Double-glazed windows and doors are now commonplace in homes in less temperate climes like the north of Europe. But it was not always so - double-glazing was until not-so-very-long ago something of a luxury, an expensive option affordable only by a few in the neighbourhood.
Double-glazing is used to significantly reduce the loss of heat through glass surfaces in the home. It functions thanks to the simple physical principle that air is a relatively poor conductor of heat. A layer of air, or in some even more efficient windows and doors, an inert gas like argon or xenon, trapped between two panes separated by a gap typically around 16 mm, is enough to greatly reduce heat transfer from the home to outside - though it should be noted that proper wall insulation is the most effective way of making real energy savings in the home.
Before double glazing became an affordable option for most, single-glazed windows were the norm, even though it was not uncommon for ice to gather on them in winter on the inside! They also usually had a metal or wooden frame - the former made unsightly by corrosion and multiple layers of paint, the later prone to rotting and splintering and even more difficult to maintain with a mere "lick of paint" from time to time. Not to mention the hideous substance known as putty (remember that?) which was not only toxic, it would often crumble and fall out, and look generally unsightly.
It was some time in the late 70s and early 1980s that, in Britain at least, modern double-glazing began to find a foothold in homes. More energy efficient, more aesthetically pleasing in many ways (not all would agree with this, it's true) and easier to maintain, its increasing popularity was probably due to a number of factors. One was simply the "Joneses" factor - having double-glazing put in was seen as something of a social status symbol and once one household in the neighbourhood had double glazed doors and windows built in it was only a matter of time before others would gradually follow suit. A second, related factor was the increased availability of favourable financing options. The cost of installing double-glazing ran into the thousands and was something few could afford to pay for outright. But once it could be bought for affordable, often interest free installments, the picture greatly changed. The third major factor was increasing environmental awareness and the cost of fuels - it simply wouldn't do to be wasting huge amounts of heat, pumping them out into the atmosphere. It was wasteful in financial terms and in terms of the earth's resources too.
Today a single-glazed house in the British Isles is a rare sight, and a good thing too - with double-glazed windows and doors our homes are warmer, look better (mostly!) and are more energy efficient too.
Author Resource:
This article is based on material about external double glazed doors originally published at this site about interior doors and is used here with permission.
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