ENERGY NEED TO BE UPDATED

with the new call for the either vents or firmly with us the very wideon both. The regulations are not going or changed. opportunity sailed on years ago when actually had a engage in mass Government during consultation process. Very the effort we don’t get to does present us a chance for the improve the quality vents in use. UK market has price of a vent anything else. Yet, over the channel you’ll see that puts quality first result is betterthat perform very very different, incorporated differently to traditionally do it. But could take some from our neighbours the new rules as a opportunity. it would be good single systems their own trickle ventilation the use of vents for decades, there is not an abundance of concealed trickle vent options out there. Why?

I would like to see more vents come in an aluminium option, perhaps working in a thermal break of some kind. The build quality would be superior and I think we would see some improvement in aesthetics.

We also need to be using this as a chance to educate the client on proper ventilation. I keep seeing the argument online from installers about homeowners opening their windows if they really want to ventilate their houses. The reality is that in the Winter, most of us do not open our windows, even if we know we should. When it’s cold outside and raining sideways, we’re simply not going to open our windows. Therefore we won’t think to leave them on at least the night-vent setting. We have spent decades blocking up every breathable hole in our homes in an effort to keep heat inside, without giving the same amount of attention to ventilation. Homes still need to breathe and remove the stagnant air which can cause mould and harm health.

I think armed with better products and more choices, along with the installer community accepting their new reality, we can actually utilise this as an opportunity to help homeowners look after their homes and health better. We need to understand our products better and set aside preconceptions. That counts for both sides of this debate.

We are where we are on this one. It will not change. We either use it to our advantage, or we can continue to fight against something we haven’t a chance in hell in changing. It’s our call.

Open letter from Deceuninck UK MD

Rob McGlennon:

The UK is in recession. The Office of Budgetary Responsibility downgraded its forecasts for the economy sharply following the Autumn Statement in November. Prospects for growth in 2023 have evaporated, to be replaced with a predicted 2% drop in GDP.

Rising energy and food prices have according to the OBR, ‘taken the wind out of the sails’ of the global economic recovery.

The OBR report is pretty depressing, but while uncomfortable reading, there are things that we need to note because it gives us a sense of the direction of travel for the UK economy and the window and door industry within it.

The first is wholesale gas prices. These are currently four times higher than they normally would be and the OBR expects them to remain high for at least the medium term.

This is an overriding reason for homeowners to invest in improving the energy efficiency of their properties.

Costing the economy £86.4bn, it is also unlikely that the energy price guarantee can be maintained (at least in its current form) beyond April 2023. The energy crisis is going to continue and the cost to the end user is likely to increase. Our energy calculator shows how increased energy costs are already reducing payback times on new windows and doors, with savings of up to £1,400 per year. That’s a step change. New windows and doors will pay for themselves in a 5-10 year period.

Ask yourself what would you rather do?

Burn cash – literally – or invest it in a home improvement, which will materially improve the comfort of your home, enhance its appearance