Triple glazing | The pros and the cons

Is triple glazing worth it? In this blog, we will go into detail about the pros and cons of triple glazing.

Whether you are building a new home or renovating, it has probably crossed your mind about what windows you would like to integrate into the property. This is especially important if you are aiming to design an energy conscious dwelling, as your windows are a core way to make your dwelling more efficient.

There are many avenues to consider to make your home more energy efficient, such as triple glazing, but is it actually worth the money and time?

Is triple glazing worth it? As with anything, there are many pros and cons to triple glazing. Triple glazed windows are the popular choice of developers as they are brilliant at keeping the cold out and reducing your energy bills, but they can cost 20% more than double glazing.

However, it’s important to remember that there are pros and cons to triple glazing that need to be considered. These include:

• The cost 
• The energy efficiency of the windows
• How they will insulate your home

We will go into detail in this blog to help you come to the decision as to whether triple glazing is the route for you.

What is triple glazing?

Triple glazing is a window with three panes of glass rather than two or one. Between the three panels, the glass is separated by argon gas which creates an extra layer to make it more difficult for heat to escape and reduces noise pollution. Triple glazing will allow you to maintain the temperature in your home by creating a seal that reduces drafts and maintains heat within your house.

Is triple glazing better than double glazing?

It does all depend on what you are looking for, but triple glazing is around 40% more thermally efficient than double glazing due to the third pane of glass reducing noise and increasing efficiency.

Triple glazing also improves the U-Value of a dwelling. Typical U-Value that have:

• Single glazed windows have a U value of around 5.0W/m2K
• Double glazed windows used to score over 3 and can now achieve 1.4. As a result of these improvements in the manufacturing process, Building Regulations now insist that any window you install today should have a U value no worse than 1.6
• The Passivhaus Standard requires triple glazed windows with a U value of no more than 0.8 but there are some suppliers who claim to achieve just 0.5

The lower the U-Value, the better the rating! 

What is U-Value?

Thermal transmittance, also known as U-Value, is the rate of transfer of heat through the development structure. It is then divided by the difference in temperature across that structure. The better-insulated a structure is, the lower the U-Value will be.

Your U-Value measures how well the materials are working in your development. It’s a fairly broad term, but in simple terms, it looks at heat loss and thermal resistances in your home. 

Diving in layer by layer, the U-Value looks at materials, thickness and conductivity within the different aspects of a property. As a result, you will receive an A rating determining how efficient heat containment is in your build.

What else can you do to reduce your U-Value?

To reduce your U-Value, there’s a few improvements you can implement to put into your development:

• Ensure all glazing units are fitting with double glazing as an absolute minimum.
• Have a low e coating and argon gas filling. The low e coating will work to bounce radiant heat energy from the inside back in, with argon gas adding a heavier load to the air, reducing the speed of convection and heat escape. 
• Consider the specification of glazing and coatings as those who have a higher spec will have impact.

What are the pros of triple glazing?

With many homes choosing to take the triple glazing route for their homes, there’s many pros to installing triple glazing windows into your home:

• Better noise reduction 
• Your home will be warmer thanks to increased thermal insulation 
• Reduced carbon footprint with energy-efficient windows in your home
• They will help to reduce window condensation from occurring 
• Tougher glass panes to improve home security
• You will save a considerable amount on bills in the long run!

It’s clear that adding triple glazing to your development will add a lot of value to your home, whether that’s whilst you are living there or when you decide to sell.

What are the cons of triple glazing? 

Of course, there’s also a few cons of triple glazing windows to consider:

• You will have to pay between 30-40% more compared to double glazing meaning it can be a less affordable investment.
• They don’t help you to save much more on energy bills compared to double glazed windows
• Triple glazing might not always be necessary in our UK climate
• Triple glazing windows can naturally be heavier. They can put a strain on window frames meaning they could become creaky and open poorly. However, with correct maintenance will help to maintain their looks for decades.

How much does triple glazing cost?

As expected, the average triple glazing cost will depend on a range of factors such as number of windows and the size of your property. 

As an example, a two bedroom terraced house with five windows will cost approx £2,500 to have triple glazing windows installed across the whole house. However, if you own a larger home with twelve windows, it could cost approx £6500 for the entire job.

Does triple glazing help with noise reduction?

If you live in a particularly noisy location, triple glazing noise reduction is a huge benefit. Compared to standard double glazing, triple glazing can reduce noise due to the extra barrier in the way. Due to the amount of layers sound has to travel through, the pane of glass works to weaken the strength of the sound wage, meaning once it gets through, it is much quieter and faar less noticeable.

Should I replace my double glazing with triple glazing?

Triple glazing is a fantastic way to improve the look and energy efficiency of your home. If you are interested in finding out more about triple glazing and what it could do for your development, we recommend booking a consultation with an energy consultant. Here at Buildpass, we are trained and certified as energy consultants. We will be able to advise you with the best, most cost effective ways to reduce your development’s energy consumption. Book a call with us today and we can help you with the next steps!