Fensa and the British Fenestration Ratings Council (BFRC) have been invited to meet with the UK government, to discuss the issues surrounding proposals to amend performance requirements for windows and doors. “We are very pleased that we will have the opportunity to convey the disquiet expressed by the majority of approved installers through the recent Fensa survey, together with the findings expressed by BFRC that so many products will become non-compliant with energy ratings,” said Anda Gregory, managing director GGF Commercial Group, which includes BFRC and Fensa.
A survey of Fensa’s approved installers found intensity of feeling about the government’s proposals. Installers were almost unanimously (94.8%) against the inclusion of trickle vents in all replacement windows. More than 60% of the near-700 respondents said they did not support the lowering of U-values and an increase in DSER bandings for doors. The changes, according to the BFRC, will mean that 46% of existing BFRC door licences, and 26% of window licences, would not meet building regulation requirements for energy ratings.
“The effects that the changes to building regulations will have on our market should not be underestimated: 85% of installers that responded to the Fensa survey believe that they will lose business as a result of an insistence upon trickle vents in all frames, fearing that customers will turn to an alternative installer operating in the ‘grey market’ who is happy to turn a blind eye to regulations to please the homeowner,” continued Anda. “We are in broad support of the proposed improvements in the performance of windows and doors, which have not changed for more than a decade. But we hope to encourage the government’s ministry of housing, communities and local government to allow time for the industry’s views to be heard, and for the practical and logistical impact of the changes to be adjusted and implemented.”
