NFA MAGAZINE FEB23

NFA NEWS

Made For Trade Join NFAS As Category Sponsors

As the 10th anniversary campaign of the National Fenestration Awards gets underway, the NFAs are pleased to announce that Made For Trade, leaders in roof lanterns and bi-folding door products, have joined the platform as BDM/Sales Representative Of The Year category sponsors.

Based in the North East of England, Made For Trade produce the award-winning range of Korniche aluminium glass lantern roofs and Korniche aluminium bi-folding doors, as well as other glazed products including Uni-Blinds®.

Having previously experienced success in the National Fenestration Awards in 2021 and 2022, Made For Trade joins the sector’s leading awards platform for its tenth anniversary campaign.

Founded in 2013, the NFAs set out to establish a more inclusive and fairer way to find and reward the fenestration sector’s best people and companies. It has grown consistently since 2013 to become one of the most prestigious and sought-after accolades in the sector.

Ian Bousefield, Marketing Manager at Made For Trade, commented: “it’s great to be supporting the National Fenestration Awards in their tenth anniversary campaign. Having been successful in the previous two years, it is fantastic to be a category sponsor for 2023 and to be part of such an inclusive platform.”

The NFAs said: “Made For Trade are a great business and having been winners in the previous two campaigns, it’s great to have them on board as category sponsors for 2023. We’re looking forward to working with them in this special year and building a productive partnership!”

Nominations for the 2023 NFA campaign are underway. To take part in the first phase of these awards please visit: www.fenestrationawards.co.uk/nominations/

The closing date for nominations is March 31st, with finalists being announced on April 10th. A few days later voting will open for the industry to ultimately choose this year’s winners!

You can find out more about Made For Trade’s award-winning product range by visiting: https:// www.madefortrade.co/

Stay connected with the NFAs: Web: www.fenestrationawards.co.uk

Email: info@fenestrationawards.co.uk

Twitter: www.twitter.com/NatFenAwards

Facebook: www.facebook.com/NatFenAwards

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/51726620

CONTENTS

THIS MONTHS KEY ARTICLES

PAGE 06-07

MADE FOR TRADE INTRODUCES LEIGH GREENWOOD

With continued growth and sales success across the last 12 months, the new appointment is the next recruitment step.

PAGE 10

CNC RECYCLING’S £2 MILLION INVESTMENT

CNC Recycling are delighted to announce that they have completed the installation of their brand new state-of-the-art recycling facility...

PAGE 17

MORLEY GLASS LAUNCH BLACK VENETIAN OPTION

The launch of a black Venetian option for Uni-Blinds integral blinds gives installers the scope to provide homeowners with a colour coordinated window.

PAGE 21

NEW MANAGING DIRECTOR FOR UNIVERSAL ARCHES

Phil Warren has been appointed Managing Director of Universal Arches Limited based in St. Helens, part of the Kaliber Group.

PAGE 29

ZERO|90 LAUNCH EVENTS AT LINIAR

Liniar launched its new Zero|90 and Zero|90R window and door system at the end of January to huge industry acclaim.

PAGE 34

THE RESIDENCE COLLECTION PREDICTS COLOUR TRENDS

From warm neutrals to bold pinks and reds, experts at The Residence Collection have pulled together the top five colours that are upcoming big trends...

PAGE 46

THE PERFORMANCE OF GLASS TO BE PUT TO THE TEST

Double and triple glazed windows featuring highperformance glass from Saint-Gobain Glass will be put to the test in a unique £16m research facility...

PAGE 50

THE TIME FOR COMPLAINING HAS PASSED

Whilst I can understand people’s frustration with the new regulations, I have to be blunt and say that the time for complaining and calling for action has gone.

TOTAL 45 DESIGNS AVAILABLE & 21 DESIGNS IN STOCK

ALUMINIUM DOOR PANELS

• 28mm thick double glazed toughened glass panel

• Standard panel size 2m x1m , 1.5mm thick aluminium sheet each side

• RAL colour in matt or textured finish

• In stock 21 designs in RAL 7016 matt finish

• Total 45 designs available

• Bespoke designs can be produced for bulk orders

MADE FOR TRADE INTRODUCES GREENWOOD AS HEAD OF DEVELOPMENT

With continued growth and sales success across the last 12 months, the new appointment is the next recruitment step for the pioneering Northeast firm.

