Making A Stand

There are a lot of 'yes men' in our line of work. Those who say yes to things, but have no intention of following through on their promises.


Take FENSA for example. It was alerted to them that there was a company selling their certificates for £80 a piece. It was totally against their ethical code and when they spoke to me about it they said they would investigate, find the company and rectify the issue. So far I have heard absolutely nothing! Selling these certificates for such a large amount of money really does abuse the trust and faith of the customer in that company. Hence it was an issue I felt strongly about.


Then there is the GGF. The Green Deal is being threatened to be swallowed up by massive UK chains entering the double glazing industry for the first time, Tesco and Homebase for example. Weeks and weeks ago they promised that every company, no matter how big or small they were, would be able to have good access to the benefits the new scheme would bring. They said they had plans either in place, or being developed to make sure the boost would be shared equally. Again, so far, other than a debate about the scheme, I've heard absolutely nothing, despite the GGF assuring me they would be working hard to make sure we would all see a benefit.


So, FENSA and GGF. What are you going to do about it? This is a challenge to both of you. Either email me, or come on here and show how you are going to sort out the issues I've mentioned above. I won't let this drop and I won't let this go away. Both are important issues in my opinion and both deserve a speedy resolution.

Homebase Windows!

Here's the 'I told you so' moment!

As well as Tesco launching their own double glazing company, Homebase have now decided to enter the fray and have also launched their own double glazing service.

Having a very quick look through their online brochure, it looks relatively well set out, clear - easily explaining the order in which a customer can go about ordering their new windows. They make it clear which products are what and the brochure itself has a fresh and modern look to it. I was also particularly impressed with the price on the very back page. They quote £2900 including VAT for four casement windows and an entrance door. This to me is what four windows and a door should be being priced at, given the economic conditions right now.

So, both Homebase and Tesco look to be similarly priced, both with slick and professional sites (though Tesco's is more in-depth, but given time I'm sure Homebase will expand their site also), so look set to go head to head once the Green Deal is implemented in just eleven months time.

If you're involved in any way with these two giants of the commercial world, this is probably good news, especially if you're the companies supplying the windows and doors to them. However if you're one of the 14,000+ specialist double glazing companies in the UK hoping to get a slice of the Green Deal pie when it's put in place, it's probably just become a little harder to make the most of it. The whole reason why these companies, which have never ever sold windows before until now, are now selling them know that once the Green Deal starts, there's probably going to be a pretty sizable boost coming to the double glazing industry and they want to make the most of it. Problem is, most of us will most likely be shoved out of the way in the mean time.

Message to the GGF: don't let the commercial juggernauts swallow up what could be a potential big boost for the genuine double glazing community.

Homebase, according to their website, claim to be FENSA accredited installers. Though it's more than likely that they will be using a home improvements company, like Tesco use AJWD, to install the windows on their behalf.

As I get to know more details about this I will post them on here! 

Potential Green Deal Disaster

The more you look at the Green Deal, the more you realise that small window companies (which make up a lot of our industry) are going to struggle to be able to take advantage of it. But first, some clarity on what the Green Deal is and how it is going to work:


According to the GGF: Green Deal is the Coalition Government's flagship policy for improving the energy efficiency of existing buildings in Great Britain. It is a new market framework and is based on a key principle that the cost of some energy efficiency measures pay for themselves, in effect, through the resulting savings on fuel bills.


Green Deal Finance: Green Deal finance will not be a personal loan on the householder or building owner but will in fact be a debt held on the property. Future owners of the property will take on the remaining elements of the Green Deal until payment is complete.


To be part of the scheme, you have to register to become a Green Deal Provider. To become a Provider you will be subject to strict assessments apparently. As a Provider, you will be responsible for providing the finance. Here's where it becomes a little bit more difficult for the really small companies. Providers will be responsible for carrying out an energy assessment on the property. The assessment will identify what measures the homeowner needs to take to improve the energy efficiency of their home. Also, the Provider must also then carry out another assessment to judge how well the measures that have been taken are doing, and provide feedback. 


