Charity News

Dear Chris,

The upcoming requirements under Part F of the Building Regs to fit trickle vents in virtually all replacement windows are causing quite a stir amongst installers – with many complaining about how unpopular they are with homeowners.

That’s completely at odds with our experience in the social housing sector. The vast majority of residents in homes where we are fitting windows understand exactly why they are necessary, and we actually get very little pushback. If we do, our fitters are fully briefed to explain the benefits of background ventilation – and the likely cost of remedials. I was surprised then to see the figure shared recently by Dean Bradley of Glazpart that, of 55 sites audited by the government during the consultation on the new Building Regs, only 2 were fully compliant even with the 2006 version of Approved Document F. No wonder that there will now be an Installation and Commissioning checklist that has to be completed and handed over to the homeowner after a window installation that includes sign off on the background ventilation. Knowingly making a false declaration on that will invalidate either FENSA or CERTASS certification.

As I see it, there’s nowhere really to go in terms of non-compliance. The rules state that a replacement installation should make the ventilation ‘no worse’ and the fact is that if you replace any double gasketed PVC-U window with a like for like replacement, it will increase the air tightness simply because the original will have deteriorated in performance over time. My understanding is that it won’t be enough to take a photograph to justify not fitting a trickle vent either – effectively, you’d have to complete a before and after air tightness test and that would be completely unviable. I actually think it will become increasingly difficult during the course of this year for installers to buy frames that aren’t routed for trickle vents. Certainly, fabricators we have spoken to plan to make inclusion of trickle vents the default option on their ordering systems. As soon as they effectively become compulsory, where’s the incentive for fabricators to encourage the breaking of the rules? Obviously, there are relatively few physical inspections carried out to police the Building Regs, but that shouldn’t be a reason for installers to ignore them. Maybe what’s needed is a better communications programme to persuade homeowners of the benefits of trickle vents and, in a post-Covid world, reinforce the importance of bringing fresh air into their homes?

David Thornton

Chairman, The Window Company (Contracts)

Sash window specialists Victorian Sliders have begun 2022 by supporting two extremely worthy causes.

In place of the Christmas gifts they would usually send to their customers, the South Wales firm has donated £5,000 to Ty Hafan’s children hospice, and £5,000 to ABF – The Soldier’s Charity. One of Britain’s leading paediatric palliative care charities, Ty Hafan offers comfort, care and support to life-limited children throughout Wales. This support can be in the hospice, in the community or at home, and gives parents and carers a chance to relax and recharge their batteries.

Formerly the Army Benevolent Fund, ABF is a national charity established to support both serving soldiers and veterans of the British Army. ABF supports 60,000 people in 63 countries, giving grants to individuals, families and other organisations. In the 2020-2021 financial year, the youngest person it helped was aged two, and the oldest was aged 103. However, the fantastic service offered by both charities comes at a cost – Ty Hafan has to raise over £4.5m every year to stay operational, while last year ABF’s expenditure was £8.3m. “Throughout the pandemic, thousands of fantastic charities supporting people across the country have struggled to raise vital funds,” comments Victorian Sliders Marketing Manager Geoff Bishop. “That’s why, this year, we decided to do our bit to help Ty Hafan and ABF continue their incredible work. On behalf of ourselves and our valued customers, we’ve made donations which we hope will help both organisations make life better for dozens more people around the country. “If you’d like to do the same, please visit the Ty Hafan and ABF websites: http://tyhafan.org and https://soldierscharity.org!”

WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY FOR PLEATED BLACKOUT UNI-BLINDS® WITH LONG SUMMER DAYS ON THE HORIZON

The Uni-Blinds® pleated blackout integral blind, which is attracting strong interest amongst those looking for a ‘darkness on demand’ shading solution as summer arrives

Homeowners looking to shut out the bright light of summer evenings and early mornings have a stylish new option open to them this year with the recently launched Uni-Blinds® pleated blackout integral blind.

Perfect for windows and doors in rooms such as bedrooms, cinema rooms and children’s nurseries, the high performance pleated blackout integral blind system from Morley Glass is attracting strong interest among homeowners and installers given its ability to transform a room. For those customers planning ahead for spring and summer home improvement projects, this new integrated blind option provides an effective solution for rooms affected by unwanted daylight. Its ‘darkness on demand’ capability is provided through a design that prevents light bleed around the edges, as well as along the cords – a common area for light to leak through. With eight colours available and a choice of control systems including a cordless magnetic slider, the Uni-Blind pleated blackout system provides a shading and privacy solution to suit every taste. They can be used in all types of windows and doors, subject to maximum and minimum sizes, and every unit is manufactured to the highest quality standards using only the globally renowned ScreenLine® integral systems from Italian company Pellini. Like all Uni-Blinds, the pleated blackout is made to order by Morley Glass at its state of the art factory in Leeds and delivered nationwide to customers in as little as 10 days. Ian Short, MD of Morley Glass said: “We know through feedback from our installers that many homeowners say they would benefit from a blackout blind in specific rooms to suit their lifestyle. For example, those who work shifts and have to sleep during the day, or parents with young children – they can create a better sleeping environment with a blackout blind.

“That’s why we developed the UniBlinds pleated blackout integral blind with Pellini to extend our range. It means that homeowners who want to complete their new windows or doors with integrated blinds – or upgrade their existing windows – do not need to compromise to make their internal spaces perfect.” The Uni-Blinds pleated blackout is suitable for a range of double glazed unit thicknesses, including an a 20mm cavity exclusively from Morley Glass. Each unit also benefits from a bespoke warm edge spacer bar to guarantee excellent thermal performance. Ian added: “For any installer looking to expand what they offer to homeowners and gain a competitive edge, as our pleated blackout demonstrates, Uni-Blinds is a superb product range to consider. All our integral blinds units are easy to fit, and we provide unrivalled nationwide support to help our customers deliver the right installation every time.” To find out more visit www.morleyglass.co.uk.

VICTORIAN SLIDERS SUPPORTS WORTHY CAUSES WITH £10K CHARITY DONATION