Made for Trade are delighted to welcome Leigh Greenwood to the company as Head of Business Development.

As the family firm continues to expand and break new ground in the fenestration market, this new role focused on business expansion was introduced. MFT sought someone with a handson approach who could assist with plans aimed at new market sectors whilst further increasing sales and improving the already exceptional service offering to new and existing customers.

Thanks to significant experience in the industry, Leigh’s appointment will further bolster Made for Trade’s knowledgeable Sales and Marketing team and maintain the company’s enviable trajectory as the Korniche-branded range of innovative glazing products increase their market share.

Leigh joins the loyal and dedicated team at the Wynyard HQ where his expertise will allow him to assist with bringing in new accounts and trade partners, as well as ensuring the dependable support remains market-leading and second to none for existing customers.

Leigh’s commercially minded approach will help elevate the already enviable skillset of the MFT customer services department, whilst ensuring that sales and marketing offer the most efficient quotations via access to the Korniche KwikQuote online software. This market-leading

tool enables MFT customers to produce quotations instantly – Leigh will look to expand on the success of KwikQuote, which is proving to be the ideal solution for merchant and business branches for account and quotation management.

Leigh joins MFT at an exciting time in its growth journey; following a hugely successful period of sales across the last two years, he will look to build on

INTRODUCES LEIGH OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

every aspect of the business whilst developing new relationships and nurturing existing partnerships.

Alongside recent accolades covering everything from customer service to manufacturing, appointing dedicated Business Development personnel will ensure that MFT continues to increase their market share and further build their reputation of providing the best products with the best service at the best price.

Thanks to a proven track record of developing successful sales teams in his previous professional roles, it hasn’t taken long for Leigh to begin making an impact. He has started making new connections and establishing relationships with both existing customers and new trade partners looking to source the most innovatively engineered fenestration products in the UK.

Speaking of his appointment, Leigh said: “It’s been amazing to see the scale of the Made for Trade operation. As an established business with many years in aluminium fabrication that has developed a brand and product set, it clearly has great affinity with builders and installers. MFT’s commitment to their customers shines through with product support, demand driving exhibitions, advertising, and continued investment in partner quoting software delivered to the highest standard. I’ve admired the business for several years now and can’t tell you how excited I am to be part of the Family/Team. As the Market Leader for aluminium Bi-folding Doors and Lantern Roofs they are constantly driving innovation with their ‘inhouse’ Engineering Deportment. Working with our Sales Team, both internal and external, I’m really looking forward to introducing our awardwinning product range to a new range of Customers.”

Based from the company’s Wynyard HQ, Leigh’s ultimate objective is to further drive customer sales to trade partners, initially with MFT’s two key products from the Korniche brand: the multi-award-winning Korniche Bi-folding Door, and the game-changing, highly innovative Roof Lantern system.

With a multitude of awards for business service and product in both the Trade and Homeowner sectors, the time for new trade partners and installers to take on the Korniche products and MFT fabrication has never been more optimal; something that Leigh hopes to capitalise on, in what is set to be a busy 2023.

If you would like to know more about MFT accounts, Korniche products, and trade partnership opportunities with a multi-award-winning operation in 2023, please get in touch with Leigh direct to see how we can further your business with Made for Trade products.

www.madefortrade.co

Tel: 01642 610799

Email: leigh.greenwood@madefortrade.co

“I’ve admired the business for several years now and can’t tell you how excited I am to be part of the Family.”

CNC RECYCLING ANNOUNCES PLANT IN £2 MILLION INVESTMENT

UPVC Window Recycling specialist CNC

Recycling are delighted to announce that they have completed the installation of their brand new state-of-the-art recycling facility with sorting and separating equipment for the recovery of clean white and jazz (coloured) of both post-industrial and post-consumer UPVC streams using the latest technology and specialist expertise.

