How Does Double Glazing Help Reduce Heat Loss?

It is a commonly known fact that double glazing helps to reduce the amount of heat you lose from your home. But do you actually know how this works? Most people would probably guess that the presence of two panes of glass instead of just the one has something to do with it. Let’s find out a little more information to see how it works.

How much can double glazing reduce heat loss?

You might be surprised by the answer – the amount you lose will be halved every single year you have double glazing in your property. This could have a profound effect on your heating bills.

Why are two panes of glass so much better than one?

The idea is that you will have a double barrier. It is far more difficult for heat from inside your home to get through two panes of glass and be lost to the outside.

Let’s imagine for a moment that it is the middle of winter and it is minus 2 degrees Celcius outside. You have your heating on, making it around 19 degrees Celcius inside.

Now if you were to have single glazing, the exterior of the pane of glass would understandably get very cold indeed. The inside would be warmer but as the temperature drops outside the glass will feel cold to the touch inside too. It’s no wonder you would lose heat from inside your home in this situation.

So imagine instead you have a double glazed window in the same position and every other factor mentioned above is the same. You still have a cold pane of glass on the outside of the window. But the pane inside is a different pane – and the gap between the two panes, usually of 16mm or so, acts as a trap. Essentially this gap is giving you insulation against the cold from outside. This is why you will instantly notice the difference when you have double glazing installed.

Would this make a big difference to your fuel bills each year?

Yes it would. The exact amount you save will depend on how often you use your heating and what temperature you like to keep it at. But with that said it is more than possible to save up to £100 a year once you have your double glazing installed.

It is worth noting that even with these savings it will take some considerable time to recoup your investment. But since double glazing provides lots of other advantages as well, it makes perfect sense to replace your old tired single glazing if you can afford to do so. Not only will you get better insulation against the cold, you’ll also lose less heat, have better looking and more secure windows and also enjoy vastly reduced noise from outside.

It’s easy to see how effective double glazing can be in many ways. Perhaps it is about time you invested in double glazing for your property.