Explaining the increase conservatories

Conservatory companies report another record week in sales, it’s apparent that conservatories are coming back in trend this year, as homeowners look to invest in a conservatory to experience the warm glow of the sun in the unique way it provides.

   Why the increase in popularity?

Conservatories have always been a versatile living space, especially for families. Being able to act as breakfast/dining rooms, family dens, studies, it’s extremely convenient for those who need the extra room. Becoming a credible smart investment for home-owners, a conservatory is definitely attracting the majority of home-owners and would explain the rise in sales recently.

   How?

The rise in popularity would suggest that potential property buyers will be looking for houses with a conservatory. Having one can adds to home value of 50% to 133% of typical costs incurred. Typically £16k spent can convert into as much as a £22k increase in value, according to the ‘Market Oracle.' For people looking to sell this would be an almost crucial accessory to have, as it would generate more interest in your property and increase its value.

All reasons considered, it is certainly undeniable a conservatory would be beneficial for any home, being versatile, attractive and a smart investment.

Find free conservatory quotes here: www.windowquoter.co.uk

Noticing these signs? You probably need new windows

Are you thinking about updating your windows, but not sure if it's really necessary?

In some cases, you may be able to hold onto old windows. However, if you're experiencing serious issues with their structure or efficiency, it's a time to update to a new model because its most likely costing you money!

Photo Credit: Katy Silberger

We've noticed a dramatic increase in people replacing windows recently and we would like to let you know of our free service. If you want window quotes from installers based in the UK in your area use our website here and we'll find you the best quotes possible free of charge!

Check out these clear signs that it's time to replace your windows.

You Can Feel Draught in Your Home

Obvious, but means more than you think. Even the highest quality windows will allow a slight amount of air enter, but it should never be something you can feel or notice, your comfort shouldn't suffer!

Why? Because your windows will wear out over time and let more air in/out, resulting in you feeling a bit cold. For example, wooden windows can become warped from exposure to moisture in the air resulting in making the window too tight to function properly in some places, while creating gaps in other areas.
Also, another indication would be when the corners of the sashes and frames become loose and create gaps that allow air to penetrate the window

And while your first instinct may be to apply weather stripping, it's good to note that noticeable drafts often indicate an air leak caused by more than missing or damaged weather stripping. In fact, sealing and weather stripping should not be considered as anything more than just a temporary fix and should not be relied upon to perform properly.

The only solution to fixing these drafts is to replace your windows entirely. Trust me, it's worth doing it otherwise you're just going to pump wasted heat out the house, might as well just throw your money out the window!

You Have Some Difficulty Operating Your Windows (Shutting/Opening)

Again this is obvious, but people do tend to ignore this like it is no big deal! The windows that are most effected tend to be the bigger models. This is especially true for older double hung and single hung windows, which have issues with balance. When the balance fails, the window will no longer remain up when opened and can slam shut, posing a potential hazard.

Also be aware that wood and metal windows can also experience similar operating failures, if not properly cared for they can rot or rust so look after your windows like it's your baby!

There's Condensation Inside the Glass of Double- or Triple-Paned Windows

Photo Credit: David Dodge

If you have double or triple-paned windows and notice condensation or fog inside the glass, you might need to replace the glass or the entire window!

Why? Because condensation and fog between the glass panels can indicate seal failure. When the seal fails, moisture is able to enter the space between the panes of glass and as a result, air will condense on the glass. And when this happens, the insulated glass is no longer doing its job.

TOP TIP: Condensation in between the panes of glass will leave a white film which is caused by calcium deposited on the glass. If you see this white film, even if there is no visible condensation, it's a safe bet that the insulated glass unit has failed.

Your Electric/Gas Bill is Expensive

If your heating and cooling costs are high, it's likely that you have an inefficient furnace, or old windows that are simply not energy efficient, to keep your home at your desired temperature.

So, should you replace your windows?

Photo Credit: Ken Teegardin

According to Energy UK, "If your home has old and/or inefficient windows, it would  be more cost-effective to replace them than to try to improve their energy efficiency. New, energy-efficient windows eventually pay for themselves through lower heating and cooling costs, and sometimes even lighting costs."

We've noticed a dramatic increase in people replacing windows recently and we would like to let you know of our free service. If you want window quotes from installers based in the UK in your area use our website here and we'll find you the best quotes possible free of charge!

http://windowquoter.co.uk/

Photo Credit: Evan

I bid you adieu my dear Sirs and Madams!

