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The Fenestration News Bulletin this week will be sent to more than 15,000 recipients in just over 9,000  organisations aligned to the Window Industry. Making it an effective delivery platform to get your Companies message across.

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From the News

Our inbox this week has an item from Martin Randall, Chairman of Crystal Direct; he appears exasperated by the interpretation in some quarters of the meaning ’sustainable homes’. This situation stems from the need to create new fears, to cause people to act. Then everything gets jumbled up as more and more contributors pile in, so much so that the original intended context is lost and no longer applicable.

Trees are said to be sustainable, just because we can keep growing them, so wood windows must be good - whereas plastics in general are seen as a finite resource, so PVC windows must be bad. Then we get the so-called green lobby denigrating the supermarket plastic bag, the associations from this then flows out to other products, to become all plastics are seen as bad. Yet if something can be re-used and recycled, including the humble supermarket plastic bag can it really be that bad?

The real enemy here is waste, the disposable products, a washing machine that to repair costs more than a new one, the inkjet printer where buying new ink cartridges are the same as buying a new printer with them included. Quite simply, it is the waste that comes from products not being able to live up to expectations; these are the ones that are less sustainable and more damaging to the environment. The problem here is that if things were made to last industry would decline, there would be less work for all and that would be an unpalatable ‘hot potato’ for the politician. It is a question of deciding whether our wellbeing is defined by the money in our pockets or the quality of life we have.

Energy efficiency is most of the time in a different sector to something that is being called sustainable. Energy saving light bulbs (the CFL type) can be more damaging to human life than the incandescent or the LED type, yet their image comes over as good because there is short term energy saving gain, but sustainable I doubt it. The Toyota Prius is given thumbs up by the green lobby, yet the old banger does less environmental damage. When talking environmental or sustainability there is a selective use of the words, more to do with politics than realities, the agenda of one participant over another – in the window industry that is marketing.

If there was any real honest need, endeavour or agenda for us to be sustainable or environmental y friendly, there would be only one measurement that could be used, that of the full life cycle of a product. For a house to be sustainable, its cost, shipping and sourcing of all the components, its environmental impact and its energy consumption over its full life cycle would have to be calculated. This doesn’t happen, what we get instead is those other agendas that accentuate the positives while ignoring the negatives all from the seller’s point of view; this is called marketing, the life blood of industry. Are windows sustainable or energy efficient?

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At our last writing we applauded the PR used by Nick Dutton at Door-Stop, while at the same time suggesting to all that to get a great message over a constant feed of the message is required. This week Nick Dutton has responded (see inbox below).

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To some this week sees the ‘A’ rated window hit its peak performance, and then they start their decline for the rest of the year. The hope is that the consumer has found a way to store the energy they produce until it is needed. To others the use of the alternative of high insulation standards that work at the same level for 365 days of the year seems to provide the consumer with a product that does exactly what it says on the tin.

In a similar context, the above is explained by what is seen as this coming week’s longest day. Although as most free thinkers know this doesn’t actually happen until October.

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Remember, for all the latest news updated daily, check out the Fenestration News website @ www.fenestration-news.com

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In Box

No, PVC’s the enemy, these are sustainable homes!

Dear Ian

Recently a friend bought a new house from a large national house builder who was promoting the properties as sustainable homes. In his mind sustainable homes meant energy saving light bulbs, cavity wall insulation, and low maintenance long lasting PVC-U windows and doors. However, during the build the buyer soon realised that in fact he was getting timber windows and doors and based on past experience was not impressed.

Some things, like long snagging lists, never change. On completion, as the list of things to fix or change grew they got around to the timber windows and doors. The buyer was disturbed to find the front cills completely damaged and there were chips to the windows. ...[ more ]

Yours sincerely

Martin Randall
Chairman of Crystal Direct & Founder of Fighting Back with Facts

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In Box

Nick Dutton - Response to leader in the Fenestration News

Dear Ian

Your leader says in so many words tht giving a discount only makes sense if you win new business. Nothing to disagree with there. But while we hope to win new customers, we also want to reward our existing ones.

Door-Stop's discount for online ordering is also about fair pricing. Online ordering means streamlined systems, which makes us more efficient and saves us money. ...[ more ].

Nick Dutton
Managing Director of Door-Stop International

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In Box

Letter to the Editor - blue-white outer-frames

Dear Ian

Some door and door panel companies are promoting white or blue-white outer-frames matched to the colour of the two main window profile whites, so installers can offer a matched suite to homeowners.

This sounds like a great idea, and a logical thing to do. But there aren’t just two window and door system whites in the market, there are various subtle shades of white, and near matches are near misses with picky homeowners who want any excuse not to pay. ...[ more ].

Nick Dutton
Managing Director of Door-Stop International

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In Box

Mark Simm - responds to Nick Dutton

Dear Ian

Following last weeks email from Door Stop’s Nick Dutton, I would like to agree with his comments regarding matching white frames and doors. We have been offering matching white door sets and side frames since 1996. However, we think the bigger question for the composite industry lies in matching the doors, frames and side frames of Rosewood, Light Oak and Mahogany.

