Energy savings
Single glazing lets heat radiate straight out of your home and cools the air inside by conduction, and then there are the draughts blowing warm air out through every gap. Their cold surfaces frequently cause condensation, leading to other problems like damp and mildew.
Replacing windows and doors pays for itself in the long term. The latest A-rated windows save the typical detached home between £120 and £155 per year through reduced heating bills.
Homes are becoming obliged by law to advertise their energy efficiency prominently with a BER rating certificate, especially if you are renovating in order to let.
Sound insulation
If you live on a noisy street, double glazing makes an enormous difference. It will improve your quality of life and the quality of your sleep.
House value
Double glazing is a top question for 79 per cent of modern house buyers. It could make the difference between selling a house at your asking price or having to drop thousands to make a deal go through. If there’s any likelihood you’ll ever sell your house, anything you spend on double glazing will eventually come back to you.
If you are persuaded to replace those old windows, why not kill two birds with one stone and improve them while you’re at it? Usually it’s not much extra work to replace small, dark windows with full-height picture windows or French doors, letting in copious amounts of light and giving you a great view or new access to the garden.
Ireland has a scheme to help you afford major home improvements called The Home Renovation Initiative. To qualify, you need to use an eligible building company, so if you’re installing French doors in Dublin, be sure to check everything out with a good company that is able to provide up-to-date advice on qualifying under this scheme (try http://www.keanewindows.ie/french-doors.html).
Home security
Any burglar can break old single glazing to gain entry or push across old window latches. Double glazing is far sturdier and hardly any attempt to go through it will succeed. Good-quality windows have multi-point locking systems to give you even more peace of mind.
Forget about it
With old windows, you are constantly replacing cracked panes, worn latches, broken sashes, or rotting frames. New ones will likely be trouble-free for 20 years.