Installation of the Delta Cleaner, Hamos EKS electrostatic separator, CIMBRIA colour sorting equipment completes the first phase of the install with the integration of the HAMOS KWS Unit to follow in April.

This long term commitment to creating sustainable products into the future of UPVC recycling represents an overall investment by CNC Recycling in the region of £2,000,000 over the course of the last twelve months into their infrastructure of recycling old windows and doors back into the fenestration Industry.

The installation of the new plant and equipment will allow for the final processing of UPVC ready for extrusion.

The introduction of the new Hamos separators will achieve UPVC purities of 99.5% in one pass. The CIMBRIA colour sorting system which is equipped with high resolution trichromatic cameras separates colour impurities still remaining in the material, so that the UPVC is refined to the highest possible quality ready for extrusion.

Managing Director Melanie Coates said of the new plant “The investment was the next natural step in our UPVC recycling process to create a closed loop. One of the big hurdles in reuse is processing UPVC so that it can be used effectively into the extrusion of new products. Therefore we have installed a plant that can clean and refine to the highest possible standards. We are very proud of the innovative and technological system installed.”

ANNOUNCES NEW INVESTMENT

This latest development represents the next stage across the whole facility as CNC Recycling investments over the last 12 months into additional shredding/granulation/washing and separation steps to recover ferrous, non ferrous and stainless steel from the UPVC waste streams as well as stones, glass and other impurities.

To compliment the processing/recovery arm of the company CNC has added three new tractor units and trailers to their fleet complete with Terberg truck mounted forklift trucks and over ten new smaller collection vehicles to support and ensure a first class service to all our customers nationally this brings their total fleet count to (40) vehicles.

These are all covered with a new digital paperless waste transfer note system designed specifically for CNC by My Data Crate ensuring all their suppliers are compliant with the necessary legislation.

Investment has continued into our staff which has grown to (55) with the main area of growth being collection drivers, but also in our sales team based at the new Sales office based in Goole. More customer service staff have been added to the team to ensure our customers always have a direct contact should they have a problem, need a collection or have a question they need answering.

CNC Recycling have always promoted the message that PVC-U windows are truly sustainable. Our recycling schemes and partnerships together with our nationwide

network of recycling centres (14) and extensive fleet of collection vehicles, mean we offer every window fabricator and installer in the UK the ability to recycle all of their old window frames to ensure this primary resource of raw material is captured and never lost to landfill.

CNC Recycling continue to be heavily committed to recycling every piece of UPVC waste created as we look to be THE trusted and reliable partner to the fenestration industry.

“We are very proud of the innovative and technological system installed.”

60

VERSATILE PRIVACY AND SHADING FOR EVERY DOOR

Our bespoke integral blinds are made to measure to suit all window and door applications (including bi-folding and sliding doors).

MORLEY GLASS LAUNCH NEW BLACK VENETIAN OPTION

The launch of a new black Venetian option for UniBlinds integral blinds gives installers the greatest ever scope to provide homeowners with a colour coordinated window and door package that is in line with the latest décor trends, according to Morley Glass MD, Ian Short.

We are the industry’s leading UK manufacturer of integral blinds using ScreenLine systems, and recently added black to our colour range for Venetian integral blinds in response to the growth in its popularity throughout home décor.

Ian Short says, “Anyone involved in the home improvement market will know that consumer tastes are constantly changing. Innovative brands offering everything from paint and landscaping products to kitchens and bathrooms work hard to ensure they can satisfy a relentless consumer appetite for that next ‘must have’ or different look.”

Ian believes that in recent years the door and window industry has evolved to better meet the demands of consumers from a styling perspective, with a shift away from a fairly limited range of styles for windows and doors to a plethora of choices.

He continues, “When you look at recent industry data, there is no doubt that routine white PVCu frames continue to dominate sales, but the increased range of frame colours we now have available, along with different frame designs such as flush-fit and the growth in the domestic aluminium market, means the market is much more responsive to changing consumer tastes.

