More on ‘GREEN’

I’ve been pondering the issues raised by Super Spacer’s ‘Energy Efficiency’ seminar at the Ricoh Stadium, last week. Ostensibly it was all about using the available technology to raise the window efficiency and gain a higher rating. Call me a cynic, but in reality, it was about ‘marketing’ and gaining more business for all concerned than about being ‘GREEN’: More business for fabricators, suppliers, test-houses, anyone involved in handing out energy ratings – the GGF/Carbon Trust – and marketing people.

I have always been uncomfortable in the company of people who want lots of money for confirming that my products are as good as my customers claim. Having been through the test house on many occasions (and learned a lot, at considerable cost) I cannot see any real reason to repeat the process on an annual basis just to line someone else’s pocket. If the client demands it, then I suppose I’ll have to spend the money, but it puts the cost up to the client and to everyone else, and creates another mound of paper. It undoubtedly creates work and jobs for the non-productive element in society, and I suppose that it is something that we have to live with.

The light really lit up when I heard the excellent speaker on ‘Marketing’ tell the assembled throng that “....we should call our old customers and suggest they upgrade to the latest model.” in much the same way that the car dealer calls you to tell you that the new car you bought last year is now obsolete, and you should consider trading it for this year’s model.

Now, this might be good business practice, but ‘green’ it ain’t.

Glass requires a great deal of energy to manufacture. Sealed unit failure is an expensive tragedy in ‘green’ terms. Replacing sealed units in less than 25 years is not energy efficient under any circumstances.

The best way to ‘go green’ is to turn the thermostat down two degrees, put on a woolley jumper, and then make the most effective improvements to your insulation to make the house as comfortable as possible. That means loft and cavity wall insulation (if you have a cavity) the best double glazing system you can afford, replaced only when necessary, and then floor and wall insulation if practical.

Modified plantation softwood or plantation hardwood (European oak) is the only real long-term low-energy frame material with no impact on the environment. Combine it with a glazing system that will last 25 years or more, and then you can call yourself ‘green’.

For an unbiased report from the University of Wales, visit www.wvnet.co.uk/rep_abr_bangor.html