EcoGain and EcoRetain Set Out to Revolutionise the Windows Market

NORFOLK, ENGLAND, May 22, 2011

Anglian Home Improvements, the UK's leading home improvements company, has launched a revolutionary way to help consumers understand and choose the right energy efficient windows for their home.

Anglian's 'EcoGain' windows are designed to specifically decrease energy usage, while the 'EcoRetain' windows keep heat loss to a minimum. The difference between the two lies in how 'EcoGain' lets in more sunlight which importantly acts as free heat. Both these products have been designed to demystify the complex established windows energy rating system that baffles consumers.

Traditionally window energy ratings have been calculated based on the British Fenestration Rating Council's (BFRC) rating equation, concentrating on thermal transmittance, solar factor and air leakage to calculate the energy efficiency of a window on a scale of A-G.

Research undertaken by Anglian Home Improvements and YouGov demonstrates that half those surveyed (47%) did not fully understand the A-G rating scale on the windows energy rating label, and only 19% of people (one in every five) were able to correctly tell that an A-Rated window gains energy and keeps heat making it the most efficient.

As a result of this research, Anglian Home Improvements have launched 'EcoGain' windows (which have an A-Rating on the traditional scale) to demonstrate simply to consumers that this type of window 'gains' energy and is the highest performing window thanks to its highly efficient solar factor.
'EcoRetain', (Anglian's best-selling B-rated window on the traditional scale) offer zero effective air leakage which means they are completely draught-free when closed and keep heat loss through the window to a minimum.

Martin Troughton, Marketing Director at Anglian Home Improvements explains:
"There are three key performance factors that affect a window's energy efficiency: thermal transmittance, which measures how good a window is at preventing heat escaping from inside the building; solar factor, which measures the amount of heat gained from sunlight passing through the glass; and air leakage, which measures how air-tight the window is.

"Our research shows that consumers find these energy rating factors confusing; nine out of ten people think white good products such as fridges and washing machines have energy rating labels but only 47% think windows have energy rating labels. This tells us that almost half the consumers YouGov surveyed are not influenced by energy rating labels on windows as the majority are unaware they apply.

"By taking away the complexities surround the A-G BFRC rating equation Anglian Home Improvements hope homeowners will be able to identify the most energy efficient products for their home and to quickly and simply understand that EcoGain gains energy and keeps heat, which should mean more to a UK consumer than simply labelling a window A-Rated."