Energy efficiency is crucial in a climate of increased fossil fuel consumption. Our home’s windows contribute towards about 20% of the heat lost from houses with old double-glazed windows, and with the air gap between the sheets of glass failing over time, this percentage is only set to go up as time progresses and a replacement isn’t fitted.
The symptoms of failed double glazing include condensation on the inside of the glass layers, so if you’re seeing this around your home, you can take it as a tell-tale sign that your windows need some attention, and replacing all your windows is the only solution when double glazing units fail. While replacing your windows with new double glazing is an option, for a couple of hundred pounds more, you can go triple glazing to further increase your energy efficiency.
This article will take a look at:
- How much triple glazing costs
- What affects the cost of triple glazing
- How to save money on triple glazing installation
- How to know if triple glazing is right for your home
- What’s involved in installing triple glazing
- How to find and hire an installer
To get your windows back up and into tip-top shape, installing triple-glazed windows as a replacement is a great solution. Let’s get into the best cost-saving methods to get these in your home without breaking the bank.
How Much Does Triple Glazing Cost?
To help to give you an idea of what sort of budget you might need for your triple glazing project, let’s take a look at some common property types and their associated window costs.
| PROPERTY TYPE | NUMBER OF WINDOWS | TIME REQUIRED | TOTAL ESTIMATED COST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat | 4 | 1 to 2 days | £2,000 to £2,300 |
| Terraced house | 5 | 1 to 2 days | £2,500 to £2,800 |
| Semi-detached house | 9 | 2 to 3 days | £4,500 to £5,100 |
| Detached house | 12 | 3 to 4 days | £6,000 to £6,800 |
| Detached House | 15 | 4 to 5 days | £7,500 to £8,500 |
Starting with our smallest property first, for a standard flat with around four windows, you can expect costs of £2,000 and up to £2,300 to have your triple glazed windows fitted. This will typically take between one to two days to complete.
Moving to look at a terraced house next, with around five windows the cost will rise to between £2,500 to £2,800, again taking between one and two days to install.
For something slightly larger, such as a semi-detached house with around nine windows, the cost for triple glazing will be around £4,500 to £5,100. For a house of this scale, the length of time needed to complete the work will be longer, coming in at between two to three days.
Finally, we’ll discuss the costs associated with detached houses, first looking at a 12-window variant which will typically cost between £6,000 to £6,800, and take between three and four days to fit and install. For a larger detached home consisting of 15 windows, this cost will rise from £7,500 to £8,500 and can take anywhere from four days to five days to finish.
What Affects the Cost of Triple Glazing?
While we’ve covered some of the estimated costs associated with triple glazing, there are a few other factors that can considerably raise or lower the overall cost of your project – let’s take a look at them.
The Type of Window and Frame Material
There are different frame materials to choose from when it comes to your home’s windows, each holding different qualities – and, importantly, different price points.
uPVC
uPVC is known as probably the most common frame material, seen on the vast majority of houses up and down the country. This is mostly in part because it is the cheapest material available for window frames, but it also offers a good amount of durability for the average household, making it a good choice.
Prices range from approximately £450 to £565 for a 1200mm by 1200mm casement window.
Aluminium
Moving up the price scale, we meet aluminium, which has good thermal insulation (if manufactured with thermal break technology) and is incredibly durable and weather-resistant, making it a perfect choice for those with homes in more extreme weather conditions.
With aluminium, there are a wide array of colours available, helping homeowners to match their windows perfectly with their surroundings. For all these positives, there is a hitch – aluminium windows can be at least 50% more expensive than uPVC, making them an expensive option that might not be cost-effective for everyone.
Timber
Up next is timber, offering a timeless and quintessential appeal to any home, but especially those in countryside settings. Timber frames can be left natural, or painted any shade you choose, giving you a good level of flexibility with your design preferences and choices.
Timber offers good thermal insulation – especially slow-grown Nordic pine, which offers better thermal insulation than hardwoods such as oak or mahogany – but for a 1200mm by 1200mm casement window, you’re looking at costs of around £1,200 for supply costs only.
If You Need Passivhaus Certification
To achieve Passivhaus certification, you’ll need to purchase windows that use components (including frames, glazing, spacers, and seals) that are certified by the Passive House Institute in Germany.
This can significantly increase the cost of your triple-glazed windows, but it could be a worthwhile investment if you’re committed to minimising heat loss, reducing energy bills, and increasing the overall comfort of your home.
You will have to seek out individual quotes for these types of windows, but there is a wide range of materials available for you to choose from to get the kind of look and style you’re after.
The Size and Number of Windows You Need
Prices are directly impacted by the size and frequency – the more you need, and the bigger you need them, the higher your price will be, and vice versa. For homeowners looking to replace all the windows on a detached four-bedroom home, the price is set to be far higher than those replacing the windows on a two-bed bungalow.
Make sure you have a realistic budget in mind for the scale of your project and choose windows that are sensible for your project and your price point to ensure you don’t go way over budget without realising.