Over 40% of Rockdoor sales now come from woodgrains and colours, of which 95% of woodgrains require matching outerframes. ...[ more ].

Yours Sincerely
Mark Simm, Rockdoor

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Remember, for all the latest news updated daily, check out the Fenestration News website @ www.fenestration-news.com

Also in the news....

" "
Listers Upgrade their Elitis Range of Marketing.
" " of Stoke-on-Trent, have just given their ‘Elitis’ branded literature a complete redesign. While the previous literature was working just fine for their trade cu ..[ more ]

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Vision Rooflights
Frameless Glass Rooflights
A brand new website has been launched to focus on the growing trend for all glass rooflights, frameless and skylights. With many homeowners now looking for alternatives to PVC and ..[ more ]

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FUHR UK Ltd
Fuhr appoint new MD for the UK
Carl Fuhr GmbH has announced the appointment of Ian Ward to the position of Managing Director of Fuhr UK Limited the wholly owned subsidiary of the German multi-point lock manufact ..[ more ]

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Safety Letterbox Company
SLBC chairman gets MBE for services to business
Chairman of South Wales-based The Safety Letterbox Company, Ian Brown accepted his own special delivery when he was awarded an MBE for services to business in the Queen’s Birthday ..[ more ]

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Selecta Systems
U Values or WER’s?
Mark Richmond, Sales Director of Selecta Systems discusses the recently updated Building Regulations and whether fabricators and installers should choose U Values or WERs as a mean ..[ more ]

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Swisspacer
Swisspacer’s sales continue to soar
Sales at leading warm edge supplier Swisspacer continue to soar. In the UK and Ireland, sales were up nearly 60% in the first four months (January – April) compared to the same per ..[ more ]

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Saint-Gobain Solaglas
Solaglas’ WER Ready offers customers even more sup
Solaglas Ltd expands its online support and facilities at www. wer-ready .co.uk. WER Ready was launched in April to help fabricators and installers get their WER accreditation quic ..[ more ]

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CENSolutions Ltd
Don’t Forget to Prove Your Doors Comply Too
CENSolutions Ltd, the leading consultancy and test facility for the window, door and glazing industries warns that doors are generally being conveniently ignored in discussions abo ..[ more ]

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Council for Aluminium in Building (CAB)
CAB's Role in Today's Construction Market
In a recent interview with the Council for Aluminium in Building, its Chief Executive, Justin Ratcliffe was asked about the Association’s activities in the construction sector rela ..[ more ]

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Kombimatec Machines
Buyer Feedback
Following the special offer promotion launched by Kombimatec for the New HDX Crucifix Welder for under six thousand pounds customers are already giving valuable feedback. - For exa ..[ more ]

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Mila Hardware
Safestyle UK signs two year agreement with Mila Ha
Retail giant Safestyle UK has just signed a two year supply agreement with hardware specialists Mila Hardware, marking the continuation of a 15 year partnership between the two bus ..[ ]

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Synseal Extrusions
Synseal’s drive to efficiency
Synseal has unveiled new livery for its updated fleet of lorries, which will bring the company benefits in fuel efficiency and emissions as well as simply projecting a brighter, mo ..[ ]

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Celuform Ltd
New Look Celuform Specification Guide Now Availabl
Celuform, the specifier’s choice of PVC-UE roofline, cladding and window finishing products, is pleased to announce the launch of its new Specification Guide. “As public spending c ..[ ]

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Saint-Gobain Solaglas
" " offers A rating as standard wi
" " now offers A energy rated windows as standard with the industry’s leading sealed unit SGG EcoClear®+ from Solaglas. The trade fabricator chose Solaglas’ top per ..[ ]

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Sprint Coatings
Sprint Meets the Challenge of the New Decade Ahead
Protective finishes have developed over the last decade and now offer specifiers of building materials some very substantial, long lasting finishes. The selection of applied finish ..[ ]

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Rockdoor
Mark Simm - responds to Nick Dutton
Following last weeks email from Door Stop’s Nick Dutton, I would like to agree with his comments regarding matching white frames and doors. We have been offering matching white doo ..[ ]

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TuffX Processed Glass Ltd
Aqua Green glass a clear winner for TuffX
According to leading conservatory roof glass manufacturer, TuffX Conservatory Glass, statistics indicate that one in three conservatory roofs nowadays are produced with glass acros ..[ ]

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REHAU
100% OF REHAU Authorised partners’ customers would
As a key part of its Authorised Partner scheme, REHAU is monitoring the quality of the products and services provided by scheme members and says the feedback so far has been except ..[ ]

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Norman & Underwood (Glazing Systems)
St Editha’s Tamworth
Norman & Underwood, the oldest architectural metal roofing and glazing company in the country, is currently undertaking a programme of refurbishment and conservation works on the C ..[ ]

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Door-Stop International
Big and beautiful: new Door-Stop 68-page ‘book’
“This isn’t just another catalogue. Even the glossiest brochures pale in comparison. Door-Stop’s new book is quite simply in a different league.” - So says Nick Dutton, Managing Di ..[ ]

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June - issue: 0610.02

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