Triple Glazing Cost: Is It Worth Getting Triple Glazed Windows?
If you live in a freezing place or you want to maximise how much heat you retain in your home, then triple glazing is the way to go. Unlike double glazing with two window panes, triple glazed windows have three glasses with two layers of argon gas. This means that it provides more insulation since it has more layers which means that heat from your home will not easily escape.
In this article, we’re going to break down the triple windows glazing costs, along with a calculator to work out an estimate of how much windows would cost for your home.
Triple Glazing Cost Calculator
With triple glazed windows, you are set to make even more savings since it hardly allows any warmth out. This is both a benefit and a disadvantage as will be explained later. If you want to have triple glazed windows, the frame you choose is critical. Not only does it affect the cost of installation but it dictates just how well the window insulation works. In this piece, you will get more information on what you should expect to pay, what affects that, benefits and disadvantages of triple glazed windows.
Double Glazing Or Triple Glazing
Both of these options are excellent at maintaining the temperatures in your home just the way you like it by preventing heat from escaping through the window. However, by the fact that one has three panes and the other only two is the reason why triple glazing is better. The three window panes and two layers of inert gas provide even more insulation, so very little heat is lost since most of it bounces on the surface and back into your home. The following is an explanation of how both types perform against one another.
Energy Efficiency
If you have never heard of the U-value, it is a way of measuring the thermal efficiency of a window. In a nutshell, you want your window to have the lowest possible U-value since it means that it is very efficient; hence it won’t lose a lot of heat. The U-value of double glazing is about 1.6 while that of triple glazing is nearly half of that due to the extra window pane and a layer of gas. It is also for the same reason that triple glazed windows are awarded the highest possible rating of A++ against the best score for double glazing which is A or A+.
Security
If you use toughened glass in triple glazing, then your windows become extremely difficult to break. Therefore, if you live in an area that has a lot of theft, this window would be one of the few security measures that you can take. The windows are not easy to cut through or break by merely throwing a rock at it. Double glazing, on the other hand, although it is still pretty tough and great at protecting your home, cannot compare to the strength of triple glazed windows.
Noise insulation
Another area that triple glazed windows perform better is by protecting you from external noises and ensuring that sound doesn’t pass through to the outside. This not only means that you can enjoy quiet days even when you live near a road or a busy street, but that you can throw a party without being a menace to your neighbours. Almost no sound at all passes through the window such that someone could be directly on the other side and you wouldn’t hear anything that they say.
Penetration of light
If you like sunlight in your home in the mornings or evenings, then triple glazed windows are not for you. The three layers block off most of the sunlight which means your furniture is saved from the effects of UV rays, but your home may remain entirely dark. Double glazing still allows a pretty decent amount of light into the house, so this would be a better option if it is essential to you.
How Much Does Triple Glazing Cost?
The cost of triple glazed windows is much more than that of double glazed since it offers more insulation to your home. The average price of installing an average-sized double glazed window is about £350, but triple-glazed costs about £200 more.
However, remember that other factors affect your total cost such as your choice of frame. While uPVC windows are preferred since they are cheaper and require less maintenance, they do lose quite a bit of heat hence reducing the efficiency of triple glazed windows. Timber, although it has its challenges such as it requires more maintenance and that it is costlier, is a better option. Wood doesn’t allow as much heat to pass through it so you can get the most out of your window.
The following table provides more details into costs for various types of homes:
| Type of House | Number of Windows | Average Cost |
| Flat | 4 | £1,950 |
| Terrace | 5 | £2,450 |
| Semi-detached | 7 | £3,400 |
| Detached | 12 | £6,000 |
The cost could vary depending on your contractor, source of materials, and type of frame. One of the biggest reasons to triple glaze is to save on heat bills so how much can you expect to save by triple glazing your windows? Depending on the type of house and how many windows you have, the average savings are about £85 to £200 per year. While the savings are not as huge, over the years, you will realise that you have saved quite a bit of money and your home will be a lot warmer.
Pros of Triple Glazing
Triple glazed windows are not suitable for everyone, which is why it is not as common as it is in the Scandinavian countries. However, if you are considering installing them, then here are some of the benefits that you should expect.
