Four representatives of the Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF) attended a meeting at Number 10 with Rishi Sunak’s Political Adviser, Ameet Jogia, MBE, to discuss the role of glazing in reducing the nation’s carbon emissions.
John Agnew, GGF Group Managing Director, said: “The GGF recently conducted a comprehensive piece of research into the part glazing can play in achieving net zero and the results were conclusive. Despite the fact 86% of homes already have double glazing (the government’s previous argument for excluding the sector from the Energy Company Obligation (ECO+) Scheme), we all know that this isn’t the full story. For example, 70% of windows installed since 2002 were C rated and so don’t meet the building standards relevant today.
“On completion, the GGF translated the research into an easy-to-read infographic entitled ‘A Window of Opportunity’ to highlight the difference glazing can make. This is the document we presented to government.”
The GGF representatives who attended were: Ben Wallace, Group Head of Membership & Customer Relations; David Borland, Head of Technical; John Agnew, Group Managing Director; and Natalie Little, President.
Natalie added: “We successfully highlighted to government that the research calculates a significant 80 million windows would benefit from immediate replacement, saving as much C02 as taking 1.88 million cars off the road.
“We were also able to demonstrate the timely cost saving benefit to individuals, as research estimates the average annual saving per household for upgrading windows to current standards at £395. The Window of Opportunity document leaves little room for scepticism about the impact of glazing on carbon emissions, but we will continue to support the industry by gathering and collating the facts and presenting them to the people that have the power to make a change.”