Every house requires glazing to allow in natural light and in most cases ventilation. Doors and fire escape windows are designed as means of escape from fire.

Building regulations specify the minimum level of glazing required. Where the windows are sources of ventilation building regulations also dictate how and to what extent your windows must allow the passage of air. Buildings perform much better thermally if they are airtight, relying on forced ventilation from heat recovery systems. Window vents are incredibly inefficient in terms of heat loss.

Windows and doors can be weak points in the thermal resistance of your property. Even with reasonable quality double glazing, poor design can mean your windows will loose more heat than they gain from the sun. To maximise passive solar gain buildings are designed with a greater proportion of glazing on the south elevation and less to the north.

High performance timber windows with triple glazing units are not only better for the environment they look better than UPVC and are generally built to a higher quality.

As part of a low carbon building Sustainable Earth can provide well designed windows and door systems which are secure, energy efficient, elegant, durable and tailored to your specific requirements.