The Green Deal loans will be re-paid by the homeowner via the respective energy bills. Crucially, if that homeowner moves, the loan stays with the house, not with the tenants. So the new home owners will have to pick up that bill. 


The Golden Rule: Above all, the expected savings to be made on any Green Deal project must be greater than the cost of the work done.


Big multi-national companies such as B & Q, Marks and Spencer and British Gas have been mentioned as possible Green Deal Providers. We already know that Tesco has positioned itself ready to take advantage of the deal when it comes to pass. 


I have two concerns regarding the deal. Firstly, with all the massive companies being mentioned as being possible providers, is there going to be any room for the small guys in our industry. In comparison, even the large companies within this industry would be dwarfed by the other companies mentioned above. The GGF has worked hard to include windows in the Green Deal, the worst thing that could happen is for companies like Tesco to go a steal all the business.


My second worry is that the amount of checks, assessments, tests, and all the other extra work involved in being a Provider will be far too much for the smaller companies to cope with. For the larger businesses with the staff and financial backup, this won't be a problem. But if the WHOLE industry is to benefit from the deal, then our large organisations, the GGF and FENSA need to have plans in place to make sure that everyone gets a piece of the pie.


The plan isn't due for another year. So I hope that plans for everyone will be announced and explained well before October 2012 so that everyone can ready themselves for what should be a significant boost for our sector.

5% VAT For Energy Rated Windows

Finally, windows and doors look set to be recognized by our Government, by being included in the Green Deal, due to hit our shops October 2012. But this isn't going to be enough to help our beleaguered industry. Any advantage caused by the introduction of the Green Deal looks set to be swallowed up by super-companies such as Tesco.


Energy efficient windows should be granted the same VAT status as other energy efficient home improvements. If windows are going to be promoted to the same levels as insulation and others, then they should also be given the same VAT break. There will be obvious positive cost implications for the whole industry, and will help put replacement windows and doors at the forefront of people's minds.


The GGF did well to lobby the Government into including replacement windows and doors for the Green Deal. Maybe it can throw it's weight behind a campaign to allow energy efficient windows and doors to qualify for 5% VAT status. I know that this is something the whole industry would get behind and fully support.

Another Ombudsman Joins The Industry

Looks like we're going to be dragging up the ombudsman issue again, as a GGF and FENSA backed scheme enters the fray, with their main rivals of course being the DGCOS. Here is the statement on their website:

The Glazing Ombudsman Scheme has been launched for the Glazing Industry covering the installation of replacement windows and doors, conservatories and roofline products. The Scheme, known as ‘The Glazing Ombudsman’, will use the services of The Property Ombudsman to provide the Ombudsman facility.

The Property Ombudsman (TPO) is a Member of the British and Irish Ombudsman Association (BIOA) and has been providing an ombudsman service for 20 years. The Ombudsman is completely independent of his scheme members and is accountable to an independent Council, ensuring that The Glazing Ombudsman scheme can provide a free, fair and, above all, independent service for dealing with unresolved disputes between customers and members of the Scheme (registered businesses).

The Glazing Ombudsman is sponsored by the Glass and Glazing Federation and FENSA to provide financial stability, but in the medium term the low fee structure for registered businesses will provide sufficient funds for the scheme to prosper.

Members must follow the Code of Practice set out by The Glazing Ombudsman and provide customers with a fair and clear Contract of Sale in addition to Deposit and Work in Progress Insurance and several other commitments of service.

The process for customers to complain to the Ombudsman will be simple and hassle-free providing a final award, if appropriate, of up to £25,000. The award will be binding on the members but customers will be free to refuse the award and pursue their complaint through the courts. Customers may only use the TGO Scheme to complain about the goods supplied or work performed by members of the TGO scheme.

