Triple Glazing Vs Double Glazing

Last updated: 25/06/2015.

Is triple glazing a better choice?

The ever increasing energy bills have sparked a great interest in technologies and home improvements that can help save more energy. In case you are thinking to have some energy saving modifications instituted at your home, chances are high that you could be thinking about the new technology in town that is promising homeowners great results.
As far as preventing heat from escaping your home and ensuring that unwanted nuisances like draughts and noise don’t become a bother to you, it is well known that double glazing has great benefits compared to the lonelier single glazing. But triple glazing, which is the newest technology is this field, is increasingly becoming a highly desirable option by many, but you definitely can’t help but wonder whether it is a better choice or not.
Through the addition of the extra glass pane, triple glazing comes with highly improved thermal properties compared to those that come with double glazing. This is however with the assumption that the same fittings and quality of materials are used. So, when you are thinking about achieving minimum energy loss, it makes a lot of sense that you consider triple glazing as it might just be your savior.

But even with this being the case, there are many other ways in which you can increase your glazing efficiency without necessarily having to add an extra pane to form the triple glazing. And some of these ways might even be much cheaper not to mention that they come with reduced obstacles to fitting and a much better ROI- return on investment. Such can involve addition of special coatings on the glass as a way of preventing heat escape, filling the cavities in between two glass panes by use of inert glass rather than air and use of spacers for enhancing retention of heat. All these will help enhance efficiency with no addition of an extra pane to make the triple glazing.

Essentially, triple glazing is usually a better fit for the small and medium sized windows that are being used over a much larger area. The reason why this is the case is due to the fact that triple glazing is a better performing option compared to the double glazing on the U- value that measures temperature difference in the outside and inside home compared to the surface area.

Something else worthy noting is that the effectiveness and suitability of any kind of glazing mainly depends on the fitting quality and materials used in its construction. Triple glazing that is poorly fitted and one with no correct sealing could be less helpful just like single glazing and can be outperformed by double glazing of top quality designed with some low iron panes. In addition, it is important that glazing is included in your overall energy saving measures. With heavier frames, trickier fitting process and extra panes, it is needless to say that triple glazing can be relatively expensive but can mean much bigger savings on the energy bills.