Solar Windows Power Your Home?

A house window that doubles as a solar panel could be on the horizon, thanks to recent quantum-dot work. Scientists have demonstrated that superior light-emitting properties of quantum dots can be applied in solar energy by helping more efficiently harvest sunlight. Clever clogs.

Quantum dot LSC devices under ultraviolet illumination.

A house window that doubles as a solar panel could be on the horizon, thanks to recent quantum-dot work by Los Alamos National Laboratory researchers in collaboration with scientists from University of Milano-Bicocca (UNIMIB), Italy. Their project demonstrates that superior light-emitting properties of quantum dots can be applied in solar energy by helping more efficiently harvest sunlight.

"The key accomplishment is the demonstration of large-area luminescent solar concentrators that use a new generation of specially engineered quantum dots," said lead researcher Victor Klimov of the Centre for Advanced Solar Photophysics (CASP) at Los Alamos.

Quantum dots are ultra-small bits of semiconductor matter that can be synthesized with nearly atomic precision via modern methods of colloidal chemistry. Their emission color can be tuned by simply varying their dimensions. Color tunability is combined with high emission efficiencies approaching 100 percent. These properties have recently become the basis of a new technology -- quantum dot displays -- employed, for example, in the newest generation of the Kindle Fire ™ e-reader.

Light-harvesting antennas

A luminescent solar concentrator (LSC) is a photon management device, representing a slab of transparent material that contains highly efficient emitters such as dye molecules or quantum dots. Sunlight absorbed in the slab is re-radiated at longer wavelengths and guided towards the slab edge equipped with a solar cell.

Klimov explained, "The LSC serves as a light-harvesting antenna which concentrates solar radiation collected from a large area onto a much smaller solar cell, and this increases its power output."

"LSCs are especially attractive because in addition to gains in efficiency, they can enable new interesting concepts such as photovoltaic windows that can transform house facades into large-area energy generation units," said Sergio Brovelli, who worked at Los Alamos until 2012 and is now a faculty member at UNIMIB.

Because of highly efficient, color-tunable emission and solution processability, quantum dots are attractive materials for use in inexpensive, large-area LSCs. One challenge, however, is an overlap between emission and absorption bands in the dots, which leads to significant light losses due to the dots re-absorbing some of the light they produce.

"Giant" but still tiny, engineered dots

To overcome this problem the Los Alamos and UNIMIB researchers have developed LSCs based on quantum dots with artificially induced large separation between emission and absorption bands (called a large Stokes shift).

These "Stokes-shift" engineered quantum dots represent cadmium selenide/cadmium sulfide (CdSe/CdS) structures in which light absorption is dominated by an ultra-thick outer shell of CdS, while emission occurs from the inner core of a narrower-gap CdSe. The separation of light-absorption and light-emission functions between the two different parts of the nanostructure results in a large spectral shift of emission with respect to absorption, which greatly reduces losses to re-absorption.

Concept of a Solar Window

To implement this concept, Los Alamos researchers created a series of thick-shell (so-called "giant") CdSe/CdS quantum dots, which were incorporated by their Italian partners into large slabs (sized in tens of centimeters) of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). While being large by quantum dot standards, the active particles are still tiny -- only about hundred angstroms across. For comparison, a human hair is about 500,000 angstroms wide.

"A key to the success of this project was the use of a modified industrial method of cell-casting, we developed at UNIMIB Materials Science Department" said Francesco Meinardi, professor of Physics at UNIMIB.

Spectroscopic measurements indicated virtually no losses to re-absorption on distances of tens of centimeters. Further, tests using simulated solar radiation demonstrated high photon harvesting efficiencies of approximately 10% per absorbed photon achievable in nearly transparent samples, perfectly suited for utilization as photovoltaic windows.

Despite their high transparency, the fabricated structures showed significant enhancement of solar flux with the concentration factor of more than four. These exciting results indicate that "Stokes-shift-engineered" quantum dots represent a promising materials platform. It may enable the creation of solution processable large-area LSCs with independently tunable emission and absorption spectra.

Sadly this all still just an idea and won't be in the mainstream market for a few more years. The idea though is  revolutionary. You could plug in your appliances into your WINDOW. Ideal for Kitchen windows, plug in your kettle and make a lovely cuppa powered by the sun, bliss. For more information on the Solar Window click here. Also there are many different companies trying to get their own spin on the Solar Window e.g. New Energy claim they are making a Solar Window that can out perform any commercial Solar Panel by 10 fold. Clearly in the foreseeable future not only will we see Solar Windows hitting the market but a whole range of them specially designed in their own unique ways!

