Double (Glaze) Your Home's Salability

Posted by Nick Niesen on November 8th, 2010

One sure way to add value to your home is to install attractive double glazed units; these will lower your heating bills which will increase the desirability of your property.

It may also get you into the 'green home' section, and then the environmentally aware will be interested and more buyers will come to view your house.

Double glazing is also commonly referred to as IGU which stands for Double Glass (or Glazing) Unit. In Europe they are called DGU and referred to as double glazed units, or double glazing.

There is no mystery about the way insulating or double glazing works; we could liken it to the way that a feather duvet works! Between the body temperature warmth in a bed and the cold air in a room is a layer of feathers. The secret is that the feathers are holding a layer of air between you and the room. This air has a buffeting effect, and keeps the warm air and the cold air separated.

This is how double glazing works, the glass is just ordinary glass, but there are two sheets of glass and the buffeting air layer is contained in between the glass sheets. In very cold places there is such a thing as triple glass units!

In these days of energy and environment concerns, it may be worth mentioning that solar radiation can still be encouraged with IGUs. For this you have to order special glass called Low-E glass. Low E stands for low emissivity and it allows solar radiation to enter through the glass. Inside the unit, there is a thin coating that reflects thermal radiation and allows solar radiation to enter the room. This means the heat loss is protected but your room can still be warmed by sunshine.

It may surprise you to know that in some areas, the Government may be interested in your double glazing ideas! For instance, if you have sash windows, or live in a conservation area, you may need permission to change your windows.

If you live in a sunny area you can install IGUs that are tinted to cut down on sun glare. The tint is not enough to darken your view, but it will save on your air conditioning bills.

The cost of installing insulated windows is not cheap, but if you approach the change with prudence, you could actually offset the expense over time by saving on your future heating and cooling bills. As a possible 30% of heat loss can be escaping through your windows, some of this expense could be re-couped pretty quickly!