Case Study: New Windows & Doors for a Detached House

Improvements in the manufacturing and materials of modern windows and doors can significantly improve thermal efficiency, saving you money and contributing more to protecting the environment. Modern options include wood, PVCu, aluminium and composite GRP, each offering unique benefits. Whilst many homes were originally built with wooden windows and doors, the features and manufacturing of modern materials have improved vastly to offer better insulation and durability. Wood is a natural insulator and retains heat very efficiently, but older windows/doors often suffer from moisture and insect damage, reducing efficiency. At Insulation Services, we offer windows and doors crafted from Accoya wood. Accoya is sustainably sourced from responsibly managed forests and has a low carbon footprint. Due to the unique properties of Accoya, it is indigestible to a wide range of pests, providing a highly effective barrier to insect infestations. Further checks have been undertaken to ensure accoya wood is trusted not to swell, shrink or distort, remaining highly durable for 70 years plus. Since 2002, new regulations require new windows and doors to be double glazed, replacing the single pane glass commonly used in older homes. Double and triple glazing combined with thicker frames, significantly improve the heat retention and thermal efficiency of modern windows. A more cost-effective choice that still offers excellent energy efficiency is PVCu. Thanks to its multi-chambered frame, air is trapped inside to reduce heat transfer. The material itself is a low thermal conductor, helping your home stay warm by limiting heat loss. PVCu is also highly durable and weather resistant. It doesn’t absorb water, so it’s less likely to warp or lose shape over time. Its lightweight design puts less strain on hinges, helping your windows and doors function smoothly for years to come. For those wanting slim sightlines and maximal glass space whilst ensuring thermal efficiency, aluminium is a great choice. Similarly to PVCu, aluminium windows feature chambered profiles that trap air to reduce heat transfer. Because aluminium is naturally a good heat conductor, a thermal break is incorporated to further minimize heat loss, ensuring aluminium windows meet modern energy efficiency standards. Composite GRP is currently the top choice for thermally efficient doors on the market. These doors are made by compressing multiple materials under high pressure. They typically feature a solid timber inner frame (though not all models include timber) and a high-insulation foam core, all encased by a thick glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) skin on both sides—usually thicker than a standard PVCu door skin. Some of our doors also offer an optional steel mesh embedded within the foam core for added strength and security. While thermal efficiency is important for saving money and protecting the environment, proper ventilation also plays a key role. Adding trickle vents to window frames ensures a steady flow of fresh air between indoors and outdoors. This continuous ventilation helps prevent moisture and condensation build up, reducing the risk of mould and damage inside your home. Another effective way to reduce energy consumption in your home is by adding more windows. Roof windows offer a variety of styles to brighten your space with natural light, helping to lower your electricity usage. In summary, upgrading to modern windows and doors offers significant potential to reduce energy costs and support environmental sustainability. Advances in manufacturing mean that all new windows and doors now meet high standards of thermal efficiency. While some materials offer superior performance, there are affordable options and styles available to suit both your budget and the character of your home. Additional features like trickle vents can also help protect your property by preventing moisture build-up, while roof windows are a great way to increase natural light and reduce reliance on artificial lighting.

Windows and doors are a major aspect of your home. Not only do they keep you safe from the elements all year round, but they also provide security and comfort for your family. Modern windows and doors are not all about functionality, they also bring a stylish and aesthetic appeal to your home! Create your very own grand entrance with a new front door, available in PVCu, Composite GRP, Aluminium and Hardwood with double or triple glazing, choose a colour to suit you and any furniture to make everything bespoke to your requirements. Why stop at a front door when you can have a bespoke porch or door pillar surrounds installed to complete the look? New replacement windows will not only improve your home visually, they will also improve energy efficiency in your home, in turn, reducing your heating bills. Replacement windows come with enhanced security and can reduce outside noise. Windows are available in PVCu, Aluminium and Hardwood and are available in a range of colours and styles to suit you. They use the latest ultra efficient double or triple glazing. If you require extra space or to turn your existing conservatory into an all year round room, consider a warm roof. In many cases, the original windows and doors can be kept by reinforcing them with extra posts and the roof can be removed and replaced with either an insulated flat roof or warm tiled roof. The flat roof option uses either a fibreglass GRP finish or a liquid rubber finish. The tiled roof option uses light weight composite composite tiles, which come in a variety of colours and look like authentic slate tiles. Glass roof lights can be added to give the room extra light. Your roof can be finished internally with plaster to look like other rooms in your home.

Create an attractive, aesthetically pleasing home whilst enhancing comfort and thermal efficiency. Explore how new windows, doors, conservatories, cladding, fascia and soffit can transform your home. A simple way to improve comfort through enhanced heat retention, sufficient air circulation, additional space and enhanced security. Gain protection from water damage and dampness. At the same time you’ll be increasing the kerb appeal of your home, enticing visitors and catching the attention of potential buyers. With ever increasing technology available, manufacturing of windows and doors has improved significantly. Homes are able to be much more energy efficient, retaining as much warmth as possible and helping to reduce your heating bills! Through the use of double and triple glazed sealed units, heat transfer from both inside and outside of your home is slowed down, helping to keep heat inside your home. Double and triple glazing is also useful to reduce condensation on your windows. Although it may not seem a huge issue, condensation can lead to mould, damage to walls, curtains and other parts of your home. Another feature of windows and doors that has been introduced is the use of trickle vents, now compulsory on new builds.Trickle vents sit in the frame of the door/window and allow constant ventilation into and out of the room, reducing the build up of moisture and removing ‘stale air’ from inside. Further to this, security features of both windows and doors have been improved, through enhanced locking systems and the use of stronger materials, to provide maximum protection for your family and belongings. Windows and doors are available in a wider range of materials, including pvc-u, aluminium, composite and hardwood, creating a more robust frame whilst giving you a huge choice of styles and colours to suit you. Create further kerb appeal and extra convenience on rainy days with a custom built porch entrance, a porch or pillar entrance gives your home a bespoke style and may help catch the interest of potential buyers. Add comfort to your home and create a new space to enjoy with a conservatory, orangery or all weather room! Enjoy better views of your garden from the comfort and warmth of being inside especially in winter, and bring more light into your home with larger window spaces. Worried about losing warmth during winter? As with windows and doors, conservatory buildings are also advancing, with many people now choosing to have a warm roof with skylights or lantern roof windows. This still allows light to flood the room, giving you an open, airy feel whilst also retaining more heat than a glass roof conservatory. With the wide range of materials available, you can create your very own, bespoke room in a style that suits you and your home, maintaining maximum comfort and creating aesthetic appeal. Add cladding and replace old fascia and soffits to further improve appearance, insulation and weather resistance. Protect the longevity of the foundations of your home by preventing water damage and protecting from wear and tear. You may choose to add cladding to bring a modernised appearance and increasing kerb appeal. Fascia and soffit boards should be replaced when old and worn to ensure protection to the walls and roof whilst providing support for guttering. Functioning guttering is vital to protect your home from water damage, damp and mould which could have a detrimental effect to fascia, soffits, walls, ceilings, window frames and paint. Give your home a new life, add protection and increase energy efficiency with these home improvements. Enjoy exploring the range of styles, materials and colours now available to create bespoke improvements to your home. It’s important to use a company you can trust to take care of you and your home, Insulation Services is a family run business, serving customers across Sussex since 1977, visit our showroom to see what there is to offer or give us a call today.