“As an industry, we are in a more positive position than ever given that we have moved from responding to change to actually driving it. Nowhere is this more apparent than with integral blinds, which have gone from being a relatively niche product at the beginning of the century to one that is inspiring consumers with new creative potential for their windows and doors.”

Black décor features have been growing in popularity in the last couple of years and are very much on-trend today. Responding to this, Morley Glass has been working closely with ScreenLine integral blind systems

manufacturer Pellini to be the first company to bring this high quality Venetian blind to the UK market in this colour.

Ian adds, “We’ve seen the demand for black frames growing, while the appetite for anthracite grey and agate grey remains strong. All three of these colours are ideal for black Venetian Uni-Blinds® as many of our early customers are discovering.

“But it is not simply a case of applying a new colour to the slats. The black blind units optimise visual appeal because all the components are consistent. The finish of the slats ensures the colour will not fade over time, retaining its bold appearance, with perfectly matched colours for the cords, header and footer rails and sideguides used across the different Uni-Blinds® control systems.

“Adding black Uni-Blinds® integral blinds to a range which already includes the exclusive anthracite grey, silver, beige, yellow and green means giving homeowners even wider scope to express their personality. We think it will rapidly grow to become one of our top-selling blind colours in the coming years as homeowners go back to black.”

Find out more about the colour options for Uni-Blinds.

GQA Qualifications is a multi-industry awarding body writing vocational based qualifications to support a wide range of career paths.

Accredited training leading to qualifications

If you are looking to retrain for a new career, or looking to develop your skills to open up opportunities why not consider practical training in window and door installation

Learn about Building Regulations, working safely on site, how to remove windows and doors from buildings and replace with new ones

All courses fully accredited and could contribute towards NVQ Qualifications

With further assessment and achievement, successful candidates can go forward to achieve CSCS Cards to enable them to work safely on site

Training delivered in Sheffield in a fully Covid secure environment

For more information on training contact sayhello@buildingourskills.co.uk

For more information on vocational qualifications and CSCS cards contact info@gqaqualifications.com

www.gqaqualifications.com

NEW MANAGING

DIRECTOR FOR UNIVERSAL ARCHES

We are thrilled to announce that Phil Warren has been appointed Managing Director of Universal Arches Limited based in St. Helens, part of the Kaliber Group.

Phil has 30 years of direct industry experience supplying developers, builders, trade manufacturers and retail installers. He has a deep understanding of the needs of B2B customers and is well-versed in the latest industry trends and technologies. Phil is a long-term business builder and proven team player.

Since 2020, Phil has been leading another Kaliber business KAT UK, as Managing Director. KAT is a trade manufacturer of Veka Halo PVCu and Aluminium Windows, Doors, Sliders and Bifolds, based in Macclesfield. Phil has overseen KAT’s rapid growth and increased profitability through good communication, employee buy-in and customer loyalty.

Universal Arches has led the industry since 1994, as a specialist manufacturer of bespoke PVCu windows and doors, creating made to measure arches, shapes, curves, and circles. In fact, many of the products that other manufacturers have difficulties in producing.

Phil’s appointment to this supplementary position in the group is a testament to the organisations’ ongoing commitment to growth and excellence. Phil’s knowledge and experience will be invaluable in ensuring customers receive the highest quality products and service.

Kaliber Group Chairman, David Richards states “Phil was the obvious candidate for the role of Managing Director at Universal Arches. He is a true people person who leads from the front, is highly organized, and consistently works to provide customers with what they need. Phil will optimise returns on recent investment in Universal Arches by improving overall quality and producing exciting new products. Under Phil’s leadership, Universal Arches and KAT UK will continue to thrive and will benefit from the obvious synergies between the two businesses. Phil and his team are helping to shape a successful future for our customers and our group.”

www.universalarches.com

St Helens, Merseyside,WA9 3AL Tel: 01744 612844

Email: chat-to-us@universalarches.com

“Phil and his team are helping to shape a successful future for our customers and our group”

YOUR KENT-BASED TRADE SPECIALISTS

Our trade sales team is proudly made up of time-served industry experts. We're your local one-stop-shop for competitively priced, quality assured fenestration supply across Kent and the South East

Bright Light into Living

RESI-DOORS HINGE ON SIGMA

elements so we are happy to back that up with the same guarantee as the painted versions.

