Triple glazing vs double glazing cost

Question

We're replacing all twelve windows in our 1970s detached house and one company is pushing triple glazing hard, saying we'll make the difference back on heating. Their triple quote is about £4,000 more than the double. Is he right?

Colin · Accepted Answer

Hi Akinfolayan,

Great question. Firstly, it'll depend on how long you plan on living in your home. You'd make the difference back but it will take a long time to do so. For all of our customers my usual advice that Triple Glazing sounds good but in reality it can cause problems.

Any window being fitted into your home should be an A rated window with a U Value of 1.4 as standard - this was set out in Document L of Building Regulations in 2022, so this means that the company quoting should have quoted for a minimum of an A rated window as standard. Depending on the specification of the triple glazing this would improve that energy rating. This is dependent on the window that it's going into so I couldn't comment on what you've had quoted but for reference I know that on our windows triple glazing can take the energy efficiency as high as an A++ Rating.

Sounds good right ? An A rated window doesn't allow more heat out of the glass than it lets in and regulates the temp in the summer meaning that it won't be any hotter inside the house than it is outside. But as soon as you move from an A rated window to an A+ or an A++ the room that it's installed in in theory will gain heat which is ideal in the Winter when it's cold but in the Summer it can make for very warm rooms so unless you're house is extremely hot it may not be as beneficial to fit Triple Glazing.

One thing worth considering is that Triple Glazing is beneficial around main roads or high noise areas can be advisable in some cases but in most cases it's really not needed.

I suspect they've added some profit to the cost of the upgrade of the triple glazed glass - an average house would probably work out roughly at an extra £1000 - £2000 in my experience depending on the size of the windows- this is what it would cost us to buy in (although I never add any extra personally which is probably bad business sense but it's the same amount of work regardless and the only thing changing is the cost to buy in) - you've got a little extra for the cost of the hinges which need to be upgraded to be able to support the weight of the glass (Triple glazed units are just under 50% heavier than double glazed) but it wouldn't be that much more.

Typically, I'd walk away from any company trying to push you in a direction for your windows - the decision should be yours to make alone - you'll know how cold or hot your home gets over the year so they should be able to respect this.

Hope that helps !

Gregory · Answer

They do make a big enough difference but your house isnt that old compared to some house. £4000 is a lot of money that you won’t see.. is the house insulated in cavity etc

Wayne · Answer

Hi Akinfolayan to be honest with you,from double to triple glazing there is not much difference,if you live near a very noisy main road then yes,if not I wouldn't really bother.Also if you have trickle vents in the windows,I wouldn't bother either

Triple glazing vs double glazing cost

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