With hundreds of installations across Kent, Essex, Sussex and London, our uPVC-cored sliding sash windows not only create the uniquely “sash” aesthetic, but they bring all the modern benefits to the table. Replicating the undoubtedly beautiful timber sliding sash window, our uPVC sliding sash windows appeal to homeowners who want the look but without the maintenance and re-painting.
Our uPVC sliding sash windows are low maintenance, are available in different woodgrain colours, effectively reduce noise, have several safety & security features and of course, are highly energy efficient. Our team will be more than happy to show these features of our sliding sash windows in your home or at our showroom, where we have some installed.
In our sliding sash windows, we use steel reinforcement where necessary to give the outer frame extra strength.
We use key-locking latch locks on our sliding sash windows to give our customers peace of mind when leaving home.
All of our sliding sash windows are internally glazed, which means the glass is put in and taken out from the inside, preventing intruders popping out the bead and glass and gaining entry.
Our sliding sash windows are made up from a uPVC multi-chambered core with woodgrain foils. This means they are among the most thermally efficient on the market whilst giving the look and feel many homeowners are after.
Spacer bars are the what separates the two (or three) pieces of glass in a double or triple glazed unit. Until a few years ago, the industry standard was for this spacer bar to be made out of metal. If your windows are more than 5 years old, the chances are, they will have metallic spacer bars. This kind of spacer bar is still available and is still used by some companies to save money. The only problem with these metallic spacer bars is that they give a clear route for the cold to travel straight through the bar and make the glass area on the inner pane around the metallic bar cold, causing condensation all the way around the edge of the glass, which many people have experienced in the past without knowing the cause. PARA In our sliding sash windows, we now use what’s called ‘warm edge composite spacer bars’, which are made out of a composite material designed not to transfer the cold meaning the glass on the inner pane does not get cold as it does with metallic spacer bars. By only using modern warm edge composite spacer bars, we can ensure that our customers don’t experience condensation on the inside of their windows whilst, of course, improving the BFRC energy rating of the window too. The standard colour for these bars is black, but we can also offer them in in white.
Whether you choose double or triple glazing, all of our glazed units are argon-filled as opposed to the less efficient air-filled units. This applies to glazed units with Georgian bar and to leaded units too. Argon is a noble glass which means it doesn’t react to anything as much as normal air does. This means that heat is not lost as easily through the unit. If you use air-filled glazed units, the heat can escape through the unit much more easily. This of course contributes to the overall energy rating of the window.
In our sliding sash windows, as with our other products, we use Saint Gobain Planitherm Total Plus. In situations where building control or architects have specified a certain thermal U-value, we can upgrade to use Planitherm One glass to further improve thermal efficiency. These glass types work to make our customers homes more thermally efficient in the following way.
On the inside pane we use the latest magnetron-coated ‘Low-E’ or Low Emissivity glass, which has an invisible coating on it that dramatically reduces heat transfer and also increases heat reflection back into the room. Therefore, glass without a low-e coating will absorb the heat from your home and radiate it out onto the colder outer pane, where it is more easily lost. Low-e glass has a special coating which is a poor radiator of heat and does not allow heat to be transferred to the outside. Instead, the low-e coating actually reflects the heat back into your room.
On the outer pane, we use an ultra-clear Low Iron Glass, which not only allows as much light in as possible but also brings in the suns rays increasing the windows ‘solar gain’, which means you’re heating up your home with free energy from the sun as opposed to reflecting it back out as you would with other less energy-efficient glass.
The importance of energy efficiency is summed up by the British Fenestration Rating Council’s (BFRC) introduction of the Window Energy Ratings Scheme. With this universal rating scheme, it is now possible to independently measure the efficiency of windows just as you would with cars, fridges or washing machines. This is great news for the consumer who now have a much better idea about the thermal efficiency of the windows they are buying.
The BFRC rate the windows from A+ to G, with A+ being the most energy-efficient and G being the least. Those achieving a C-rating or above demonstrate they have been designed, manufactured and tested to provide a good level of overall thermal efficiency. Thankfully, all window installers must install at least a ‘C’ rated or above window.
To give our customers total peace of mind, not only do we guarantee our sliding sash windows to you, but we also pay to have our guarantees insurance-backed, so if anything happened to us as a company, you can rest assured in the knowledge that you still covered by your full guarantee. The guarantee for these windows covers the installation, frame, colour, handles, hinges and the glazed unit for 10 years. Everything except accidental damage or misuse is covered.
We are also members of CERTASS, who are a recognised governing body designed to improve the workmanship and customer service in our industry. CERTASS anonymously check much of our work to make sure we’re doing what we should be.