Waste Removal
When it comes to replacing your windows in your home, there will be a lot of waste generated – and that waste will need somewhere to go while the tradespeople are busy at work. For this, you may want to enlist the help of a skip.
Depending on the size you need, the duration you’ll need it, and the type of waste you’ll be putting in the skip; your prices can vary from below the hundreds to well over – which can push your budget over your limit if you’re not careful.
While a mini skip of 1.29 x 1.29 x 1 metres will cost between £90 and £130 for a week’s hire, you should remember that – as with most things – the price is likely to be more if you live in London.
If you need something larger, a large skip of 12-yards can hold between 125 and 135 average-sized rubbish bags. It’s 3.7 metres long by 1.78 metres wide, and is 1.68 metres tall, costing between £250 and £340 for a week’s hire.
For more information on skip hire and the associated costs, take a look at our dedicated guide.
Ease of Access
Depending on the height of your property, scaffolding may be required for ease of access. Unfortunately, this comes at a cost – the weekly cost for scaffolding around a typical four-bed house is between £1,000 to £1,300, while a ten-metre scaffold up to the first floor will cost between £500 to £700.
Some scaffolding might not be available for weekly hire, which can bump up your prices. It’s best to check this out with the supplier in the first instance to be aware of any potential price hikes or terms.
Make sure this is factored into your budget as it may end up pricing you out of the work if you’re not mindful of it. For more information on scaffolding and the associated costs, take a look at our dedicated page.
Your Location
An unfortunate non-negotiable when it comes to pricing up a home project is that your geographical location can impact the price you end up paying. If you live in more population-dense areas such as city centres, you’re likely to pay higher labour fees for the same work as someone in a lower-population density in a town or village.
You will need to factor this into your budget, as well as any parking constraints you may need to arrange for if you have no parking available at your property, as your tradespeople will need somewhere to park while they carry out the work on your property, and in some cases, you’ll need to get hold of a parking permit to allow this.
Are you ready to get triple glazing? HouseholdQuotes can help you find the right tradesperson.
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How Can I Save Money on Triple Glazing?
Now that we know how triple glazing can add up when it comes to installation and supply costs, let’s take a look at how you can cut those costs and save money on your installation.
With most double-glazed houses typically losing 20% of heat through the windows, triple glazing is highly insulated meaning your house stays warmer for longer, and less heat is lost as a result, helping to improve efficiency by 50% in some cases.
This will undoubtedly have an impact on your energy bills, as you will be spending less to heat your home, instead of having to repeatedly turn the heating on to replace the heat that has been lost through your double-glazed windows.
To put this into practice, you should consider the Window Energy Rating (WER) of your current windows, and see how efficient your triple-glazed window will be in comparison to your current ones.
If you’re hoping to switch from double glazing to triple glazing to save money, this is theoretically possible, but please take into consideration the extra work (and extra costs) that may be involved.
Some potential homebuyers may also see this as a positive when viewing your home, especially for those in harsher climates where the cold air penetrates homes, as it will save them from carrying out the work themselves in the future.
When you’re having your windows replaced, where possible and where the budget allows, always opt to install more than one or two windows at a time – it is more cost-effective for an installer to install multiple windows than single, and will save you on multiple call outs and labour fees.
What’s more, you will only pay for your scaffolding and skip hire once, instead of repeating those payments each time a new window is taken out and installed.
Comparing quotes is a great way to potentially reduce the cost of your project. HouseholdQuotes can help you get quotes from multiple tradespeople near you, so that you can find someone that suits your budget.
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Is Triple Glazing the Right Choice for My Home?
Triple glazing will no doubt make your home energy-efficient, but it is not a measure you can implement in isolation. The benefits may be minimal if other parts of the building fabric are losing heat, such as the walls – make sure you need the upgrade, be informed, and don’t bow down to pushy glazing sales tactics.
Now that you have an idea of the costs involved with upgrading your windows to triple glazing, are the benefits worth it? This part of the article outlines some of the pros and cons of installing triple-glazed windows.
Some of the top benefits of triple glazing are as follows:
- It reduces heat loss through the windows improving energy efficiency and helps to lower heating bills
- Traps more heat and makes your home warmer and cosy
- Improves security as triple glazing windows are stronger than double glazing
- The extra thickness helps to reduce noise from outside coming in
While some of the cons to consider when it comes to triple glazing are:
- Triple glazing is more expensive than double glazing
Thicker glass reduces the amount of natural light entering your home
It may be a needless expense if your existing windows are wood-framed and still in good condition
What’s Involved in Installing Triple Glazing?
When having a window fitter in, the steps they’ll take to remove and replace your windows are likely to be as follows:
Your old windows will be removed, starting with the window panes first. This will need the help of more than one person to complete, due to the size.
For this, the contractors will use a combination of a chisel and club hammer to knock the frame out of position, and the windowsill will be taken away at the same time.
The new window’s outer sill will then be cut to size, ensuring a good fit around your home’s brickwork.
This will then be screwed onto the window frame, with any vents and ventilators screwed into place, too.
