5 key reasons to use GRP windows to lower your CO2 emissions - By: Chris Dixon

No silver bullet can solve climate change. No quick fix is leaping out at us. No easy solution ia available to protect our grandchildren if we fail to deliver for them, as custodians of this wonderful planet.

In fact, virtually no single action that any of us will ever take will make a measurable difference on its own. And yet, collectively, if our tiny efforts are co-ordinated and concerted, then the possibilities can become enormous.

Take any snowflake and its contribution is utterly insignificant - and yet, an avalanche contains no snowflake which is any bigger. So it's the combination of all of our efforts and actions working together, which ultimately and powerfully can and will make a difference.

Product specifications within the Construction Industry are no different. One building performing less well than its neighbours will hardly make an impact and yet, each one should be designed and built to the best ability of its creators, in order to achieve the highest environmental criteria - and thereby helping to reduce our total carbon emissions .

Individual building products, contributing to just one of those building projects make an even smaller impact - but which accumulate towards the environmental performance of the total building, provided it has been correctly selected and specified.

From the foregoing, therefore, you can see that this article is certainly not claiming that GRP Fibreglass Windows will save the Planet. Far from it! But they can make an important contribution in 5 ways. Here's how:-

1. Pultruded GRP, being 65% glass is primarily made from sand, the most renewable substance on the planet. And one third is recycled. Combined with a tough, polyester thermosetting resin creates an immensely strong composite compound with astonishing durability and long life (50-75 years). The resultant GRP composite has twice the strength to weight ratio of steel and five times that of reinforced concrete, no less! Also, it is unaffected by the harshest climate, or sea water, which corrodes steel and especially aluminium. The recycled and renewable source, long life and zero maintenance all exceed the performance of other window frames and contribute to its excellent environmental credentials and smaller carbon footprint.

2. The largest proportion of carbon emissions in UK comes from the heating of homes and buildings, which accounts for just over 50% of the total carbon output. This is why improved thermal insulation is so important and why Government is using both, legislation and financial grants to encourage us all to insulate better and conserve energy. which uses both carrot and stick! Glass is a naturally good insulator and since GRP Fibreglass contains 65% glass, then that, too, is an excellent insulator and makes for very thermally efficient window frames. Compare that to aluminium, ironically an inherently good thermal conductor, which is not what you want - or to PVC, which needs internal metal reinforcing bars for strength, which also conducts very well. The metals in both of these windows create a 'cold bridge' which allows heat to escape and thereby lowers the overall thermal efficiency of the entire window. Therefore, GRP windows can achieve much lower thermal efficiency 'U' values down to 0.9 W/M2K, whereas aluminium, for example, struggles to achieve a 1.8 'U' value, which is twice as bad, of course. Therefore, not only is GRP twice as good an insulator but combine this with twice the longevity over aluminium and PVC and the true benefit is a four-fold advantage for the environment, in this most critical of areas. Put simply, GRP windows can insulate twice as well, for twice as long.

3. Maintenance of timber windows is costly, both, financially and environmentally, with teams of surveyors and decorators driving around the country, assessing and then making multiple visits per property to paint the windows to prolong their life. This is the Achilles heel of timber windows - and which makes them the most expensive option of all when this essential element is factored into the calculation. GRP, aluminium and PVC require no such maintenance regime, although the small print in some PVC window guarantees can require a full wash down every year to prevent airborne corrosion from occurring. However, in the real world, damage, colour change and wear and tear can occur, which will spoil the appearance of any window frame material. In the case of aluminium, when the powder coating is damaged that can allow in the elements and especially salt/sea spray, to start a corrosion process that cannot be reversed. Neither aluminium nor PVC can be realistically repaired or re-painted and therefore when their appearance becomes unacceptable, they must be replaced prematurely - and at great cost financially and environmentally. The beauty of GRP Fibreglass, however, is that it is completely impervious to the weather and salt/sea spray, so the applied colour is for aesthetic purposes only - and not to protect it, so any surface damage will be inconsequential. Furthermore, even major damage can be easily repaired (with an epoxy resin system) and any paint colour can be applied to it at any stage of its life, thus bringing back the original pristine finish, or changing colour - giving another long and attractive life ahead for each application. Thus, the combination of zero maintenance with the ability to optionally repair or re-paint if ever required, allows GRP windows to achieve their full life potential of 50 - 75 years with low risk of necessary replacement. This adds considerably to their environmental advantage and important Life Cycle Analysis (LCA).

4. Another reason for the growing dissatisfaction with traditional window materials, today, is their often negative manufacturing processes, which can be toxic and consume high amounts of energy, causing the end (aluminium) product to be termed 'high embodied energy'. Aluminium production, for example, requires temperatures approaching 2000C, which is a high ecological price for the environment to pay, if fossil fuel energy is used. PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride) does not require such heat but Human Toxicity is high due to the Chlorine (Ozone depleting, greenhouse gas) being released during manufacture, as well as lead stabilisers being used in the process, according to Greenpeace and Good Homes Alliance (GHA). Even timber cannot escape concern, since Mahogany can only be grown in a Rainforest and takes 75 years to mature. So, to cut it down and convert it into a window with 20 - 25 years service life at best, hardly seems sustainable at all. Pultruding GRP however requires a temperature lower than 150C and the manufacturing procedure is non toxic, non harmful and inert. Furthermore, in situ it remains inert and does not leak any harmful chemicals (VOCs) which also adds to its sustainabile credentials. Therefore, GRP Fibreglass can be regarded as benign during manufacture and throughout its life, which achieves further advantages over both aluminium and PVC.

5. Disposal at end of life is also a key consideration for sustainability. Aluminium can be recycled by re-heating and melting the profile, whilst PVC can be recycled only by approved licensed specialists (like asbestos), consequently, there is little evidence that this occurs in any meaningful numbers. The majority of timber goes to landfill, where it releases Methane (green-house gas) as it decomposes (Source: BRE Environmental). GRP can be disposed of positively by grinding down and using as a filler in concrete, which acts as an enhanced binding agent in the concrete mix (BRE)

To summarise, therefore, GRP Fibreglass windows can help to reduce our collective UK carbon emissions beyond incumbent window materials, as follows:-
* Renewable and recycled source - giving the longest, maintenance free window life.
* Excellent thermal insulation - twice as good, for twice as long. Best value!
* Zero maintenance required - but repairs and re-coating simple. Peace of mind!
* very low embodied energy, non harmful and inert throughout its life. Benign!
* BRE recommended disposal to pass its benefits onwards to concrete production

No wonder that GRP has become the window of choice in North America for zero carbon construction which is now a consistent reality.

About the Author

Chris Dixon has spent over 25 years successfully pioneering GRP building products and for 20 years was managing director of Lindman Ltd, the original GRP composite door, which now dominates social housing. Chris is now a freelance Business Development Consultant working with Pultec Ltd, UK market leader of GRP Windows. Find out more about this new material, see the photo gallery, environmental credentials, or obtain advice on how GRP could improve the sustainability of any project, at =>http://www.pultec.co.uk Chris can be contacted at ' cjd_home@hotmail.com

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