When you choose www.comparethewindows.co.uk to manage your quotations, we provide a lot more than just the price of your new windows and doors.
Free of charge, your three quotations will be presented in a clear, unbiased way, within a report which also details the companies' size, longevity and professional accreditations.
If you want to know more about these accreditations and what they mean to you as a consumer, we have included a little more detail below, as well as some other useful organisations which you may want to learn about as part of your decision-making process.
What is the GGF?
The Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF) is a trade association representing companies who make, supply or fit, glass and glass related products.
This includes replacement windows, Energy Efficient Windows, doors, conservatories, hardware for these products, and all aspects of glass, including double glazed units, safety glazing, fire resistant glass, emergency glazing, decorative glass, secondary glazing, and solar control applied films and sealants.
GGF members are required to protect consumers deposits, to raise standards in the industry and offer independent arbitration should the need arise. The GGF membership is happy to supply products to the general public, to architects and specifiers and other Members. Please use the search buttons to find a supplier for your requirements.
Click here to see the GGF website: www.ggf.co.uk
What is FENSA?
FENSA stands for the Fenestration Self-Assessment Scheme. It has been set up by the Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF) and other industry bodies with government encouragement in response to the current Building Regulations for England and Wales.
When having windows and doors replaced homeowners must comply with current thermal performance standards and ensure that they get a certificate of compliance from FENSA or from Local Authority Building Control. FENSA also enables companies that install replacement windows and doors to self certify compliance under these Building Regulations.
Our member installation companies are all FENSA-registered companies, so your compliance with the regulations is made as easy as possible. By having your windows and doors fitted by a properly FENSA-registered company you need do nothing. You will receive a certificate in the weeks after the installation that formally certifies the installation.
Click here to see the FENSA website: www.fensa.org.uk
What is CERTASS?
Certass, is a Competent Person Scheme covering the installation of replacement windows, doors and associated glazing products in domestic properties, and is licensed by the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Certass was established in 2006 and is a not for profit organisation dedicated to raising standards in the glazing industry. Membership of Certass enables contractors to self-certify installations as an alternative to submitting a building notice or using a local authority approved inspector.
In simple terms, this means that Certass financially and technically assesses its members to ensure they meet current UK building regulations. Once an installation is complete, Certass notifies the local authority and the Building Regulation Compliance Certificate is issued to the homeowner.
Click here to see the CERTASS website: www.certass.co.uk
What is The Government Trust mark?
TrustMark is a quality mark which operates a framework under which 30 plus scheme operators work in the RMI (repair, maintenance and improvement) sector of the UK, including trade associations, local government trading standards teams, and independent scheme operators.
These schemes are approved to carry the TrustMark logo and recruit reputable and trustworthy tradesmen. This enables the TrustMark scheme operators to promote improved RMI sector standards, and tackle related issues such as better enforcement. All of these scheme operators are audited annually by TrustMark, to ensure processes, standards and complaint procedures are being maintained.
Click here to see the TrustMark website: www.trustmark.org.uk
What makes selecting TrustMark tradesmen so worthwhile?
If a firm displays the TrustMark logo you know that it has been approved and inspected through a scheme operator and meet the required government endorsed criteria which include the following:
- A firm's technical skills have been independently checked through regular on-site inspections, as well as checks on their trading record and financial status;
- Firms have signed up to a code of practice that includes insurance, good health and safety practices and customer care;
- The approved scheme operator has checked and will continue to monitor the firm's quality of work, trading practices and customer satisfaction;
- Firms are able to offer an Insurance Backed Warranty;
- Deposit Protection Insurance is available for consumers in the event a firm should cease trading;
- Firms will be able to tell you about any building regulations you must comply with and may also be able to provide appropriate certificates;
- If you have a problem or disagreement with the firm, there will be a clear and user-friendly complaints procedure to help resolve the issue;
- The scheme is fully supported by Government, the building industry and consumer protection groups.
- All of these checks will give you - Peace of Mind
What is the Energy Saving Trust?
The Energy Saving Trust is an independent, UK-based
organisation focused on promoting action that leads to
the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions – a key contributor
to man-made climate change.
Funded by the UK government, devolved governments and the private sector, its purpose is to help reduce carbon dioxide emissions by helping people to use energy more efficiently, conserve water, reduce waste and make renewable energy sources more accessible. It also has a range of advice services – delivered at a local level – which provide practical solutions to environmental issues with enthusiasm and passion.
The body offers free advice and information for people across the UK looking to save energy, conserve water and reduce waste. It is impartial, and not tied to any particular commercial organisations or driven by political or corporate motivations.
The EST has teams based in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, whilst in England it has a regional structure. This approach allows it to deliver UK-wide programmes on a country and regional basis, as well as country-specific programmes in each of the individual nations in the UK. This set up means the organisation can offer people help tailored to their home type, circumstances and household budget. It directs people to the right grants to make change happen, from cavity walls, to loft insulation and installing more renewable energy sources.
Click here to see the Energy Savings Trust website: www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/
What is the BFRC?
The BFRC is the UK’s national system for rating Energy Efficient Windows and its increasingly-familiar Energy Efficient Window Ratings Label contains a wealth of information.
The BFRC Scheme is the UK’s national system for rating the energy efficiency of windows and is recognised within the Building Regulations as a method to show compliance for your replacement windows installation.
Window Energy Ratings use a consumer-friendly traffic-light style A-E ratings guide similar to that used on ‘white’ goods (such as fridges, freezers and washing machines). This ratings label can be used by you to make more informed choices about the energy efficiency of the windows you are looking to purchase.
With carbon emissions high on the global agenda and the current high cost of fuel, we are all looking for ways to make our homes more energy efficient.
Each window rated by the BFRC has a unique label. This label will display the following information:
- The rating level – A, B, C, etc…
- The energy rating eg. -3kWh/(m²·K) in this example the product will lose 3 kilowatt hours per square metre per year.
- The window U value eg. 1.4W/(m²·K)
- The effective heat loss due to air penetration as L, eg. 0.01 W/(m²·K)
- The solar heat gain eg. g=0.43
Simply put, this will determine how well a product will perform the functions of:
- Helping you contain and conserve heat within your building in the winter
- Keep out the wind
- Resist condensation
- Contribute to improved sound insulation
So, what are Energy Efficient windows?
They are windows that help to contain and conserve heat within the home, keeping out wind and rain, resisting condensation and yet allowing natural 'free' energy – the warmth of the sun – to heat the home. They can be made using any frame material - aluminium, PVC-U, steel or timber or even a combination of materials.
Energy Efficient Windows are easy to recognise – simply look for the BFRC Label.
Click here to see the BFRC website: www.bfrc.org
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