Month: April 2017

The Beginner’s Guide To Buying Double Glazing

Did you know that you can save up to £140 a year off your energy bills by installing double glazing?

Your windows are an essential aspect of your home. Your property can lose up to 25% of its heat through the windows alone. Now imagine what you could buy with an extra £140? It could pay for two weeks’ worth of food for the family or a weekend break with the partner.

And double glazing should last for around 20 years, so that’s £2800 in savings over the next two decades.

It can improve the efficiency of your home; it can reduce your heating bills, it can improve the value of the property and you will be doing your small bit to make the planet more eco-friendly!

But you need to make sure that you get a fair price and you need to avoid cowboy double glazing firms. Here are the most important rules that you need to know:

  • The law protects you

Under the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982, any double glazing installation should be done using ‘reasonable care and skill’, the windows should be made with materials that are ‘of satisfactory quality’ and ‘fit for their purpose’; and be what you ordered. If these conditions aren’t met they have breached their contract and you have the right to have them replaced.

  • Don’t settle for the first quote

A recent study found that double glazing salespeople quote a higher price to begin with and that they then drop it. Never settle for the very first quote they give you and avoid signing a contract on the spot. Go away and shop around to check you’re getting the best deal. Try to get around three quotes before deciding on a firm.

  • Do your research

A Which? investigation found that 25% of people have no idea how much double glazing should cost. You need to do your research to find out exactly what you should be paying, so you don’t get ripped off.

  • Can you get financial aid?

You may be able to get financial help towards double glazing. There are grants available that you may be eligible for. Make sure you know what you qualify for and check out the Green Deal.

  • Is double glazing appropriate?

Find out if your home is suitable for double glazing. If you have a listed building, there may be an alternative in the form of secondary glazing. It’s not as effective as full double glazing but you can still save on estimate £105 a year on your bills.

So there you have a detailed guide to buying double glazing. Do your homework and avoid getting ripped off by unreliable installers. Getting new windows is not a decision that can be made lightly!

This article was provided by Morley Glass, the go-to-experts for all your window and blind needs.

Integral Blinds To Add That WOW Factor To Your Self-Build Home

For that all important wow-factor in your new home Uni-Blinds integral blind systems from Morley Glass & Glazing offer many advantages over traditional window blinds.

Assembled and permanently sealed within the dust-free double glazing cavity, the blinds always appear new and require no cleaning. They can go almost unnoticed until they are activated manually or by remote control. That delivers great looking interiors with less clutter and uninterrupted sightlines. They provide maximum privacy, light and solar control. Choose from Venetian or pleated systems and a wide range of colours.

One specific area in which the use of Uni-Blinds are increasingly becoming viewed as the only viable option is with bi-folding doors – a stunning addition to any new-build property – but are equally suitable for conservatories, and doors and windows throughout the home.

And for that added touch of sophistication there is the new touch-swipe control pad for Uni-Blinds® integral blinds. The W-Swipe-System Touch Uni-Blind features a control unit that operates the opening, closing, raising and lowering of the integral blinds with a simple swipe – familiar to anyone using touchscreen tablets or smartphones. This is powered by a discreet solar panel mounted on the exterior frame or through rechargeable batteries – no hardwiring is needed so installation is easy with no electrician required.

Integral blinds are an innovative product and should be considered at the design stage when formal specification decisions are being made as they are cost comparative when fitted at the time of the initial window or door installation.

With today’s accent on improved insulation characteristics of double-glazing, the application of integral blinds can further improve the U-value performance of the window or door – with consequential savings on the heating and air-conditioning requirements. Blinds which are encapsulated within a double glazed unit will perform better than traditional blinds in terms of solar heat gain and shading characteristics. This is especially the case with Uni-Blinds thanks to the use of high performance solar-control glass from Glassolutions Saint-Gobain, to create the sealed unit.

Finally, a primary consideration of family living space must always be safety. As would be expected from the UK’s largest supplier of integral blinds all Uni-Blinds fully conform to the guidelines laid down by the British Blind and Shutter Association (BBSA) and none of the products are installed with free hanging cords.

Uni-Blinds sealed units are supplied in the same way as standard sealed units with just 10 day lead times and Morley Glass provides an excellent after sales service.

