Before spending a small fortune on replacing our tired and worn single glazed units it’s worth asking ourselves why are we going to do it? Double glazing is a large financial investment why should we bother. If your current windows are in disrepair then you really have no choice at all and the decision has been made for you. However, even if your current windows are still serviceable there are still many great reasons why you may wish to change them for double glazed units anyway. Energy efficiency and saving on heating costs has to be one of the main reasons most people finally decide to change.

Because single glazed windows only have a single sheet of glass when they are broken by accident or on purpose they shatter into many pieces some of which are long and very sharp. These sharp pieces can travel at some speed and cover a large distance. If hit by one of these bits injury of some sort is almost inevitable. Double glazed units on the other hand are very strong and much harder to break. They can also be fitted with safety glasses which makes them even safer.

A thief or burglar will have no difficulty in gaining access into your home if you only have single glazed units and frames. The elderly wooden frames are no real deterrent at all. The thief can easily either take out the entire frame or simply smash the single glazing to gain entry into your house. If you have good quality double glazed windows and frames fitted it’s much tougher for the would be thief to gain entry. The double glazed units are almost impossible to break and the frame is much stronger meaning the thief will have to spend much more time in order to gain entry.

One of the worst things about single glazed units particularly in cold climes is the fact they allow a lot of heat from the house to escape into the outside world. These days with energy costs as high as they are it’s like burning your hard made cash. Also large panes of single glazing are a cold spot in your house and are not very comfortable to sit by. Double glazed units can save you up to 40% of this lost heat. Standard double glazing is very efficient but if you pay just a little bit more you can add energy efficient glass which has a special coating to help reflect heat from a room back into the home.

Before deciding whether you should get double glazing consider these additional advantages over single glazing. The style and choice of look is staggering no matter what your neighbourhood or conservation area requirements are you will be able to find a look that will fit in perfectly and not look out of place. The colour of frame can be chosen from a wide variety and will be sure to blend in. If necessary instead of PVCu which requires little or no maintenance you could opt for the conventional timber frame. The advantage of timber frames is that they look great and generally fit in much better than UPVc. Although Aluminium is still available as a choice not many individuals pick it these days.