The Ombudsman service is to be undertaken by Mr Christopher Hamer who has been The Property Ombudsman since 2006. Prior to this he held, over a number of years, a series of posts in various ombudsman schemes, such as The Personal Investment Authority Ombudsman Bureau. He therefore brings a wide breadth of experience to The Glazing Ombudsman Scheme.

The Glazing Ombudsman is a ‘no-frills’, straightforward Ombudsman Scheme which aims to provide the customers of registered businesses with a means of redress in a fair and ‘hassle-free’ way if things go wrong. Insurance, such as Insurance Backed Guarantee (IBG) cover, can be imported from a TGO member’s existing supplier, subject to minimum requirements being met. Consequently, the TGO member has a financial commitment to pay for the Ombudsman Scheme and does not have costs associated with other fringe services.

As with anything new, I like to question it. I ask why has this ombudsman been set up when we already have the DGCOS? My natural response would be that because this is one that is GGF and FENSA backed and sponsored, it will have more respect within the industry. It's also more likely to carry more confidence with a customer as they're already more likely to have heard of FENSA or GGF than the DGCOS - despite their marketing strategy.


Why would companies want to join? The ombudsman is funded mainly by FENSA and the GGF, which means there is apparently a low cost fee for joining. Markedly lower than some of the reports I've heard about how much the DGCOS want from you!


The vetting process might raise an eyebrow with some. The DGCOS said that they had a robust vetting system, yet serial phoenixers managed to slip through the net, so I guess we'll have to wait and see how successful that part of the business is.


The ombudsman sets itself out to show that it has teeth. DGCOS failed somewhat in following that promise up, lets hope that this one does manage to deliver on all fronts.


I'm sure I can count on some of you putting your point of view across!

GGF Joins Twitter

The glazing industry's biggest organisation has finally joined the Twittersphere! 


Click here to go to their Twitter page.


I'm hoping that this isn't going to be one of the Twitter accounts which posts one tweet per week, with things that we already know. Given the size of the GGF, they should be able to create a big impact within the double glazing twitter community. I'm following them, but if they don't keep their account fresh with new info, then I won't waste my feed on them!


I still don't think companies within, or related to, the double glazing industry are using Twitter or blogs to their fullest potential. I still think that the mass majority of the industry are of the opinion that these communications outlets don't matter, and that they can get by ignoring them. As most of you probably know, I sit on the other side of that fence. More and more people are using the web for their everyday needs, and more and more are using the web on their mobile devices. To not be set up to take advantage of this huge potential, would be frankly stupid and negligent.

Open Letter To The GGF

Dear Mr Nigel Rees,


The glazing industry is certainly going through some turbulent times at the moment.


The VEKA/Halo story certainly gave many something to talk about. But over the past week or so there has been two far more important issues that have shown their heads. Both of which stand to make a massive impact on the double glazing industry.


The first are the proposed new rules by the government to force water companies to adopt all private sewers which will make them all public. This is going to remove the cost of repairs from the householder, but is going to make the task of building conservatories or orangeries ever more difficult for thousands of potential customers. The understanding is that if there is a conservatory to be built within 3m of a private drain which is due to become public, permission must be granted from the local water authority. This is going to mean two things. First, there could be a potential backlog of conservatories waiting to be built, which isn't ideal for both customers and companies. Secondly, there are going to be cases where drains are going to have to be re-sited to allow for applications to be granted, so this is going to be an extra unwanted cost on top of the probable costs to the customer for the applications to their water boards.


As you know, the conservatory industry has suffered badly over the last few years, and the last things it needs is yet more legislation which will make the process of purchasing a conservatory more difficult. I, as well as the rest of the industry would like to know if you are opposed to this new legislation.


