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Double Glazing Blogger: Some Of The Worst Tripe I've Ever Read!

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Some Of The Worst Tripe I've Ever Read!

There has been some bad press and there has been some stupid things written about this industry, but what I read today was nothing short than utter and complete nonsense! Here's a couple of extracts:

"Can putting cling film on your windows act as cheap double glazing and stop them losing heat?"

"A home energy expert, from not-for-profit energy group Ebico, replies: When it comes to retaining heat and keeping homes warm, single glazed windows perform badly on two counts. 

Firstly, as thermal barriers they are inefficient. The single thickness of the glass does little to stop heat escaping, resulting in the property getting cold. 

Secondly, older windows may be ill-fitting, letting in drafts. Draughts of colder air in a room can have a chilling effect on occupants, as the moving air has an effect much like 'wind chill'. Ultimately, as the temperature of your property drops, the more energy you will use to keep your home warm.

Putting cling film on single glazed windows does in fact help to reduce energy loss.
By providing a second barrier to heat transfer, it creates a very basic – and inexpensive – ‘double glazing’ system. The film also has the potential to stop drafts coming into the home through poorly-fitting windows, making the room feel warmer."

The hilarity continues:

"Rather than using cling film, you may like to consider using stretching transparent polythene film across your windows, secured with double-sided sticky-tape. These kits can be purchased from most good DIY shops at relatively little expense. 

Not only is this a reasonably cheap solution, but it can significantly reduce draughts coming into your home and increase the room temperature. Additionally, this measure is beneficial, particularly for short-term tenants, as it does not require changes to the fabric of the building which would otherwise need the landlord’s permission.  

However, the main drawback of this solution is that windows cannot be opened and closed whilst the film is in place. Consequently the film will need to be removed each spring and replaced each autumn. 

A longer term solution would be a secondary double glazing system.  Again, these can be obtained from DIY suppliers. Although secondary double glazing solutions are more expensive, they do offer improved access to windows and they can generally be fitted by a competent DIY enthusiast. They can also be left in place year-round."

I mean seriously! Are they actually saying putting a thin piece of film with double-sided tape over single glazing is just as good as modern day A rated energy efficient windows?! You won't even be able to open the bloody window!

Who actually comes up with these ideas?! If you have decrepit old timber windows, aluminium or PVCu for that matter, why would sticking film over the top solve all your problems?!

The best solution? Get your hand in your pocket and rip the old bloody things out and put new ones in!

If you want to see this article in it's ridiculous entirety, click here.

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20 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

If you don't have £350 spare for each window, then 50p cling film to cover the draughts seems a pretty reasonable option to me.
It's not a long term fix but it will at least stop some heat loss. They're not saying it's at the same level as A rated double glazing.

January 5, 2012 at 8:54 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I was gonna' say too... if your options were do nothing or put film up, film would work. I think it's silly that it isn't even mentioned that one could purchase new windows, but I do think as a temporary, quick solution, it's better than nothing. And unfortunately the cost of windows is outrageous. At least it is here in the US.

I DID learn though that y'all apparently use the word "draught" like we use "draft"... I had to look it up because I was utterly confused, but then it made sense. You learn something new every day I guess!

Thanks for bringing all of this info up though--it's definitely worth a conversation!

January 5, 2012 at 2:06 PM  
Blogger Double Glazing Blogger said...

Anon no2: thanks for your comment from overseas! To be honest we use both 'draught' and 'draft' in the same context, it just so happened that the article is was quoting used the first term. We also use 'draught' when we talk about pumped beer in pubs!

Interesting comment about the cost of windows in the US. How much is an average sized window over there?

Do you work for a window company? It might be interesting to get a guest post on here from America so the UK can see what the industry is like over there!

Regards

DGB

January 5, 2012 at 2:31 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous No.3 said...

"To be honest we use both 'draught' and 'draft' in the same context"

Do we? Dang those dictionary updaters. Need a new one now.

January 5, 2012 at 5:09 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I stumbled across this blog, and I have to say - what a lot of complete and utter nonsense this post is. Didn't you stop to think for one moment before writing it?

It's blindingly obvious that this article is aimed at an audience who can't just go out and spend thousands on replacement windows (homeowners who don't have that sort of money to spare, tenants in flats and social housing etc). You may have spotted the recession that's been running for a few years now, but not everyone has as much disposable income as you clearly do. Funnily enough, 'A' rated plastic windows are not at the top of everyone's priority list.

In any of these cases, covering up freezing single pane windows during the winter with anything transparent is a cheap and - in many cases - the only way of improving insulation. And who opens their windows during winter? As the article says, put the insulation up when winter starts, and take it down again at the end. From looking at your blog, I get the impression that you're not very old - if you were a little older you'd remember that this is exactly the sort of thing that many people used to do to stop windows freezing up inside.

