Single, Double Or Secondary Glazing, Which Is The Best? Let’s Look At The Numbers

Have you ever found yourself looking at one of those beautifully designed houses with fantastic furniture, great space management and stunning ginormous windows with breathtaking views? 

Possibly you will have caught yourself thinking “wow, that would be such a cool place to live in!” once or twice. 

Have you ever wondered what kind of glazing those walls of glass have? Well, you’d better! Here at ecoMaster we always do: we do very much like our comfort and we wouldn’t want to live in a place that is extremely cold in winter, hot in summer, with next to no noise reduction and practically zero insulation.  

As you may already know, It’s only in recent times that Australia has started to prioritise energy efficiency in building standards. This means that many Australian homes have poor performance in maintaining a comfortable temperature indoors all year round – and sometimes all day round even.

The options

A great solution is of course insulation. Something that only a few people think about though, is that windows can be insulated too. As a matter of fact, the majority of Australian Houses are fitted with single-glazed windows. Their single glass pane enables the transfer of heat into the home in summer, and out just when you need it the most in winter. 

For this reason, double glazing is considered a better solution for windows. It gives your house a higher grade of thermal insulation but also noise and condensation reduction. The issue with premade double-glazed windows, though, is that they can be quite expensive. 

That is why ecoMaster has created ecoGlaze, a secondary glazing solution that gives you the benefits of double glazing at a fraction of the cost. ecoGlaze is an additive system that doesn’t require any modification to your windows. ecoGlaze is now also available for DIY, on the ecoMaster Store. It helps you reduce winter heat loss by up to 50% and reduces the heat coming in in summer without adding much additional weight to your windows and keeping their functionality. This last feature can be a plus for existing windows that you were considering retrofitting.

Materially, though, let’s have a look at the numbers of all three glazing solutions. Is it really worth the upgrade? Why should you consider it?

The numbers

As a starting point we have to look at the concept of U-Value, sometimes expressed as “Uw”. The U-Value represents the amount of heat that is transferred by your windows. That is to say, the lower your U-Value is, the more efficient your windows are. If your U-Value is lower it means that the insulative properties are higher.

With this information we can understand the following table, which shows the U-Value of single-glazed windows, with glass panes of various thicknesses.

Visit Viridian website for more detailed information

As clearly shown in the table above, the single-layer glass windows do not perform very well. The thickness of the glass itself improves it a bit but does not make a significant difference. The U-Value of a single piece of glass depends on a thin air layer that clings on its surface and that’s why the thickness of the glass makes almost no difference.

ecoGlaze, the solution developed by ecoMaster, incorporates a 16mm still air space between the two panes – instead of a gas, which can be found in some more expensive double-glazed windows. This makes it almost twice as effective as single-glazed glass, as shown in the following table.

Now if we compare these details with the previous table, we can actually compare the performance levels and see the value of a new double-glazed window with a comparable construction to ecoGlaze. 

To read more about it visit Viridian website.

This Example has the standard 12mm air space between two 3mm thick panes of standard glass. As we can see the U-Value is 2.7 or 2.6 when argon gas is captured in the gap, rather than regular air. So a new double-glazed window will perform better than ecoGlaze but only by a really small margin. If you really want to spend a lot on your double-glazing, you can opt for low E double-glazing that will have better performances, but at a greater cost.

The outcomes

The aim of this article is to make the difference between the various glazing options clear and tangible, with actual numbers so that anyone can identify the best solution for their home. 

If your windows or glass doors are single-glazed and you have often thought about double-glazed windows as something you wanted to do, but you don’t want to incur such an expense, ecoGlaze may be worth a look. Check the infographic and discover if ecoGlaze is suitable as a DIY option for your windows here. If you prefer it to be installed for you, give us a call and we’ll refer you to the distributor closer to your area.

If you were skeptical about the actual difference that a second layer of glass may have on your daily life, hopefully these figures have given you an insight into how much you can save on bills and the comfort that you can gain by upgrading your windows. For more information about ecoGlaze, don’t hesitate to contact us.

⇒ Not confident with DIYs?

If you don’t feel confident with installing ecoGlaze as a DIY you can get in contact with us, and we’ll be able to recommend the installer closer to you. You can alternatively take part in our DIY ecoGlaze workshops and learn all the tips and tricks to Do It Yourself, confidently and smoothly.

⇒ How does secondary glazing work?

ecoGlaze Retrofit Double Glazing works by trapping a layer of still air between your existing windows and the ecoGlaze acrylic panel. This layer of air greatly reduces the heat and cold transfer through your glass window. The acrylic panel is secured in place by beautifully made timber or aluminium mouldings held firmly to the window frame with invisible magnets.

⇒ Do I have to remove ecoGlaze to open my windows and doors?

No, the ecoGlaze system does not alter the operation of your windows or doors. You do not need to remove the system to open or close your windows.  Your windows and doors will be able to operate normally after they have been retrofitted with ecoGlaze. 

⇒ Can I remove ecoGlaze from my window if I need to?

Yes! Because ecoGlaze is fixed with magnets, you can remove the system should you wish to. This makes it perfect for heritage listed buildings where a higher level of energy efficiency is desired without impacting on the aesthetic of the building.

What’s Next?

We hope this article has helped you learn the difference between the many kind of glazing. This will help you on your energy and thermal efficiency retrofit journey to make your home more comfortable all year round, and reduce your costs and carbon emissions.   

Next, explore some easy ways to Make your Homes Draught Barrier Impenetrable.

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