Energy Efficiency

WHEN A LEGEND BECOMES GREENLINE

profine have re-branded the Legend window and door system to Greenline, a sister brand to Kömmerling and it is now being extruded with a unique, recycled green core as part of a strong, visible product USP.

The Greenline platform boasts 5-chambered frames and mullions, whilst the energy efficiency credentials are improved further through the adoption of 7-chambered sashes. With a distinct green core, this product system is one for today and tomorrow’s environmentally conscious trade partners, installers and consumers with both chamfered and sculptured sash and bead options. There is a new website planned for Q1 2023, along with additional brochures and point of sale materials. There are also the resources of profine Group behind the brand with further R&D and investment planned to make it a standout green window and door system. Kevin Warner, sales and marketing director of profine UK commented: ‘Greenline is now a sister brand of Kömmerling for UK and international markets. We’ve new marketing materials to come and an investment programme of development for this important product platform for profine. He continued: ‘Like our Kömmerling 70 platform, Greenline can also achieve a U-value of 1.2 (W/m2K) as standard using a 28mm glass unit and there’s even a dedicated composite door outer frame. We’re expecting further interest from manufacturing partners and installers with a product system that has a very visible USP and story to tell.’ For further information please visit www. profine-uk.com, e-mail enquiries@profineuk.com or phone 01623 579200. There’s also a dedicated site for KÖMMERLING at www.kommerling.co.uk. You can also follow them on social media platforms including Twitter @profineuk and @kommerling_uk.

ENERGY CALCULATOR FROM DECEUNINCK DRIVES SALES OF ENERGY EFFICIENT WINDOWS

Deceuninck has developed a unique sales tool that leverages the current interest in energy efficiency and sustainability, and supports window companies as they sell modern thermally efficient products in a contracting market.

Hosted on Deceuninck UK’s home page, the Energy Calculator powerfully demonstrates how replacing old windows can save homeowners money while reducing their carbon footprint. “We’ve seen enquiries slow in this final quarter of 2022, as the cost-of-living crisis started to bite,” Deceuninck’s MD Rob McGlennon said. “While this has put a dampener on volume products, we’ve actually seen sales of high-end energyefficient products increase as the more affluent homeowners invest in the energy efficiency of their homes.” The government has vowed to protect domestic energy bills during the 2022/23 winter period, but this is only expected to last until April 2023. This has created a small window of opportunity for homeowners to bring forward home improvement plans that will mitigate against the anticipated increased energy costs.

“These homeowners are looking for improved aesthetics and increased security, but as energy prices have gone through the roof, these have dropped behind energy efficiency as key features,” Rob says. “It is vital that we act on this trend, and give our customers, and their customers, the support they need to deliver the energy efficiency message and drive sales.” According to the Energy Calculator, owners of a detached house on mains gas will save just over £18K in ten years if they upgrade from single-glazed wooden windows to triple-glazed Heritage 2800 from Deceuninck. They will also save almost 28 tons on emitted carbon.

Even replacing existing PVC-U doubleglazed windows with Traditional 2500 double-glazed windows from Deceuninck in a similar property will save the homeowner more than £6,500 over ten years, and more than 10 tons of carbon. “These are compelling figures and should make the case for home improvements as energy bills increase,” Rob said. “The calculator clearly demonstrates that homeowners will see a tangible payback on their investments as those savings are realised.”

At the start of 2022, an independent survey commissioned by Deceuninck and conducted by YouGov, found that 63% of homeowners would be more likely to purchase home improvements, which they saw as being more ‘sustainable’. Specifically, more than two-thirds of UK homeowners (68%) would choose windows and doors with a higher recycled content over and above products that don’t contain recycled content (or which did so at lower levels), and 38% would be prepared to pay more for home improvement products that had higher recycled content and reduced impact on the environment. “Demonstrating that new energy efficient windows can reduce your impact on the environment, is a strong proposition for many homeowners,” Rob said. “It is even more significant when we can support it with our €15million investment in an advanced PVC-U recycling and compounding facility.” The new site in Belgium gives Deceuninck the capability to reprocess up to 45,000 tonnes of post-consumer and postmanufacturing PVC-U per year, which is the equivalent of preventing three million windows from going to landfill annually. Use of recycled material also reduces CO2 emissions by 90,000 tonnes when compared to virgin feedstocks, as well as a 90% energy saving. “There has never been a better time to sell energy efficient and sustainable windows,” Rob said. “And there’s never been a better time to partner with a supplier that can help you on that journey.” For more information call 01249 816 969, email deceuninck.ltd@deceuninck.com or visit www.deceuninck.co.uk.

TRADELINK TACKLES ENHANCED PART L WITH NEW INSTALLER-FRIENDLY SMART ALITHERM 400

Tradelink, the UK’s leading supplier of doors and windows to the trade has moved to address the latest tightening of the Building Regulations, by adding the Smart Alitherm 400 system to its range of aluminium solutions; suitable for commercial contracts as well as new build and refurbished residential properties.

Offered in flush or chamfered styles and with a wide choice of colours as well as hardware options, the Smart Alitherm 400 is also the first thermally broken aluminium system on the market to feature the manufacturer’s pioneering co-extruded glazing gasket. This means the quick-glaze beads are supplied with the gaskets postextruded into the profile, speeding up the fitting process as they are simply tapped into place on site. The excellent weather and thermal performance of the windows is matched by that of the matching Smart Alitherm 400 doors, which are available in both single and double as well as open-in or open-out configurations. Smart Alitherm 400 can also be combined with Smart’s designer door panels and the company’s range of standard door furniture, including colour-matched lever handles and the Quantum range of stainless steel hardware, to create elegant and contemporary entrance doors. The Divisional Head of Special Projects for Tradelink, Stuart Walker, comments: “The Smart Alitherm 400 is an advancement on the 300 system and responds to the latest changes in the Building Regulations’ Part L making it possible to meet the enhanced requirements. So now with the new standard offering you can achieve a U-value of 1.6 W/m2K and an ‘A’ energy rating without upgrading to triple-glazed units. This means it meets the new, limiting value for new build work as well as the energy rating for replacement projects. “Having the gasket already integral to the extrusion definitely offers a time or labour-saving benefit to the installer and brings aluminium back in line with UPVC alternatives. The combination of better thermal performance and improved installation characteristics, as well as the excellent security and stylish appearance, makes the Smart Alitherm 400 an attractive proposition for our trade customers serving the commercial as well as residential sectors.”

The Smart Alitherm 400 range of doors and windows is available with a lead time of three to four weeks while, across its production base in Cambridgeshire, Tradelink has been investing in increased stockholding to ensure its operations are more resilient and can keep up with customer demand.

Smart Alitherm 400 from Tradelink

ENERGY SAVING WINDOWS AND DOORS TO SUIT EVERY PROJECT