I have no idea whether you're a good double glazing salesman - to be honest you sound exactly like the stereotypical doorstep salesman that gives your industry such a bad reputation. However, with the sort of arrogance you show, and the scoffing at people who can't afford your windows, we can be certain that you'll be a lousy businessman.

January 6, 2012 at 9:52 AM  
Blogger Double Glazing Blogger said...

Anon no4 - most of the people who view this blog are within the industry, and I posted this to be seen be others in the industry. Our sector has always been ignored, despite A rated windows being a massive benefit to improving the energy efficiency of people's homes. In fact we get a lot of bad press, and most of the industry is sick of the lack of emphasis we deserve. We've only just managed to get windows to be included in the Green Deal!

To many professionals (of which I am one), reading articles like putting film over windows as an alternative to double glazing is frustrating, as new windows never seem to be promoted. Much effort is made to find every other alternative, making sure new double glazed windows are at the bottom of the list - undeservedly.

I like to think I am a good double glazing salesman. I have many, many happy customers. I'm not a door-stop salesman, I don't door knock or cold call people randomly. I'm not one of those giving the industry a bad reputation.

I take your point about people not being able to afford new windows. But understand my point about new windows always seeming to be at the bottom of the list when it comes to keeping valuable heat in.

DGB

January 6, 2012 at 10:16 AM  
Anonymous Richard (anon no.4) said...

I didn't see any "trade login" on your blog, so I assumed it was for public consumption, not just your industry mates.

Everything you say in your comment is fine, although I disagree that double glazing companies are "victims" who get constantly overlooked and treated badly. I see plenty of Everest adverts on the TV, there's a Zenith showroom just down the road from me and in the course of a five minute drive you can guarantee that you'll see plenty of double glazing vans on the road - so it can't be too bad for you guys at the moment. I've had a brief look through your site, and you regularly tell everyone how good the previous month was, so clearly you're not doing too badly yourself.

And anyway, your industry more than pretty much any other has self-inflicted a terrible reputation, so you can't act all sweet and innocent now and expect people to trust you straight away.

However, nothing in your comment addresses the arrogance and mocking tone you used in your original post. "Tripe", "stupid", "utter and complete nonsense!", "the hilarity continues", "seriously!" "who actually comes up with these ideas?!" - all things you wrote in your post about an article that offered sensible advice on how to stop draughts and internal freezing on single paned windows. And then, to top it off, there's your "get your hand in your pocket" comment, which highlights exactly what your attitude is to anyone who hasn't bought new windows (whether they can, or can afford to, or not).

It's clear from your original post that you are arrogant and contemptuous of anyone who's not queueing at your door to buy double glazing from you, without giving a moment's thought to the reasons why not everyone is doing so. You deliberately misconstrued an article offering advice to people, and then snorted at them for being cheapskates.

So while your backtracking comment is appreciated and a little more realistic, it doesn't speak anything like as loudly as your original post. And when you say "I'm not one of those giving the industry a bad reputation", I have to disagree - the tone and language of your original post indicates that you are EXACTLY the sort of double glazing salesman that gives your industry a bad reputation.

January 6, 2012 at 11:37 AM  
Blogger Double Glazing Blogger said...

Richard - it's very rare that non-industry people view this site, as most buying double glazing go on to company sites, rather than anonymous industry blogs. Though I welcome both the public and trade readers.

The Everest point is rather vague. Everest is one of the biggest double glazing companies out there, who can afford TV advertising. Bear in mind that there are tens of thousands of double glazing companies out there. How can Everest on the TV mean that the whole industry is doing alright? And does the existence of a showroom mean that the company is doing well? Does it mean the loads of customers are coming in through the doors buying house fulls of windows?

Personally, we work hard to achieve the good sales that our company does. We did well in what was a very challenging year. Some did better than us, some did a lot worse and some have gone out of business completely.

There are companies out there working hard to improve the reputation and image of the industry. Many companies actually do have a very good work and customer ethic. However this is spoiled by a few other companies who don't have the same regard for service, workmanship and product as many others do.

As regards to your comment about the tone of the post, if you look back at a lot of my other posts, they are written in exactly the same way. This blog is my place to voice my own opinion, sometimes it's done in a pretty blunt and direct way, but I stand by the way I write. However, the point about me being contemptuous about those not wanting to buy windows from me is a little bit fantastical. I'm just clearly making the point that double glazed windows are by far the better option, whether people buy them from me or not. This is an industry which contributes over £4 billion to the UK economy, without any help from the Government or anyone else for that matter.

At the end of the day, if I have offended you, something which I did not mean to do, you don't have to read this. Though if you look at the reaction to this article on Twitter from those in the industry, everyone I have talked to agrees that the article is complete nonsense.