“This is often the tipping point that makes fabricators choose Sigma and the greenteQ Suite in general, as pitted furniture can easily damage a hard earned reputation for quality. A lot can hinge on a hinge!”

Hardware manufacturer, VBH, is reporting a surge in the popularity of its greenteQ Sigma Flag Hinge, thanks to new colours and its 10-year surface guarantee.

VBH describe the product as a premium quality adjustable hinge for rebated PVCu doors weighing up to 100KG.

Its 3D adjustment is carried out with a standard 5mm hex key, to make setting up the door on site extremely easy for installers.

Gary Gleeson of VBH says, “Thanks to its design, Sigma remains a stylish product and looks great even on older and newer profile designs. It is the standard door hinge for many fabricators of all sizes not only for its appearance, but also because it is easy to fit and is installer-friendly.

“We are always talking to customers about the benefits of our greenteQ range of suited resi-door, patio door and window furniture, of which Sigma is a major component. The introduction of new colours, coupled with the other benefits of Sigma has led many fabricators to choose Sigma Flag as their hinge option.”

VBH point out that, as with all greenteQ Suite products, even the plated finishes of the Sigma hinge are supplied with a full 10-year function and finish guarantee.

Gary adds, “It often comes as a surprise to potential customers that our 10-year guarantee also covers the finish on plated greenteQ furniture, as that doesn’t seem to be the norm in the industry. However, our furniture’s six layers of copper, chrome and nickel give it excellent protection against the

To find out more about greenteQ Sigma Flag Hinges or any other hardware in the VBH range, contact VBH on 01634 263263, email at sales@ vbhgb.com, or send them a Tweet @vbhgb.

“Sigma remains a stylish product and looks great on older and newer profile designs.”

 MFA BUILDING CONTROL APPROVED

 40 YEAR WARRANTY

 LIGHTWEIGHT GRP SYSTEM

 LEAD GENERATION SERVICE

LINIAR CREATE INDUSTRYWIDE BUZZ

Liniar, the UK’s leading PVCu systems company and a subsidiary of Quanex, launched its new Zero|90 and Zero|90R window and door system at the end of January to huge industry acclaim.

Attended by more than 200 delegates over two days, the Zero|90 launch has caused a considerable stir in both the fenestration and construction industries.

The new window and door system can easily reach U-Values of 0.66 W/m²K, meaning that Zero|90 Liniar fabricators are more than ready for the widely anticipated changes to Part L Building Regulations and the Future Homes Standard - two years early!

The feedback from both days has been tremendously positive with comments such as “Informative, well presented and professional” and “Superb, the most impressive launch I’ve attended for some time.”

Nigel Bishop, Group Sales Director comments, “We’ve been overwhelmed by the feedback from our events. The buzz in the room was fantastic on both days and the whole of the Liniar team are still on a high. We are a progressive, innovative company and it was a privilege to host the launch of such a ground-breaking window and door system. Zero|90 will continue to position Liniar at the forefront of the fenestration industry in creating the most energy efficient products.”

Nigel was joined by Chris Armes, Design & Development Director and Paul Garforth, Technical Services Director, who described the evolution of PVCu windows and explained why the industry should be pushing the boundaries to stay ahead of legislation. Their presentation also conveyed the combined benefits that Zero|90 (and its rebated sister, Zero|90R) will bring to the new build, social housing and replacement markets – namely superb energy efficiency to Passive House standards, noise reductions of twice that of standard double glazing and sustainability, with calculations for a full house installation showing carbon reductions equivalent to planting 700 trees.

Nigel continues, “We know we all need to do whatever we can to reduce carbon emissions. As well as being

on our own Net Zero journey from a manufacturing perspective, Liniar is helping its fabricators and installers embrace the future Part L Building Regulations and Future Homes Standard now. Our philosophy is: Why wait? We’ve invested £millions into the development of the Zero|90 window and door system and are already seeing an unprecedented wave of enquiries for this unique 90mm system. Best of all, it’s available right now – we already have a network of enthusiastic fabricators ready to supply super energy efficient windows and doors.”

