It is hard to admit but all signs indicate that the winter season of 2022-2023 will become quite difficult for European households. Reasons are obvious to all of us: rising inflation, the drought that hit the continent last summer and ongoing attempts to reduce dependence on Russian energy and reform the gas market. This all will surely hit family budgets all over Europe and that hit will not be painless. As energy and heating bills are becoming higher and higher throughout Europe, experts recommend to start taking measures to prepare for the next heating season. In order to reduce energy consumption and improve the quality of one’s life, all houses and apartment buildings have to be modernised. It refers not only to insulating walls, installing photovoltaics or replacing the gas boiler with a heat pump, but also (and maybe even the most importantly!) to replacing house windows. This year, more than ever before, it is highly recommended to replace your old joinery with the energy-efficient windows (as well as entrance doors or garage doors).
Why is it so? Well, windows are those elements in buildings through which we lose the most heat in winter. That’s why, when deciding on windows for your home, you should first of all take into account their highest thermal insulation and tightness.
Thermal insulation in windows vs savings
Windows installed in our buildings are characterised by the thermal insulation parameter (referred to as the Uw coefficient, commonly known as a U-Value ), which symbolises the protection against heat loss at a level above 2 W /m2K . The older the windows are, the worse the required insulation is, often reaching 5 W / m2K. In practice, this means that during a cold winter, for every square metre of such an extremely cold window partition in the wall, even 5 kWh of thermal energy can escape us during the day. If the area of your house windows is 20 m2, then every day on frosty days and nights you lose up to 100 kWh of energy! 
Therefore, preventing heat from escaping through cold windows is a prime consideration when thinking about window replacement. And rightly so, because this way we can lose up to 1/3 of the heat in our houses and apartments. These losses take place not only through the cold window pane, but also through the gaps between the window sash and its frame, and even through the gaps around the window. The insulation coefficient in contemporary windows is below 0.9 W / m2K which means over 3 times less losses than in the case of windows from the previous era. Therefore, it is worth replacing the older windows with modern ones, because in this way we will significantly reduce our expenses on heating the house or apartment. Simply, we will limit them by limiting heat loss.
How to reduce heat loss and save money
Leaky windows are letting the warm air inside your home out, causing your energy bills to skyrocket. Properly insulating your home with new replacement windows is one of the best ways to increase the comfort of your home and reduce the amount of energy that you use.Obviously, savings on heating costs are closely related to the previously mentioned heat transfer coefficient: Uw. According to the latest requirements, the minimum requirement for vertical windows is now Uw = 0.9 W/m²K, while for roof windows Uw it is 1.1 W/m²K or less. Besides, you can often hear about passive windows, in other words: energy-efficient windows. In their case, the heat transfer coefficient Uw is greater than or equal to (≤) 0.8 W/m²K. Such windows reduce heat energy losses even more significantly. Another important technical parameter of the window is Ug – the heat transfer coefficient of the glazing unit. The higher it is, the more sun radiation reaches the interior of your house. The lower the Ug coefficient, the smaller the heat losses and greater savings during the heating period. In the case of Ug, the number and type of glazing are essential. 
When you are looking for impressive savings, both in terms of heat and money, you should choose the triple-glazed windows. Triple-glazed windows consist of three panes of glass and are much more energy-efficient. In between these panes of glass, manufacturers inject a non-toxic gas that insulates the inside of the window (argon or krypton). The manufacturers also install an air-tight seal around the panes of glass and a warm edge spacer, which helps to keep the gas inside and save energy. Generally, the glazing unit is the warmest element of the window, so it is worth focusing on the appropriate selection of this component.
There is no doubt that new windows are one of the best ways to make your home energy-efficient. However, it is difficult to say how much you will save exactly in heating costs after an installation as this often depends on factors within the home and how much energy you use. And the latter is most likely determined by the place where you live. Obviously, differences may appear in relation to the region of your country, average winter temperatures, the type of heat source, the temperature maintained in the rooms and the period in which you turn on the heating.
Why it is worth investing in new windows
Taking all the above arguments into account, it is obvious that replacing the old windows in our house for energy efficient windows is a very profitable investment. It not only increases the energy efficiency of our building, allowing us to save on heating, but it is also one of the most effective financial tools for investing our money. New windows with a thermal insulation value of Uw below 1.0 are usually 2-3 times warmer than the old ones, thanks to which they can significantly reduce heat loss at home… and our thermal energy bills. And in these uncertain times, all kinds of household savings are more than desirable. From such a point of view, spending a little bit more on energy-efficient windows for our house, seems to be worth the effort, doesn’t it?
Energy-efficient windows in the Fenbro offer
Windows with premium energy efficiency features will undoubtedly keep your energy bills lower, no matter the season. If you are concerned that this upcoming season your heating bills may be higher than normal, we recommend upgrading your house with the best window systems from the Fenbro offer. Each of the Fenbro premium and top premium class windows is built with the best energy efficiency features to maximise your energy savings. Here are some of the bestselling top performance windows that our clients love to choose:
You can’t decide which energy-efficient window from our offer suits your home and needs the most? No problem! Contact our Sales Team HERE and let us help you make the right choice!