Reduced Heating Bill
Due to the very low U-value and best rating of between A+ and A++ triple glazed windows allow very little heat to escape from your home. Loss of heat is one of the most significant reasons for high heating bills so if little to none is lost; it means that you will use less hence reduced bills. Ensure that you choose the best frame for the windows since this affects how much you can gain from the triple glazing.
Requires little maintenance
Triple glazed windows are extremely well manufactured, and if you get a professional contractor to install them, you shouldn’t experience any issues. Since the window is not easy to break or even crack, which is the primary cause of window repairs, you won’t need any of that. Utmost, you only need maintenance checks after a while to ensure that there are no leaks that may affect the insulation abilities of the window.
Makes the home warmer
Sometimes you get such huge bills yet when you think about it, your home is not optimally heated. Triple glazed windows help in solving this problem since it allows very little heat to escape from your home. Therefore, once you reach the optimum temperature for your home, which is all you will need since the temperature won’t drop or change unless you open the window. However, it is essential to ensure that you have adequate ventilation since you don’t want your home to be very stuffy.
New Looking Furniture
UV rays are one of the reasons why furniture fades and ages faster than it needs to. However, triple-glazed windows hardly allow any sunlight to enter your house, so your furniture is protected. This leads to newer-looking items that remain the same for years which equals more savings, so you don’t need to replace and fix your furniture too often.
Burglarproof windows
Triple glazed windows are extra strong, so they are not easy to break without causing a lot of noise. This means that whether you are at home or not, a burglar cannot access your home through the windows. The glass is also not easy to cut through since one would have to get through three secure layers and the security locks, which enhance the security of your home.
Less Condensation
Condensation on glass is very common, especially in single-pane windows. It occurs when warm air from inside a room comes into contact with the cool pane. However, condensation is not regular when you have triple glazing since there are several layers. Air that gets to the window bounces back from the window, so condensation on the glass is reduced, and in many cases, it doesn’t occur at all.
Reduced noise
The three layers of glass with two more argon gas create the perfect solution for a sound that is coming from outside. If you live in a noisy area and you want to keep most of it out then triple glazed windows are what you need. They also don’t allow sounds from your home from going outside, so you are sure that your neighbours won’t be knocking at your door asking you to keep it down. On the plus side, if you are a fan of excellent acoustics, triple glazed windows give you precisely that. Since any sounds from your house remain within your walls, you get the best out of your singing or surround sound.
No need for thermal drapes
Many homes that have single-pane windows always have to invest in thermal drapes that help in keeping the warmth within the house and the cold outside. However, they are not the best since the curtains are not airtight, so they don’t save enough of the heat in. Triple glazed windows instantly solve this problem since almost no heat escapes outside so if you choose you can do without drapes of any kind.
Cons of Triple Glazing
Triple glazed windows provide excellent solutions mainly due to their energy efficiency, but they have a few downsides that you should consider when deciding.
It’s Expensive
On average you can expect to spend about £500 on an average-sized window which is almost double what you would pay in double glazing. If you want to insulate your whole house, you will need a couple of thousand pounds even for a small flat. It is for this reason that many people use both double and triple glazing in their homes since it increases efficiency from double glazing while reducing the total cost.
Allows little sunlight
Many homes that only have triple glazed windows are quite dark since it doesn’t allow much light to pass through. If you are a lover of natural light, then double glazing would be a better option for you since it contains one layer less. If not you will have to either get used to having your lights on during the day or open the windows which will allow heat to escape.
It takes longer to get the return on investment
While you make savings that grow over time, allowing you to make back the money you spent installing the windows, it will take a couple of years even for a small house. Assuming you make savings of £200 yearly, I will take up to nine years to make money spent installing triple glazing for a flat.
Not useful in a poorly insulated house
While windows are one of the significant ways in which homes lose heat, they’re not the only cause. If your walls have cracks and holes, doors, attic, basement then no matter how many triple glazed windows you install they won’t help much. You will need to fully insulate your home to get the full benefits of triple glazing.
They’re heavy
Triple glazed windows are quite heavy so if you have weak walls, you risk damaging them hence allowing heat to escape. It will also be costly to fix the walls, thus adding to your total bill.
Triple glazing is one of the best ways you can use to insulate your home from losing heat through the window. However, for it to work as it’s supposed to, you need to proof the rest of your house so that all the money you spend on triple glazed windows may not go to waste. Remember to compare the prices from different contractors, so you get the best deal but don’t rush to the first affordable offer you get.