Sue Davenport, Group Marketing Director, concludes: “We’re delighted with the reception of the whole Zero|90 launch. The events themselves were a great opportunity to get customers, the press and the wider industry together and were the end result of months of fantastic teamwork. The engagement in the room was incredible, the feedback afterwards was brilliant and we’re still seeing positive comments across our social media channels.

“We’ve already had a huge number of enquiries from our fabricator network wanting to manufacture Zero|90 and also from house builders and architects who are enthusiastic about being able to offer a genuinely game-changing window and door system. Zero|90 will help give them all a competitive edge in an increasingly environmentally conscious market.”

RapidLam Shape: More Scope To Shape The Future.

Shape Cutting of Laminated Glass as a Compact Unit

More possibilities to cut shapes and free forms on laminated glass. Can be integrated into an existing line, or as stand-alone machine. This compact machine uses synchronised turning cutting heads, providing precise results that match the cutting plan.

• Automatic cutting of free forms in laminated glass

• Can be used as part of a cutting line or as stand-alone machine

• Laser foil separation can be installed at a later date

GQA Qualifications is a multi-industry awarding body writing vocational based qualifications to support a wide range of career paths.

Accredited training leading to qualifications

If you are looking to retrain for a new career, or looking to develop your skills to open up opportunities why not consider practical training in window and door installation

Learn about Building Regulations, working safely on site, how to remove windows and doors from buildings and replace with new ones

All courses fully accredited and could contribute towards NVQ Qualifications

With further assessment and achievement, successful candidates can go forward to achieve CSCS Cards to enable them to work safely on site

Training delivered in Sheffield in a fully Covid secure environment

For more information on training contact sayhello@buildingourskills.co.uk

For more information on vocational qualifications and CSCS cards contact info@gqaqualifications.com

www.gqaqualifications.com

THE RESIDENCE PREDICTS THE UPCOMING COLOUR

This year brings many things with it, including new interior styles and colour schemes. From warm neutrals to bold pinks and reds, experts at The Residence Collection have pulled together the top five colours that are upcoming big trends, and how to incorporate them into the home.

Magenta

Paint company Pantone has chosen Viva Magenta as their colour of the year 2023 - a bright bold pink shade that’s sure to capture attention. You can expect to

see a lot of this colour in homes this year, from pops of colour introduced in soft furnishings, curtains or decorative items, to statement walls, furniture pieces or fully painted rooms.

Red-Oranges

Another bold colour palette that’s set to pop are shades of red-orange, especially since Benjamin Moore announced its colour of the year, a Raspberry Blush, a fiery red-orange. Many consumers are looking for more expressive, bold pops of colour to take over after neutrals have taken centre stage in previous years, and warm pops of red and orange are sure to do just that. Similar to magenta, introducing the colour in accents such as cushions, curtains, throws is a great way to introduce the colour to a home, or you can go all out with statement walls.

Warm neutrals

Despite bold colours predicted to take over, it doesn’t mean the reign of neutrals is over. This year we will see the resurgence of warm neutrals, as opposed to cooler shades seen in previous years, with earthy, warm tones reminiscent of nature and the natural world taking centre stage.

Warm neutrals create a super cosy and inviting space, and include warm browns and creams,

THE BIGGEST COLOUR TRENDS

see our Forest Collection or Bronze and Vintage cream shades. The beauty of neutral colours is their versatility, so from wall colours, to furniture and with the Residence Collection your windows too, it’s easy to incorporate this style into homes.

Warm yellows

Yellow is a warming and cosy colour, so it’s no surprise that we expect to see it pop up in homes even more. Yellow comes in a variety of different shades, and it’s the warmer-toned hues that are expected to surge in popularity.

Yellows help make a space seem warmer and cosier, such as our Cotswold Biscuit shade, and we predict many people moving away from cooler tones to these warmer hues.