Striking The Glazing Balance For Blinds For Bi-Fold Doors

The latest glass technology used in combination with integral blinds is enabling one of the North’s largest sealed unit manufacturers to deliver the optimum solution for the booming bi-fold doors market.

According to Ian Short, managing director of Leeds-based Morley Glass & Glazing, homeowners can will only get the most satisfaction from their bi-fold doors when the configuration properly balances the risk of summertime overheating with effective insulation during the winter.

Ian says: “There is no doubt that the evolution of bi-fold doors has been fantastic for the door and window industry. Advances in glazing technology have contributed to the take-up of bi-fold doors as homeowners and specifiers can confidently choose them without compromising comfort.

“The family of low-e softcoat Planitherm glasses has long been our choice for sealed units for all types of application. But when it comes to bi-fold doors, we’ve found the perfect solution in Planitherm 4S thanks to its ability to manage solar gain during summer and keep the heat in during colder months.”

One glass family, multiple applications

Morley Glass & Glazing was an early adopter of low-e softcoat Planitherm glass more than a decade ago. Working closely with supplier GLASSOLUTIONS, the company has over the years been continually fine-tuning its glass specification to keep ahead of ever toughening Part L requirements without compromising comfort or aesthetics.

He continues: “Today’s thermal insulation requirements mean that ‘A’ Window Energy Ratings (WERs) – and now ‘A+’ – are the logical choice for homeowners. As consumers, we have all become familiar with the rating system on everything from light bulbs to fridge-freezers and now car tyres. So offering the highest ratings on bi-fold doors is a no brainer.

“But increasing the insulation level where you have a large expanse of glass can lead to problems – we only have to go back to the early days of PVC-U conservatories for the evidence. That’s why we use Planitherm 4S for sealed units for bi-fold doors. It means we can give customers the assurance that the glass will help control the internal comfort and help maximise satisfaction without the need for mechanical assistance such as costly heaters or air-conditioning units for cooling.”

Saint-Gobain Glass manufactured Planitherm 4S features a special coating which enables the sealed unit to deliver a dual benefit. It means that Morley Glass is manufacturing sealed units that can reflect up to 57% of the sun’s heat when used in conservatory sidewalls and doors, whilst delivering a U-value performance of just 1.0 W/m2K.

Outstanding visual appeal – blinds inside bi-fold doors

One of the biggest selling points for bi-fold doors has been visual appeal – and this is another area where Morley’s sealed unit customers are benefiting.

Ian adds: “Let’s not underestimate the importance of the clarity of the glass. There is no point in selling a homeowner an innovative, stylish bi-fold door-set if they are only going to be disappointed by the poor clarity of the sealed units. That’s another dimension to Planitherm 4S – its coating does not give the glass a colour haze and therefore means the view through the bi-fold doors is crystal clear.”

Morley Glass also helps installers to optimise the visual appeal of their bi-fold door installations through Uni-Blinds® integral blinds. These are particularly well-suited to bi-folds as traditional blinds and curtains are too obstructive and cumbersome to work in conjunction with the folding action of the doors.

A variety of colour options with Uni-Blinds provides a strong selling point for installers. This includes the unique and extremely popular Venetian blinds slat colour anthracite grey (S159), which is equivalent to RAL 7016 and now accounts for around 30% of total Uni-Blinds sales.

“We’re seeing strong demand for Uni-Blinds from bi-fold door fabricators and installers who want to give their customers the finishing touch to the installation,” says Ian. “The blinds are sealed within the sealed unit which means they don’t get in the way, never need cleaning or maintenance and the colour range means they will suit all tastes.

“Uni-Blinds are the final piece of the jigsaw. Using Planitherm 4S means we can deliver the bi-fold doors’ thermal insulation, solar gain management and clarity. Uni-Blinds provide the stylish, unobtrusive and low maintenance long term privacy solution. It’s also a fantastic up-sell opportunity for installers as homeowners are often keen to complete their door installation with the simplicity of a single supplier.”

Morley Glass & Glazing is the biggest supplier of ScreenLine blinds in the UK with weekly deliveries nationwide using its own vehicle fleet. Order lead times from any Friday for all manual blinds is just 10 working days.

