March/April 2024

GLASS PROCESSING & SEALED UNITS
Thermoseal’s Sales Director, Mark Hickox, has described the Future Homes
and Buildings Standard as a “red herring” that “we should have guessed
would never come to fruition”, urging the industry to “get the basics right” if
we want to make a real impact on the long-term energy efficiency of buildings.
Mark says: “On December 13, 2023, the government finally opened the
consultation on the Future Homes and Buildings Standards. At the heart is
a significant shift away from a ‘fabric first’ approach to improving energy
efficiency and reducing carbon emissions, and towards mechanical services,
such as heat pumps.
“To say this was a missed opportunity would be an understatement. We
know from the work we’ve done with our IGU manufacturing customers that
many had prepared their operations for an expected increase in demand for
triple glazing.
“In some ways I think the whole Future Homes Standard – and the
expectation that we would have to move to triple glazing to meet U-values of
Sarah
0.8W/m 2 K – has been something of a red herring.
“Don’t forget that the government had previously set 2016 as the date when
new buildings should be ‘net zero’ – a ‘zero carbon home’ was defined as
achieving a Level 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes. In 2015, a year before it
was due to come into force, the government scrapped this commitment.
“There are many products on the market that are not made to the current
building regulations, let alone fanciful improvements that we should have
guessed would never to come to fruition.”
Mark adds: “There are glass units being sold today that don’t have the
For further updates, visit www.total-fabricator.co.uk
HICKOX: 'GET THE BASICS RIGHT TO MAKE REAL IMPACT'
correct warm edge spacer bar, don’t have the correct depth of seal or sealant
type, contain non-conforming desiccant and incompatible edge tapes that
can degrade the unit’s integrity. This means U-values and energy ratings will
not match specifications, as well as leading to premature failure of IG units
that could have easily been avoided.
He concludes: “If we want to make a real impact on windows’ performance,
and the long-term energy efficiency of buildings, we should start with getting
the basics right. It will be difficult to confidently produce triple glazed units if
our double glazed units are not up to standard due to use of cheap imported
unproven components.” www.thermosealgroup.com
MIRAI VERIFIED AS LOWEST EMBODIED CARBON GLASS
Pilkington Mirai glass by Pilkington United Kingdom, part of the NSG Group, has been
independently verified as having 52% less embodied carbon, certifying it as the lowest carbon
glass of its kind.
The independent verification comes from a new Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) now
available for Pilkington Mirai launched in October last year. EPDs provide data about the global
warming potential (GWP) of products by assessing the carbon emitted at each stage of a product’s
lifecycle. Pilkington Mirai has 52% less total embodied carbon when compared to standard float glass
produced by Pilkington UK. The company claims that the glass offers the lowest carbon alternative to
regular float glass on the market, with no difference in performance, quality, or aesthetic appearance.
www.Pilkington.co.uk/epd
Mark Hickox (above) says we should “start with getting the basics right” if we want to make “a
real impact on windows’ performance and the long-term energy efficiency of buildings”.
CE MARKING FOR IGU WITH PRESSURE EQUALISATION
Integrated into the glazing edge of multi-pane insulating glass units (IGUs), Swisspacer Air ensures
continuous pressure equalisation with the environment and thus mitigates climate loads.
IGUs with Swisspacer Air have been recognised as regulated construction products on the German market
since 2019. In cooperation with Swisspacer and the Saint-Gobain Glassolutions Isolierglas-Center, the
foundations have now been laid to enable CE marking via a European Technical Assessment (ETA).
As a small component in the glazing edge of insulating glass units, the Swisspacer Air can minimise
damage that can be caused by excess or negative pressure in the cavity between the panes – for example as
a result of height differences during transport or due to climatic loads. The permanent pressure relief ensures
that the IGU retains its function and quality in the long term. The risk of curved panes, glass breakage and
premature ageing due to excessive stress on the glazing edge is significantly reduced. www.swisspacer.com
CONNECTING THE WINDOW, DOOR & ROOF FABRICATION SUPPLY CHAIN
MARCH / APRIL 2024 T F 45