Sustainable Solutions for Old Windows

Plastic windows are often put into older buildings, to ‘upgrade’ old single glazed wooden windows. They can provide improvement in insulation via double-glazing and improved draft-proofing and so are often viewed as the sustainable solution. This is belied by their limited longevity, the PVC-U they are manufactured from gives them an expected maintenance free life of not much more than 30 years, at the end of which it is more likely that they are discarded and replaced than maintained.  There is a huge carbon footprint created in their manufacture and replacement and waste plastic is an increasing environmental problem.  

Old sash Windows don't have to be as beautiful

and rare as those on this Queen Anne townhouse

to be well worth preserving and restoring.

Listed historic buildings cannot be sympathetically re-fitted with modern plastic windows and the appearance of many otherwise handsome, unlisted buildings has been spoilt by the addition of carelessly chosen replacement windows. The making, rebuilding and repairing of sliding sash windows is now a reviving market which deserves encouragement

Wooden window frames and sashes of whatever age can be easily repaired if they have not been allowed to rot, though sliding sash windows in particular are often seen by the inexperienced as more trouble than they are worth to restore.  However weights, sash cords and other traditional sliding sash accessories are readily available from specialist suppliers and slender, pre-manufactured double glazing units can be used to replace original Victorian glass, which was often especially thick in larger windows. An expertly restored wooden sliding sash should be no harder to open and close than a UPVC replacement and will let in more light than a thicker framed plastic window, as is noted in the Building Regulations.

Marine Court, St Leonards, a 1930’s work of art made more

ordinary by the later, indiscriminate insertion of randomly

chosen windows and the infilling of balconies in the

apartments to the left. The sustainable solution here

is not obvious

UPVC can now be recycled and one major manufacturer of window profiles and other parts recycles up to 90% of old UPVC windows, including the glass, on their site in Derbyshire, though even this process has a carbon footprint in the energy used. The RecoVinyl Scheme is a European wide initiative to collect and recycle used  PVC building products to support the Vinyl 2010 Voluntary Commitment. The British Plastics Federation claims that, since inception of the scheme, the UK has led the way in the volume of PVC collected and recycled in Europe. The question is, how many discarded UPVC window actually do get recycled? Figures are lacking and it may be that too many still go to landfill and incinerators.

Sustainability in the Construction Industry.

Sustainable construction is a term used to describe the application of sustainable ideas and eco-friendly methods to the construction industry. Sustainability cannot be expected to demand the perfect solution, in environmental terms, at the expense of everything else. A highly eco-friendly company which rapidly goes to the wall, does not help either the environment or the people involved.

To maximise its effect, sustainability needs to be factored in at all levels in the industry; any company or individual who is involved in the development, planning, design, build, supplying, alteration or maintenance of our built environment has a responsibility to not only be aware of sustainability, but be actively engaged. Clients who order the construction also have responsibility in delivering sustainable construction and need to be made aware of the fact.

Sustainable development works by:- 

1) carefully selecting the most eco-friendly materials and techniques which are suitable for the particular job. 
2) using all resources carefully - water and electricity included. 

3) minimising wastage 

4) protecting the environment and 

5) enhancing the environment. 

A development which does not enhance the environment is a wasted opportunity. These are essential targets which the entire industry must work towards, if we are to help ensure a better quality of life for everyone, now and for generations to come.

Sources include
http://constructingexcellence.org.uk/resources/introduction-to-sustainable-construction/

What Makes an Ecohouse?

The definition of an ecohouse is an environmentally low-impact home, designed with sustainability in mind and built using materials and technology which reduce its carbon footprint and lower its energy needs. This seems both logical and necessary, the question is whether this standard can be approached in the UK, on a practical and financial basis.

The current situation, with the building of a few homes using German Passivhaus ideas is a laudable start, but if the construction industry really wants to make a difference to the environmental impact of its activities, a radical change of thinking is needed.  It should no longer be acceptable to continue to build standard brick and mortar homes, apply cavity wall insulation and a few solar panels and expect that to be enough. Spread over 100 or more years the carbon footprint of the construction of an individual house may not look particularly high, but climate change is here, now; we no longer have 100+ years to work on it.

Materials used in standard house building are not obviously compatible with sustainable construction. For example, the use of concrete could be a major issue. Weight for weight it is the second largest quantity of material used in house building after bricks. Concrete is made from 10 to 15% Portland cement, the manufacture of which requires a high input of energy resulting in one tonne of greenhouse gas emissions for every tonne of cement produced. Technologies are being researched to reduce this impact, including putting the CO2 back into the product, but these new materials are not yet widely available.