Cool Greens

Green has been a popular interior shade in recent years, and it isn’t going away anytime soon. While

warm shades are set to surge in popularity, cooltoned, muted green shades are still the most popular green hues; think sage and blue-toned greens.

These colours are a great base for many homes, and lend themselves to popular interior styles such as Japandi or Biophilic homes, which are all about bringing the outside in and connecting to nature. Try our Cotswold Green, Sage or Painswick colours to match this trend.

You can explore all of our colour choices online at www.residencecollection.co.uk/colours/

“Experts at The Residence Collection have pulled together the top five colours that are upcoming big trends”

METICULOUSLY

No1 VS Fabricator in the UK

BY

Graf Weld or Fully Mechanical

PAS 24 and Secured by Design

Energy Rated ‘A’

METICULOUSLY

No1 VS Fabricator in the UK

BY

Graf Weld or Fully Mechanical

PAS 24 and Secured by Design

Energy Rated ‘A’

Double and triple glazed windows featuring highperformance glass from Saint-Gobain Glass will be put to the test in a unique £16m research facility designed to help create the energy efficient homes of the future.

Two full-size three-bedroom detached houses have been built inside the climate-controlled chamber of Energy House 2.0 at the University of Salford, using the latest sustainable building materials and technologies. Over a period of nine months, the houses built by Saint-Gobain, Barratt Developments and Bellway Homes will undergo rigorous wholebuilding testing including thermal performance, energy efficiency, running costs and comfort, as well as their ability to cope with extreme climates, such as wind, rain and snow, and temperatures ranging from -20 to +40 degrees Celsius.

Usually, it would take months or years to collect the data needed to evaluate the performance of a new design or technology, but because researchers can precisely control the environment to within half a degree, they can gather that data in a few weeks. That means that accurate results can be achieved quickly and accelerates the innovation process. In addition, the research will understand the impact of multiple technologies in the homes giving a better understanding of how the homes will perform in the real world.

Initially 1.2 Uw double-glazed, casement windows have been fitted into ehome2 by Barratt Homes. These will then be converted to 0.8 Uw triple-glazed casement windows by replacing the insulated glass units. The double and triple glazed windows feature Planitherm One T low-e coated glass from SaintGobain Glass and have been manufactured by

PUT

NET ZERO

Mike Butterick, Marketing Director at Saint-Gobain Glass said: “This is a collaborative project involving the entire supply chain and demonstrates that the existing UK window industry is ready and able to deliver the high-performance casement windows demanded by the Future Homes Standard 2025.

Regency Glass, using the Eurocell Modus Window System fabricated by Nova Group and installed by New View.

TO THE TEST IN

ZERO ENERGY HOUSE 2.0

“Saint-Gobain Glass is at the forefront of innovation in the UK glass and window industry. High-performance glass has a critical role to play in delivering the fabric-first solutions that other technologies rely on for the creation of low-carbon, energy efficient homes.

“This ground-breaking laboratory will play a key role in accelerating progress towards large volume, low carbon and net zero houses that are sustainable, comfortable and will cost homeowners far less to heat and run at a time when we’re in the midst of an energy crisis.

“Saint-Gobain is leading the way by making a significant investment in this partnership with Barratt Homes to deliver this project, which also includes products from other Saint-Gobain group companies. This cutting-edge research will make a real difference to people’s lives and will result in a step-change in the way homes are built and used in the future.”

Oliver Novakovic, Technical & Innovation Director at Barratt Developments, said: “With the energy efficiency of the external façades becoming ever more important, as we move to the 2025 Future Homes Standard, windows will play a critical role in meeting the regulations and delivering comfortable environments for our customers. EHome2 allows us to really understand the relationship between the façade, windows and heating solutions, which has not been considered to this level before.”

The built environment accounts for around 40% of the UK’s carbon footprint. The Future Homes Standard will require CO2 emissions produced by new homes to be 75-80% lower than those built to current

standards. Homes will also need to be ‘zero carbon ready’, with no retrofit work required to benefit from the decarbonisation of the electricity grid and the electrification of heating. Energy House 2.0 is a £16 million project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

“High-performance glass has a critical role to play in delivering the fabricfirst solutions.”

