggestion out of hand, however, abruptly telling the Guardian: "It has nothing to do with the third runway and there are no conspiracies here."
Rather, the authority insists it is simply trying to find a solution to the ongoing problem of loud aircraft by promoting a noise-reducing technology that carries with it environmental and cost-saving benefits for homeowners. Each year, about 6,000 flights operating out of Heathrow land or take off between 23:30 and 06:30.
Click here for a selection of double glazed windows and doors from Safestyle.
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New reports indicate that most people in Britain want to see more action from the government to compel developers to cut the carbon emissions of new homes. A poll carried out on behalf of the National Housing Federation has revealed that 72 per cent of Britons want the Climate Change bill to enshrine low emission targets for new homes built privately.
The majority of new houses are built by private developers, though housing associations have already had strict guidelines laid down for enerygy conservation and environment protection. A substantial majority of those surveyed (86 per cent) want a requirement of 25 per cent less emissions in privately developed new homes in place by April next year.
"This poll shows that people feel so strongly about climate change that they want greener homes, even though they will cost more to build," said the federation’s chief executive David Orr.
"Not only do green homes mean lower carbon emissions, but through enhanced energy efficiency, they lead to far lower fuel bills for our residents." Mr Orr added that the lack of regulations constraining private developers in comparison to housing association was a cause of concern. He warned that without "tough standards… many more carbon emissions will be pumped into the environment than would otherwise be the case".
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