Smart Technology Blinds Offers Features For iPad Generation

Product innovation, greater customer choice and smart ways to engage the next generation are amongst the latest development in integral blinds, according to Ian Short, managing director of Morley Glass & Glazing.

In a consumer age dominated by clever devices designed to make life easier, smart technology integral blinds present a great option for installers to impress homeowners and provide that all important up-sell opportunity.

“Integral blinds are a value-added option that many homeowners won’t be familiar with and represent a break from the norm of blinds and curtains,” says Ian Short, whose company manufactures Uni-Blinds® integral blinds. “Importantly, in many cases they’ll be prepared to pay an additional price for the benefits they offer.”

Uni-Blinds is a system of blinds (Venetian or pleated), which are assembled and permanently sealed within the double glazing cavity. Ian says: “Uni-Blinds are an innovative product and should be considered at the design stage when formal specification decisions are being made – that’s because they are cost comparative when fitted at the time of the initial window installation.”

Once sealed in the totally dust-free environment of a sealed unit, integral blinds always appear new, do not fade and require no cleaning – unlike traditional blinds. This is an important selling point given the busy lifestyles of many homeowners and free-time being so precious.

Appealing to the Ipad generation is a new touch-swipe control pad for Uni-Blinds® integral blinds. Available UK-wide from Morley Glass & Glazing, the W-System Touch Uni-Blind features a control unit that operates the opening, closing, raising and lowering of the integral blinds with a simple swipe – familiar to anyone using touchscreen tablets or smartphones.

This is powered by a discreet solar panel mounted on the exterior frame or through rechargeable batteries – no hardwiring is needed so installation is easy with no electrician required.

Ian Short says: “Homeowners are always looking for new ways to stamp their personality on their home and the new W-System Touch is a great product for those more tech-savvy customers. Combined with contemporary colours, Uni-Blinds offer the ultimate modern décor add-on for installers.”

Uni-Blinds sealed units are supplied in the same way as standard sealed units with just 10 day lead times and Morley Glass provides an excellent after sales service.

Product and service differentiation is so important in today’s economic climate which is why integral blinds offer a valuable addition to any retail installer’s portfolio.

New Technology Delivers Smarter, Quiet Electric Integral Blinds

Now with the quietest ever motor and plug-in diagnostics to speedily resolve any operational issues with ease, the MB-System motorised Uni-Blind® system from Morley Glass offers fabricators and installers the ultimate addition to any window or door.

The MB-System Uni-Blind now features a brushless motor which means the blind operation is much quieter than previous generations, with reliability far superior to previous versions. The motor has been put through its paces at the internationally renowned IFT Rosenheim institute in Germany, surpassing in excess of 60,000 cycles without any reliability issues.

The new motors can also be set to operate at a specific speed – this means a customer with a set of bi-folding doors, for example, will experience consistency across the opening span as the blinds will raise and lower in perfect synchronicity

Morley Glass MD Ian Short said: “We’re continuously looking at ways to enhance our product range, and the new brushless motor for our MB-System is a great example of how improvements in technology deliver genuine benefits for installers and homeowners. It’s vital that installers have the confidence in the Uni-Blind’s reliability and the certainty of knowing that their integral blinds will perform as expected – equally important though is assurance that resolving any issues is as hassle-free as possible.”

This latest innovation adds a further benefit to the MB-System which already has the advantage of being supplied with a pre-wired control box for easy installation – this means only a single wire from the blinds to the box needs wiring, avoiding any complicated electrical installation.

Quiet electric integral blinds

Motorised Uni-Blinds from Morley Glass installed in bi-fold doors, clearly showing the perfect synchronicity of the blinds at the same level across the doorset. Showcasing our exclusive S159 ( RAL 7016 ) blind colour.

The Uni-Blind MB-System is available in the whole range of Venetian colours as well as the pleated range of colours, with a 14mm pleated blind encapsulated within a 20, 22 or 27 mm cavity.

Lead times for the MB-System are also far superior compared to other integral blinds systems, with delivery in just 15 working days from any Friday.

Click here to find out more about the MB-System