I bid you adieu my dear Sirs and Madams!

How to save Money and Energy with your current windows

The last time you may have given thought to window treatments might have been when you noticed your neighbor peering into your living room window while you were eating breakfast in your undies. But in addition to providing privacy, window treatments are important for a number of reasons – they can help you sleep better, keep your house cool and comfortable, and save you energy. Did you know that the right window treatments can help you save a significant amount of money on your electricity bill each month? By carefully investing in the right window treatments for your particular environment and location, you can help prevent your house’s indoor warmth from escaping in the winter (cutting down on winter heating), and keep your house cool in the summer (cutting down on air conditioning). You can also dramatically reduce the need for electric lighting during the day by being smart about your window design. Read on to learn how to choose the best possible window treatments for your particular windows, and save money and your sanity in the process!

Light Control

In addition to providing privacy, window treatments serve two other primary functions: controlling temperature and controlling light in a room. The main function of window treatments is light control. You may dislike how bright your bedroom gets in the morning when you are trying to sleep in. Or at night perhaps moonlight or the glare from the street keeps you awake. Maybe you have a toddler who rises with the sun, and you would like her to sleep longer in the morning. There are actually room-darkening window treatments called “blackout shades” that can block out most of the visible light that comes into a room. Window treatments, such as the Hunter Douglas Silhouette, can also be used to diffuse and disperse harsh sunlight into a room. This eliminates the need to close off natural light and turn on electrical lighting. Shutters, blinds and drapery all control light, but they all have different effects on ambient room temperature – which is why it’s important to think carefully about your window type, location and needs before choosing a window treatment.

Do a window assessment

Start by making a list of all of your windows, the environmental conditions of each window and each room (e.g., living room windows face south & face the street), and your needs and concerns for each room (e.g., room gets too bright and too hot in the summer, need privacy during the day). Some things to consider when choosing window treatments include what direction your windows are facing, the type of windows you have, what happens near your windows at different times of day, whether you prefer motorization or manual operation of window treatments, and whether you want to be able to control them remotely.

Temperature Control

Window treatments control light, and how much sunlight shines into a room is connected to the room’s temperature. Direct sunlight shining in through a large window can heat a room up very quickly through a process called “Solar Heat Gain”. Solar heat gain can be a boon on a frigid winter day (you won’t have to use your heater as much) — but it’s the opposite of what you want on a hot summer day when you are trying to keep your space cool. The right window treatments allow you to block solar radiation in the summer (or anytime you don’t want excess light) while allowing your windows to soak up the warming sun in the winter. Shades, blinds, shutters, awnings, overhangs and even window films are all effective ways of controlling excess solar radiation, depending on the environmental conditions of your home.

Windows Treatments as Insulation

Another important temperature consideration for folks who live in cold winter climates is window insulation. While radiant solar heat gain can be a great thing in the winter, heat is often lost through conduction and convection (drafts). The older and thinner a window, the more of an issue this becomes. It is most problematic at night when there is not a lot of solar radiation to make up for this heat loss. Anyone who has ever seen a thermal photograph of a home at night has probably witnessed how much heat escapes from a home through the windows.

Heat can be lost directly through panes of glass and also through drafts and thermal breaches around the edges of windows. Window treatments help mitigate both types of heat loss by providing an extra layer of insulation. Most types of window treatments provide some insulation, but the most insulating are those that create a thick “air gap” between the window pane and the inside surface of the window treatment. Thick fabric curtains can be very insulating, but the most widely used type of window treatment for insulation is a Honeycomb Shade – also known as a “Cellular Shade.” This ingenious, pleated, Duette super-insulating shade was invented by Hunter Douglas in 1985 as a response to the energy crisis of the 1970's. Cellular shades are super-insulating because the double pleats trap pockets of air inside the shade, blocking heat from moving in or out. A home-owner who is concerned about heat loss through windows in the winter can save a lot of energy and money by investing in cellular shades.

THINGS TO CONSIDER:

- What direction do your windows face?

- What type of windows do you have? (insulated? do they open?)

- What is the sunlight like in the morning, noon, evening, summer, winter?

- Do you have high windows or windows that are out of reach, e.g., over a tub?

- Do you need cordless window treatments? (do you have pets or small children)

- Do you need motorized window treatments?

