Bowater Building Products – the UK’s leading manufacturer of energy efficient doors, windows and fenestration packages – has won a 2010 Green Apple Award for System10 SmartSash, its revolutionary PVC-U system. The awards are awarded annually by the Green Organisation, an independent, non-political, non-profit organization, to recognize those companies whose products enhance the environment and promote sustainability – qualities that SmartSash embodies.
Picture shows (left to right): Bowater Building Products Commercial Sales Director Richard Garland; Raleigh Addington; Bowater Building Products Chief Executive Joanne Holland.
The award was presented in November, by former Apprentice and Tickets for Troops Operations Director Raleigh Addington, at a House of Commons event hosted by Leicester West MP Liz Kendall. This is the second time Bowater has collected a Green Apple – the last being in 2009 from its thermally efficient PVC-U window inserts – and is the only UK systems company to do so to date.
The award confirms the company’s own perception of the product as “one of the most significant developments in window design this century”. As the company points out, it is the only UK-manufactured PVC-U systems manufacturer to offer such exceptional thermal performance using only standard components – so no increased stocking or fabrication costs – and the only European PVC-U systems manufacturer to be able to do so using a standard 70mm outerframe.
Essentially, specifiers and building owners have four opportunities to fit now and upgrade windows over time and as resources allow. SmartSash enables PVC-U windows to be fitted now to currently comply with the Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH) Levels 3, 4 or 5 – and then be simply, easily and inexpensively upgraded to Level 6 standard at a later date.
This is achieved through a ‘modular’ approach to the glazing elements, which can be changed and enhanced as budgets provide. In the first instance, the door or window can be installed in an ‘entry level’ configuration – featuring a standard 28mm double glazed unit, with thermal insert, which offers a U-value of 1.2 W/m2K.
Second, a unique arrangement allows for enhancement with the subsequent insertion of a third, single pane to effectively create a triple-glazed installation. Depending on whether float or low emissivity (ε0.10) glass is used, CSH Levels 3 and 4 will be met; as can CSH Level 5 – which demands a U-value of 0.8 W/m2K.
Ultimately, the entire glazing arrangement can be fitted with 44mm argon triple-glazed units to achieve a U- value of 0.7 W/m2K. There is also a frame and glazing arrangement that gives a sound reduction up to 50dB, whilst still achieving a U-value of 1.2 W/m2K.
The ‘two-plus-one’ glazing ensures cost effective triple-glazing at the point of installation and means it is cheaper and easier to replace damaged glass or failed units. Another advantage of the set up is that it facilitates the easy installation and maintenance of ancillaries such as internal blinds and the wiring for alarms and other security measures. Furthermore, in the event of damage to the sash itself; the system is configured such that it alone can be replaced rather than the window in its entirety.
System10 SmartSash provides a revolutionary opportunity for the social housing sector to upgrade current stock with industry-leading windows; while building in the capacity to inexpensively enhance building performance to meet increasingly stringent carbon targets as circumstances allow. It also means that specifiers can meet the demands of their customers for ‘future proof’ systems flexibly, and without incurring additional costs in manufacture, installation or maintenance.