Your new window will then be installed, with a spirit level handy to check the levels continually during the process.
Any gaps can be covered with a scotia trim outside, and then internally a trim will be added and secured using sealant to make everything neat.
How Do I Find and Hire an Installer?
Finding and settling on an installer for your project is the most important part of your process – if you find a trusted, reputable trader, your work will be finished in a timely and professional manner, so it’s worth taking the time to properly research your professional beforehand.
As the first port of call, it’s worth checking with family, friends, and neighbours to see if they have had similar work completed in their home recently, and whether or not they’d recommend their trader. If they do, this will save you from finding someone yourself, and also give you an in-person look at their work from your family, friend or neighbour’s home.
There are several trade bodies you can consult to find a reputable trader when it comes to glazing. FENSA, Glass and Glazing Federation or Competent Person Scheme are all good options.
You can also use HouseholdQuotes to find a trader quickly and efficiently, helping you to save up to 40% on your project’s fee in some cases. This will also help to keep your search on just one website, instead of having to field multiple tabs and pages.
Finding the right tradesperson can be challenging. At HouseholdQuotes, we can connect you to glazers in your area.
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Ensuring the Professional Is the Right Fit
You’ll want to ensure your professional is fit for your job before you get started to make sure you get your desired results from your glazing replacement job. It’s important to check that your tradesperson is competent and qualified, and you can do this in a number of ways.
Firstly, take a look at their experience – have they completed work similar to what you want doing, and on the same sort of scale? Are there pictures or videos of their past work you can look at, and do they have customer references for you to read?
It’s worthwhile double-checking that the trader has relevant insurance in place before you agree to work with them, ensuring the safety of both parties. Finally, you’ll want to get a written quote agreed upon before getting started on work to ensure there are no hidden fees or costs when it comes to completion.
Final Checklist
If you are wanting to keep the cold air firmly outside of your home, and are sick of seeing your energy bills rise as a result of you needing to have your heating on for longer, then installing triple-glazed windows can be a good option to prevent heat loss in your home, while adding more security and noise cancellation. Before you get started on your project, bear in mind our top tips:
- Consider if this is right for you and your environment – it is a costly procedure, and if you live in a temperate climate, it might not be necessary for you to implement this change, and can find other heat-saving alternatives in the home instead
- Choose your material wisely – do you want something cheap and cheerful like uPVC, or do you want something more premium, like aluminium?
- Find your tradesperson using HouseholdQuotes to help save on your project’s fee, and ensure they are part of relevant trade bodies
- Get a written quote before work starts, and double-check for insurance and guarantees
- Enjoy your newly-heat-efficient home!
Use HouseholdQuotes to find local tradespeople and potentially save money on your project.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the Difference Between Triple Glazing and Double Glazing?
The uptake of triple glazing is still small compared to the prevalence of triple glazing in Scandinavian countries such as Sweden, Denmark and Norway. Their cold climates mean the houses demand sufficient insulation against heat loss, meaning that triple glazing comes as standard in most, if not all houses.
Double glazing and triple glazing both work on the same principles: two panes of glass with an insulating gas layer separating them have better heat loss properties than a single layer of glass; that’s double glazing. Add a third layer and have two gas layers then you have just increased the insulating properties of the window significantly.
If we are just regarding the insulating performance of the glass alone, triple glazing is better than double glazing – however, few triple glazing companies will take into account the effect the frame has on the efficiency figures they use in their sales pitches.
UPVC, the most common triple glazing frame material, is a poor insulator. If you are looking to replace timber-framed double-glazed windows with UPVC triple glazing, the benefits may be more cosmetic than energy efficiency, therefore, if you want to make the biggest savings possible, opt for timber-framed triple glazing units.
Can I Triple Glaze Existing Windows?
This isn’t possible as the frames holding the existing double glazing panes won’t be strong enough to withstand the extra weight of the triple-glazed panes, which could lead to structural problems. In all cases, it’s best to take out the old windows entirely and have new ones put in place.
Is Triple Glazing Worth It?
Triple glazing is worth the investment if you are a homeowner in a particularly cold climate, or where there are harsh environmental conditions that some extra insulation would help to ward off. For those living in more temperate climates – such as the UK – triple glazing might not be necessary unless you are living on the coast and want some extra protection from the sea air.
Ultimately, it’s a personal choice based on your individual circumstances, so it’s best to consider this personally and understand what changes it may or may not have on your living conditions.
Does Triple Glazing Reduce Noise Pollution?
While it’s not a top priority with installation, triple glazing can help to reduce the noise coming from outside. The addition of an extra pane of glass can help to reduce outdoor noises when compared to single or double glazing.
If reducing noise pollution is a big concern for you, it’s best to check with the manufacturer to find out if this will be a benefit in your particular case to make sure you know exactly what to expect upon installation.
Will My Triple Glazed Windows Produce Condensation?
Triple glazed windows shouldn’t produce condensation as they can match the internal house temperature on the inside pane of glass, meaning condensation won’t appear. Proper ventilation should still be adhered to for best results.
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