I don't wish to get into an argument. This blog isn't about that, it's about debate and a place for me to get my thoughts across. I do appreciate the time taken to comment.

DGB

January 6, 2012 at 12:02 PM  
Anonymous David Bingham said...

I think Richard has overreacted about the cling film thing.

January 6, 2012 at 12:45 PM  
Blogger SophiiMaria said...

Saying that A rated windows are better than clingfilm makes you a bad salesman?


erm......


how? :/

January 6, 2012 at 1:19 PM  
Anonymous Jessica (Anonymous no. 2) said...

This is anonymous no. 2 (@allaboutdoors on Twitter)-- I'll need to look up the actual cost. I work at a door and window parts company (allaboutdoors.com), but I couldn't quote you on an average price--there's a large range, but it's frequently the kind of spending that I've known to require taking out another mortgage if you're going to re-do all your windows. If that says anything.

Let me know if you ever need a guest post--that sounds like it'd be a fun thing to do! It seems as though the industry is much more vocal in the UK than in the US--most of the contacts we've made on Twitter seem to be UK-based, interestingly enough.

January 6, 2012 at 1:33 PM  
Anonymous Richard (anon no.4) said...

Two final points, based on your last comment, and then I agree that we should end this argument/debate.

Immediately after dismissing my examples of the double glazing industry not doing to badly for itself, you yourself point out that there are "tens of thousands of double glazing companies out there" who contribute "£4 billion to the UK economy". Surely that proves my point - the double-glazing industry isn't doing too badly.

Secondly, you keep banging on about how proper double glazing is superior to cling film. Of course it is, and nobody is suggesting that it isn't - not me, not the article. All the article did was suggest ways - in the absence of double glazing - of cutting down heat loss and draughts on old single glazed windows. However, you've consistently misrepresented this article in order to make your point about double glazed windows being great, and - in the process - you've mocked at sneered at the article's author and the audience who may benefit from its advice. And all the time you've failed to acknowledge that a significant proportion of people either can't afford or are in no position to replace their windows anyway.

That's why I think you're arrogant - not because you're defending your products, but because you don't appear to have any respect for people who aren't in a position to buy your products.

January 6, 2012 at 1:38 PM  
Anonymous Richard (anon no.4) said...

SophiiMaria: no - sneering at and mocking people who can't afford your A rated windows, or who rent their home and can't buy your windows, makes you a bad businessman (and an unpleasant person).

January 6, 2012 at 1:41 PM  
Blogger Double Glazing Blogger said...

Jessica - a guest post outlining what the window industry is like in the US would make a great read. A guest post about it would be greatly appreciated!

The UK industry is definitely more vocal! We seem to have embraced Twitter. I can see this only as a good thing.

DGB

January 6, 2012 at 1:56 PM  
Blogger SophiiMaria said...

Richard: If someone can't voice their opinion on an idea then what's the point in a blog?

I'm not in the industry and yet I think this is a stupid idea! It is laughable. I'm in no position to be buying windows but I still wouldn't do this. It just seems ridiculous. That's the point DGB was making.

If you really are bothered about windows then all we should do is save up or buy a wooly jumper! It's not arrogance, it's someone's opinion. We could say you're being arrogant but you are entitled to your own opinion.

January 6, 2012 at 2:08 PM  
Anonymous Jessica (Anonymous no. 2) said...

I'm chattin' with my coworker about it, here--can I email you when we come up with something/jot down some thoughts? We're kind of excited. :)

January 6, 2012 at 3:19 PM  
Anonymous Sara N.Wrap said...

Opinions count for yadda. Why don't you do an experiment with accurate internal and external thermometers?

January 6, 2012 at 4:24 PM  
Blogger Double Glazing Blogger said...

Jessica - yes you can email me. I was gonna suggest dropping you a line to discuss what areas could be covered. Glad you're excited!

January 6, 2012 at 4:27 PM  
Anonymous Jonathan said...

Hi.

My Partner currently rents a very old, victorian style 3 floor stone town house with old sash windows, which are not in a very good state.

She's not in a position to afford a new window and so to stop the draughts in the top floor bedroom (hers), has taped bubble-wrap across the entire window frame.

It's certainly made the room more comfortable - you could feel the draught blowing against you at night and made the room quitter too (with all the recent high winds).

If it feels warmer and it was such a cheap option, then what's the problem? Of course the window will need replacing at some point but at least in the meantime, this Winter, she's a little warmer.

On the cling film front - I'd have thought you would have had trouble getting it to stick to a pane that will probably get a lot of condensation? I have enough trouble getting to 'cling' to an open tub of food.

Back to the bubble-wrap - any thoughts on which way round... bubbles facing inward or outward... will give best results?

January 11, 2012 at 9:48 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This guy can paste and copy.Cant think before he posts to far up himself.Double glazing salesman all over.

January 12, 2012 at 10:06 PM  

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