RapidLam Shape: More Scope To Shape The Future.

Shape Cutting of Laminated Glass as a Compact Unit

More possibilities to cut shapes and free forms on laminated glass. Can be integrated into an existing line, or as stand-alone machine. This compact machine uses synchronised turning cutting heads, providing precise results that match the cutting plan.

• Automatic cutting of free forms in laminated glass

• Can be used as part of a cutting line or as stand-alone machine

• Laser foil separation can be installed at a later date

THE TIME FOR COMPLAINING HAS PASSED

Seven months after the implementation of the updated Building Regulations, which have seen lower minimum U-Values and mandatory trickle vents to all windows, I am still seeing plenty of complaints and anger towards the new rules.

Whilst I can understand people’s frustration with the new regulations, I’m afraid I have to be blunt and say that the time for complaining and calling for action has long gone.

The truth of the matter is that any failure to influence the Government is on us. You are a product of your own environment, as the saying goes, and our industry is certainly guilty of inertia when it comes to engaging with authorities on new rules.

No collective voice

I was recently told that during the consultation period before the Government made their final decisions on the new regulations, about 85% of the respondents to that consultation were social housing companies and others similar to that. Only a fraction of those who responded was from our industry.

What do we expect to happen if we as a sector are unable to collect ourselves in significant numbers to coalesce behind a single position and communicate that to the Government?

With such poor engagement in the consultation, we appear to the Government that we simply cannot be bothered.

Our industry, as is always the case with these things, buried its head in the sand and hoped that someone else would do the work. Installers hoped their fabricators would respond. Fabricators hoped systems companies would respond. Turns out barely any of us bothered at all.

If we did not take part in the process, then we cannot complain about the end results. It’s like any vote or election in politics. If you did not vote or did not take part, then you can’t complain. It makes those complaints hollow.

We already know that the impression the Government has of our sector is very poor. The longer we continue to moan about something which we did not engage with properly, the longer it will continue to look like we’re throwing the toys out of the pram and not taking ourselves seriously.

I’ll be frank, it no longer matters whether you think the rules are right or not. There is no prospect of these new rules being revised or changed any time soon. We can kick and stomp all we want. It won’t have any influence.

“The truth of the matter is that any failure to influence the Government is on us.”

Jason Grafton-Holt

PASSED

2025 is an opportunity

We complain that we’re often left out of Government schemes, like ECO+ and the Green Homes Grant. Until we shape up and act with cohesion and look like a professional sector to the powers that be, that won’t change.

However, we have a golden opportunity with the Future Building Standard being enacted in 2025 to show Government, and indeed the wider public, that fenestration is a forward-thinking and proactive industry.

As you may or may not know, the Future Building Standard, along with new revisions to Building Regulations, are designed to reduce the carbon footprint of our homes and help the Government meet a series of climate goals by 2030. It will see minimum U-Values fall from 1.4W/m²K to just 0.8W/ m²K.

We cannot rely on the Government to back down and water this down in any way. As I wrote about earlier this week, there is going to be huge amounts of investment needed to bring our sector’s products up to speed with these new levels, as well as bringing new products to market.

We have to see 2025 as an opportunity. This is a chance for us to demonstrate to the public that we are ready and able to provide products that will help them reduce their energy bills even further and cut down on carbon emissions. It’s a fantastic chance to upsell to a better product with a tangible benefit, in a climate where there is an intense focus on energy bills and sustainability.

This is also a chance to show the Government that we can get on board with this. Not argue. Not fight to water it down. But to step up to the challenge, commit to proper investment in our products and

for once, come together as a sector behind a common position and move forwards in a professional manner.

I sincerely hope that we do not do what we always do and fight against change and progress. Rather than pressure the Government to water down any of their new proposals, I want us as a sector to meet whatever the new targets are going to be set. It will mean investment, millions of pounds. Lots of time and plenty of effort. Something which in reality should have already begun, considering we’re only two years out from these new rules.

So let’s try and be a little bit more ambitious and a little less petty and perhaps we may begin to sway a few minds within the Government.

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