The second major issue for the double glazing industry in the past week has been the introduction of Tesco Windows. I think many companies may feel quite unsure about this enormous new addition to our sector. Everyone knows how the supermarket killed off lots of smaller local grocers and butchers upon their arrival, and I think the worry of the double glazing industry is that they are going to do to small windows business what they did to small grocery stores. I think the other major worry is that the market place is so saturated at the moment, someone as huge as Tesco and all it brings with them will make trading conditions ever harder. I think their points are valid, and this is something which you should be actively looking at also. If indeed smaller businesses are forced out, and they are also members of the GGF, this is obviously going to have an effect on yourselves. What companies will be wanting to know is are you looking into the pros and cons of their arrival and will you be on hand to help in any way necessary to help your smaller members protect themselves against the Juggernaut that is Tesco? 


There is a lot going on in the industry right now, and lots of people are asking lots of questions. I hope you will take the time out to read what is above and address the comments made. As one of the largest bodies in the glazing industry, I think it may put some people's minds at ease to know that you are on top of these developments.


I hope to hear from you soon.


Kind Regards
Double Glazing Blogger

Bent Industry Organisations

I have tried desperately myself to keep optimistic about the WER scheme and it's enforcement on October 1st. But after finding out what I have over the past 48 hours, I've lost all faith I had in it. The more the BFRC's plan has unravelled, the more it looks as though it has just been a money making scheme from day one.

When WER ratings were introduced, this looked to be a great new selling tool. It would help companies differentiate themselves from their competitors and try to boost sales. The industry had a shiny new toy, yet most didn't want to play with it.

Then, at the beginning of this year, the BFRC announced the option for installers to register their products in their own name so they could obtain an energy ratings certificate with their name on the top. Obviously there was a price to pay, hundreds in fact. So as you can imagine, there wasn't a massive uptake from that initiative. But there was never going to be. Having an installers name on a WER certificate was never going to have any selling advantage.

So, come Summer, we had the Part L decisions to digest. And lo and behold, the decision makers thought it would be a novel idea that for installers to show energy efficiency compliance, they HAD TO HAVE one of these WER certificates. How handy is that!? Just weeks after the BFRC announced the option to put installers' name at the top of their certificates, it's suddenly announced that it's now law, and we would have to pay for it!! Who's been scratching who's back I ask!

Still, we seemed to handle that OK, and just got on with the business at hand. But a few started to look at the science behind it all, and how the BFRC had come up with their results. Champion of this was Kevin Ahern. His main quarrel was with how the solar gain factor was calculated, and especially how north facing areas were factored into their equations. But, after repeated requests to Giles Wilson, his questions returned unanswered. This for me is where this whole scheme started to unravel, and quickly. The whole credibility of the scheme was brought into question and the very fathers of the scheme couldn't come out and defend it.

This rumbled off for a while, and was replaced with the short, sharp rejection of the DGCOS - another ombudsman scheme a tired, clogged up industry didn't need. But before long Part L changes were the main topic of discussion - mainly doors this time and how they were going to be passed. We thought that doors 50% glazed or more had to have a U-Value of 1.8 or less. Hence the rush and panic to get all the industry's doors tested in time.

Then, over the weekend on the GlassTalk website, Quorn Conservatories received this letter from FENSA:

Compliance Against a Minimum U Value
a) Simple Method


If you are installing a PVC or a timber and the frame is fitted with sealed units which make use of soft-coat Low E Glass, warm edge spacer (minimum 16mm) and 90% argon gas, Then FENSA will consider without further evidence that the U value of 1.6 has been achieved i.e there will be no need to provide further evidence to the consumer or to the FENSA inspector, providing there is no evidence to suggest that our assumption is incorrect. (In timber windows the depth of the frame from front to back must be a minimum of 70mm).

Up until this, we were all under the impression we had to either have a WER certificate showing a C rating or better, or a similar piece of paper showing a U-Value of 1.6 or better. But according to what FENSA have said above, we don't need any sort of paperwork to prove this, we just have to let them know we are fitting windows to that standard if they want to drop in for one of their checks.

