If you are about to start a renovation project or looking to change your windows and doors then there are many reasons to consider aluminium for your replacements. Modern aluminium windows and doors offer several advantages, such as:
- High security
- Very slim sightlines
- Excellent thermal performance
- A choice of traditional or contemporary appearance
- Aluminium windows are suitable for any kind of home
However, despite the advantages of aluminium many window companies prefer to sell uPVC windows. Partly because uPVC is the product with greater margins or the one that the company is more comfortable selling.
Saying that there are also companies that happily sell PVCu, aluminium and timber windows alongside each other. They have the confidence, the experience and the product knowledge to explain the differences between the various materials and help you reach an informed choice on what will be the best for your home and your budget.
What are the myths about aluminium windows?
If you are getting quotations from any window company and they attempt to dissuade you from buying aluminium windows or doors in any way at all, then this should flag up a warning that they are biased towards an alternative product. If you ask the question of your typical home improvement firm, “what about aluminium?” there should be factual and accurate information about them.
Every window and door has its place in the market and is fit for purpose. Therefore no window company should attempt to rubbish a product in any way at all.
Here are our top five “myths” that you may hear about aluminium windows.
1. Aluminium Windows Condensate
This is simply no longer the case. As modern PVCu windows have had major advances in their thermal performance over the years, so has aluminium! No window can ever eliminate condensation nor should any window company tell you that they will. There are many reasons why windows condensate.
Aluminium windows today can achieve the same and even lower U values than PVCu or timber windows. It is all down to product, design, window and glass specification.
2. Aluminium Windows Require Hardwood Subframes.
It is true that some aluminium windows are fitted to existing or new hardwood subframes. However this does not mean that if you already have wood frames in your house they need to remain.
There are countless “direct fix” window systems available today that were specifically designed to replace existing hardwood subframes.
However if the hardwood surrounds around your windows are a feature of your home, it makes perfect sense to retain them. There are also countless window systems designed to fit into hardwood frames, stone frames or stone mullions.
3. Aluminium Windows are externally beaded and therefore less secure.
This is arguably the worst myth surrounding the security of aluminium windows. With sophisticated testing institutes such as Secured by Design, British or European standards surrounding window security and other performance standards if an externally beaded window has passed these tests (and most have) then they are secure.
Modern technology and window design now enables externally beaded windows were the beads cannot possibly be removed from the outside without internal gaskets being removed first and external window beads lock securely into the window through simple engineering and great design.
However if you remain unconvinced, aluminium windows are available externally or internally beaded.
4. Aluminium Windows are more than twice the price of PVCu
The pricing of windows is a subjective matter given the wide range of offers, discounts and reasons to buy within the double glazing industry. There are many companies that choose to up sell aluminium windows as some kind of premium over PVCu.
By comparison, window companies that specialise in aluminium sell windows and doors as standard products not as premium windows or reasons to up sell.
Aluminium windows will cost you more but the quality to cost ratio is good value when you consider what goes into making an aluminium window and that a metal as a raw material will invariably be more expensive than a plastic.
The price of your aluminium windows will depend on many factors such as:
- Where does your company buy them from?
- How experienced are they at them?
- Is aluminium their standard product or an upgrade?
- Do they want you to buy PVCu as they know the product better and the margins are greater?
- Some PVCu windows are very cheap indeed and this can make the additional cost of aluminium even greater.
If you are receiving quotations for aluminium windows and the markups over PVCu are substantial, contact us for recommendations on other firms to consider local to you.
5. Aluminium Windows are only used commercially
Aluminium windows have been used commercially for well over 30 years now because the advantages of slim lines, high performance, durable polyester powder coatings and high strength have been appreciated by architects for decades.
Aluminium window and door sales have been growing year on year for the last 10 years or more whereas PVCu sales have been declining. One only needs to look at the sheer popularity of aluminium bifolding doors and the dominance of aluminium products on home renovation shows to realise homeowners are discovering the advantages of aluminium windows.