- Do you want the ability to operate window treatments from a mobile device or tablet?

- What types of problems/concerns do you have with your windows?

- Which of the issues listed above are you prioritizing for your life and your space? (privacy, aesthetics, winter warmth, cooling in the summer, etc)

- How and where will the window treatments be installed?

- Do you want the help of a certified window treatments consultant?

A home’s orientation in relation to the sun has a dramatic impact on heating and cooling costs, which account for the majority of the energy load in most homes. While one can spend a lot of time and money installing insulation and beefing up mechanical heating and cooling systems, one of the easiest fixes for heating and cooling problems is to treat your windows strategically. Think about how the sun moves through the sky each day and throughout the year. Do you have windows with more sun exposure than others? For example, if the morning sun is dominant in east-facing rooms and you’re a morning person who enjoys lots of light, it might not be necessary to treat these windows with anything other than simple shades. West-facing rooms take in early evening light, which comes in at a low angle. In cold areas, this is the last chance of the day for a home to take in heat from the sun; and in hot areas, it’s the most important window to shade with trees or overhangs. North-facing rooms, on the other hand, have the least natural light and therefore the greatest potential for heat loss through windows.

Types of residential window treatments and what they offer:

Drapery

Drapery (or drapes) consist of lengths of fabric hung from a rod. Drapery can be a fantastic way toinsulate your home in the winter because they act like blankets, keeping your home’s heat from escaping out the window. In the summer, drapes can also be a nice way to shade your home from light and radiant heat gain. Drapery typically lend a more traditional and classic look to a home, and they add warmth and softness to rooms.

Vignette Modern Roman Shades

Shades

Shades are soft fabric window treatments that are rolled or drawn up vertically, rather than pulled to the side of a window like curtains. This category includes everything from roller shades to Roman shades and honeycomb shades. Shades that are white or reflective on the window-facing side do a great job of reflecting sunlight back out the window. Honeycomb shades are the most energy-efficient thanks to their insulating layered air space. Shades are also usually easier to operate than most other window treatments and they are the simplest choice for motorized or automated systems. Shades tend to lend a home a more modern look due to their clean lines and defined shapes. They are available in recycled fabrics, as well. Shades differ from shutters in that they do not have hard “slats” that can be angled in different directions to let in light.

Honeycomb Shades

As we mentioned earlier in this article, honeycomb shades can save energy by keeping a room warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer, so they are a great choice for anyone who is concerned about energy efficiency and effectively controlling room temperature without the use of mechanical heating and cooling. These shades significantly slow down the transfer of sunlight, radiant heat gain and loss, and air flow thanks to the cavities in the honeycomb structure of the shade. In fact, the R-value of a window can increase from 3.5 (a standard window) to nearly 7 simply by adding a honeycomb shade.

Palm Beach Polysatin Shutters

Shutters and Blinds

Shutters are hard window treatments made from wood or plastic that have slats that can be opened or shut with a push rod. Shutters are fantastic for all types of climates, including balmy and bright areas like Los Angeles or Florida, where the biggest concern for most homeowners is regulating sunlight to counter radiant heat gain, as well as areas that experience the seasons at full blast, such as New York City and Chicago. This type of window treatment provides excellent insulation in the winter.

Blinds are typically not very insulating, so they aren’t the warmest choice for cold climates. However, like shutters, they offer the best light control, which is why they are typically used by homeowners in warm, bright climates like the South, Southwest and Southern California, where people want precise control over visibility and light throughout the year.

Window Films

Window films are a type of permanent treatment that can come in handy on windows that can’t be covered by a shade or shutters due to their shape, size or location. Sometimes they are used in conjunction with other window treatments to maximize the energy efficiency of a window. These films are typically made from self-adhesive polyester, and they can upgrade the solar control, safety, and appearance of existing glass. Often they are sold as part of a window, although they can also be added after a window is installed. As solar radiation strikes a piece of glass, the window film acts as a sunscreen to block UV rays while regulating how much heat and light pass through. The most well-known types of window coatings are probably “Low-E” (or Low Emissivity) window coatings. Window films are most commonly found in auto-mobiles and commercial buildings, but they are also sometimes used in residential windows.

Awnings and Overhangs

Awnings aren’t just a cute appliqué found on Parisian buildings. Awning and overhangs can actually be incredibly effective structures for controlling solar heat gain because they block the hot summer sun (when the sun is high in the sky), but let in the warming winter sun (when the sun is lower in the sky). Window awnings can reduce solar heat gain in the summer by up to 65% on south-facing windows and 77% on west-facing windows. Retractable awnings can be rolled up in the winter to allow sunlight and heat into the house.