So, where are we now? Basically, thousands of companies have spent thousands of pounds testing dozens of products to obtain certificates to show compliance, only for FENSA to tell us right at the very last minute that we don't need all that!

What message is this going to send out to all the clowns and cowboys in this industry! They are still going to be able to get away with fitting a load of old shite, passing it off as efficient and get away with it. While others have been playing to the supposed new rules and gone down the certification route, for it all to be a waste of time money and resources.

BFRC, GGF, FENSA - you should all hang your heads in shame. You've conned money out of the companies that you were supposed to be helping. I've been in this industry for just over four years full time, and have heard about some of the things that have gone on in our proud industry. I kept faith in industry bodies that everyone was saying were corrupt, but I ignored them, and it turns out foolishly. Your actions and handling of this whole episode show a complete lack of understanding about the industry you represent. The industry was never ready for this sort of upheaval, but you knew that. You knew that if you made certification law, installers would just simply hand money over to line your pockets.

All I can say is well done. You've managed to piss off an entire industry, and to alienate it even more. If you were to tell me a million times that what I have just alleged is wrong, I still would not believe a single word. You've lost yourself a member of the younger generation that will one day soon take the place of those in position now.

We Are Running Out Of Steam

It might just be me, but when I place myself on the outside of this industry and look in, we all seem to be a bunch of people with good intentions but no energy to go forth and carry out the actions we say we want to. And I mean that in the broadest sense of the meaning. First example would be the Fighting Back With Facts campaign, we don't hear anything of that anymore. There was such a big worry that timber was going to make a comeback and our industry could be under threat. Yet only after a few months the energy out of that has drained away.

Another example is the Part L changes that are going to say we need to buy BFRC licenses in order to comply with the new regulations. We all know that it’s just a money making exercise, but what are we doing about it? Nothing! In fact I think I'm the only one to really have mentioned anything about it at all. But, as usual, we won't do anything about it. The GGF is going to make countless unnecessary millions out of our industry when we need it more.

Third example: WER's. Why is it that only under a third of double glazing companies are selling energy rated windows? Why is it that when one of the best selling opportunities comes our way, our industry is too bone idol and lazy to take advantage of it?!

Fourth example: exhibitions. Glassex, the true national exhibition for our industry has petered out into such a sub-event that it had to be partnered with Interbuild just so it could have a show this year. Pathetic! At least were trying something new with GlassTalk.

Fifth example: the internet. I still don't believe our industry has really taken the internet bull by the horns and put it to good use. By this I mean internally. We have so much to offer each other, yet there are only a few blogs like this one knocking about. And on top of that, people should be leaving more comments. The more feedback on the issues we talk about the better. That way we can make and shape our future decisions better. I always try and make a point of commenting on industry related blogs, RCG will know that!

I could think of more but I'm sure you all get the point. If were going to talk about injustices in our industry or talk about changing the industry as a whole, we need to stop talking about it and start actually doing it and follow it through to the end!

P.S. The windows scrappage scheme petition was going to be another example but I think we all know that fell on its arse!

Building Regulation Changes To Have Installers Over A Barrel

I said on RCG's blog I wouldn't write a post about the changes to Document L because Kevin Ahern covered my point well. But I'm going to, and I'm going to be blunt!

I think the BFRC and the GGF had all this planned months ago, it's all too convenient! The BFRC set up the OPTIONAL Authorised Retailers scheme to let installers have WER certificates in their own name, which they have to pay for of course. Then the busy bodies who decide on rule changes decide it's a good idea to change the compliance to Part L to needing to have a WER certificate in the installer’s name. How coincidental, so when the changes come into force in 2010, installers will have to buy the BFRC certification and licences anyway!

This just shows just how bent our industry really is, trying to scheme more money out of us, then changing the rules to make it necessary anyway!

SIGN THE WINDOWS SCRAPPAGE SCHEME PETITION NOW!: http://www.petitions.number10.gov.uk/windowscrappage