17/01/2018
Here is a boring bit of info I put together, hate to see big companies coning people out of their hard earned cash
Pros and Cons of the window scrappage scheme, don’t be fooled.
There is no such thing as an Official or National Window Scrappage Scheme which receives government financial support. However 'put on to take off' discounters have now included the Scrappage scheme in their range of discounts. Buying from a local supplier is almost always cheaper than buying from a National Company even when all the Free Offers, Discounts and Scrappage Schemes are deducted, in many cases 30% cheaper!!
A report on sales techniques in the double-glazing industry claims some salespeople from the biggest names in double glazing are using misleading claims and hard-sell tactics to get home owners to sign up.
Posing as a potential customer, the following companies - Anglian, Everest, Safestyle and Weatherseal/Zenith Staybrite where asked to visit at least four addresses each across Britain, and give them a quote for double glazing. An undercover investigation found that some salespeople in the industry were making dodgy claims - such as saying they were part of a government scrappage system that doesn't exist - and pressuring people with discounts into signing up.
Did you know that a lot of the heat you produce in the home is lost due to inefficiency? In fact, every year home’s leak up to £280 of energy and a lot of this is down to your underperforming windows.
On average, 18% of the energy you’re paying for from national suppliers is escaping your home through inefficient windows. And as prices are on the up again this winter, now is the time to take action and improve the efficiency of your windows. Or is it?? so the big companies will tell you!
They tell you there is as much as £3,000 is being knocked off the price of new windows and as the cold weather hits the UK, now is the time to consider upgrading your old and inefficient glazing. That’s what they tell you if you are spending 20k on new windows as they just add that 3k on your price. Bet you thought you were saving 3k! not a chance.
This is the bit they don’t tell you – This scheme is not back by the Government, but more of an initiative run by some of the country’s leading suppliers. The so-called “window scrappage scheme” is there for those who wish to lower their expenses, or so they are lead to believe. It can be worked out how much you are spending on wasted energy and this cost is simply transferred onto the cost of your windows. This is the cost they show you and then deduct it as part of the “window scrappage scheme” saving
So how exactly will replacement windows make a difference to your energy bills?
You can’t expect to replace single glazing with single glazing and see a significant saving. Instead, you’ll be investing in double glazed windows.
Double glazing is manufactured from two panes of glass which are separated by a small spacer filled with an energy efficient gas. Over time, Argon has become the most commonly used gas for the job.
They fit warm spacers between the glass and can apply a thermal coating on the glass but of course this all adds to the cost of the job and can take a long time before you see any of that money coming back into your pocket in the form of money savings.
The long and short of it, use local companies with good tradesmen and a good overall reputation. Get a few quotes together. If one is way higher than the rest, then question why? There might be a good reason that some of the other companies have left out. If the quote is a lot lower than the others be very wary as you get what toy pay for, they have probably missed something out or you get substandard work. Get testimonials from other jobs if required. You are paying out a lot of cash here, make sure you get value for your hard earned cash