It seems a little funny to call trees “window treatments”, but they can function much like awnings and overhangs when they are placed in front of a south-facing window. In the summer their branches are bushy with leaves, which blocks the hot sun. In the winter, when the branches are bare, they let the sun in to warm a house.

Duette Architella Honeycomb Shades

New technology in window treatments

Window treatments have come a long way in the past few decades. ‘Top down bottom up shades‘ can be raised and lowered at the same time to create a clerestory effect. This can provide privacy at eye level while letting in daylight and views of the sky. Cordless blinds are important for safety in houses with children and pets, and motorized shades can be operated with a wall switch or a remote.

Silhouette Window Shadings with Cordless PowerRise

Shades can be automated through an iPad, iPhone, or Android device and programmed to open and shut with the rising and setting of the sun. Shades can also be connected to existing home automation systems so you can control whether they’re up or down even when you’re away from home. Today’s high-tech window treatments can even be connected to temperature sensors so when the sun is at its hottest and the temperature goes up inside, the shades will automatically come down. Automating and programming shades greatly increases their energy efficiency value because you can close them during peak hours of heat loss or heat gain and open them back up when peak hours have passed. Motorized window treatments also have a longer life-span because they are not tugged at or touched when being operated.

I bid you adieu my dear Sirs and Madams!

Any upvc frame colour you like - as long as it's white?

Not so long ago, if you were choosing upvc double glazing to replace your old windows, then the frame colour choice was usually limited to white, white or… White.

You can’t keep a good plastic extrusion manufacturer down, though, and they quickly caught onto the fact that us homeowners quite like wooden windows – and that if they could make their plastics look a bit more like wood, they might just get a few more sales.

And so it was, that wood grain finish uPVC frames were born, and in the last few years, they have flourished. Nowadays there’s a huge variety of frames and fittings for your fenestration.

White.

White is the original, and is still the most popular colour choice by far. White upvc frames rapidly underwent major improvements soon after they were first developed to battle dis-colouration problems, and modern white frames keep their appearance for many years after manufacture.

White frames, whether they’re casement, bow, bay or sash style continue to look good in any property.

Hardwood.

Cherry – The darker wood colour particularly suited to fascia uses (as it doesn’t show the dirt so much) is a ‘foil’ layer that’s applied at the extrusion manufacturing stage rather than applied by the window company themselves. This makes for an extremely durable finish.

Light Oak – with the look of a more traditional timber frame colour, Light Oak is proving to be very popular and not just in windows. This frame colour looks great on conservatories and doors. Again, the coloured ‘foil’ layer is applied at the extrusion manufacturing stage so it’s a very durable finish.

It is possible to now specify either a colour finish on the outside to blend in with existing brick or stonework, whilst opting for white on the inside to brighten up the room.

Expect to pay around 15% more (than white frames) for one sided colours and around 20% more for 2 sided colours (Oak outside, white inside etc).

Cream.

A newer frame finish that’s quickly found favour with home building developers is Cream.

To our knowledge, it’s not available as a dual-sided colour, rather the colour (like white) runs through the whole of the extrusion from which the frame is made.

It certainly looks distinctive though and if you’re looking for something to really set your property off then cream may be the finish you’ve been looking for. I’ve seen them in period properties as well and they look very good indeed – they don’t have the starkness that white windows sometimes have.

Cream is a relatively new colour and at present will cost around 20% to 25% more than standard white upvc frames.

Black and White.

You don’t see them very often and not every window company deals in them but there are two other frame colours worth mentioning here – black, which has been around for a few years now and a much newer ‘foil white’ and it’s that I want to tell you about.

Like its colour foil counterparts, the white finish is applied at manufacturing so it’s extremely durable. Why choose white ‘foil’ on a white frame? Well one of the advantages of the white ‘foil’ finish is that it gives your frame a very realistic woodgrain finish and unless you’re up close,can easily be mistaken for wood.

Hopefully, as this product becomes more and more available, it will find uses in period buildings etc that were previously unsuitable for upvc frames because of planning constraints.

Expect prices to be around 20% more than standard white frames

Whatever frame you colour or combination of colours you prefer, you'll find instant online quotes at Windowquoter - double glazing quotes without the need for a salesman to call.