This scheme would allow householders and landlords to scrap their old poorly insulated windows for a cash incentive of £1,000 to be used against the purchase of new professionally installed energy efficient windows.

The Scheme would allow for an improvement to the existing housing stock to reduce Carbon and CO2 emissions and cut household energy bills. The Scheme to be open only to companies who professionally install windows with a C Window Energy Rating or above and who responsibility recycle the existing windows that are removed.

Government response
The Government agrees that energy efficiency has an important part to play if we are to achieve our carbon reduction targets. The benefits of energy efficiency for households are clear: saving money on energy bills, reducing reliance on imported energy and helping householders reduce their carbon emissions.

However given the high cost of replacement windows (typically £5,000 to £10,000 for a small home), the marginal improvement in performance, particularly when replacing like-for-like double glazed windows; and given that band C windows will be the minimum standard permitted by building regulations from October 2010, a window scrappage scheme is unlikely to be cost effective on energy efficiency and carbon savings grounds.

We believe everyone should have the opportunity to benefit from energy efficiency measures and the energy bill savings they can bring. However, we also recognise that the cost to retrofit homes can be substantial – our ‘Green Deal’ will allow consumers to fund the upfront cost out of energy bill savings. It is expected that double glazing will be one of the measures that can be installed under the Green Deal.

Double glazing salespeople are using misleading claims and hard-sell tactics to get homeowners to sign on the dotted line, according to an investigation by Which?.

The consumer organisation used undercover researchers to test the £1.2bn-a-year double glazing industry, inviting four major companies – Anglian Windows, Everest, Weatherseal Home Improvements/Zenith Staybrite and Safestyle (UK) – to provide quotes for double glazing at four addresses around the UK in March.

A senior trading standards officer and sales expert then listened to recordings of the visits and analysed the tactics used. These included claiming to be a part of a non-existent government scrappage system.

Which? also found:

• Six out of 18 salespeople made misleading claims, such as: “We’ve been tested by the government and were chosen for its scrappage scheme” (an Anglian salesperson) and: “By law, through trading standards, you can only give up to a 10-year guarantee” (a Safestyle UK salesperson);
• Seven out of the 18 salespeople offered a discount if the undercover researcher signed up immediately;
• Fifteen out of 18 offered significant savings, often half the “original” price – the biggest drop was £16,926 from an Everest salesperson;
• Many of the salespeople offered a lower price with a “credit deal” but working out how much you’d pay was incredibly difficult.
• One Zenith salesperson asked the researcher to sign their name twice to confirm he’d told her the relevant information – a psychological technique to warm up customers.

Peter Vicary-Smith, chief executive of Which?, said: “As a homeowner, replacing your windows is one of the most expensive jobs you’re likely to face, which is why we’re so disappointed to discover salespeople from the biggest names in the business making outlandish claims and using hard-sell tactics.”

Which? said it hoped the introduction of the Double Glazing and Conservatory Ombudsman Scheme, launched in May, would help increase transparency of prices.

In response to the report, Everest Limited said: “We never deprive customers of the opportunity to make an informed decision. We are extremely disappointed by these findings and reject accusations of breaking regulations. Our offers are genuine. We offer a price promise, and a seven-day unconditional cancellation period on all sales. ‘False claims’ go against our training, guidelines and documentation.”

Anglian Homes said: “All Anglian sales representatives are comprehensively trained but we do recognise that very occasionally mistakes are made and in this instance it appears that there has been some confusion surrounding the Anglian window scrappage scheme.”

It said it would “once again make it clear to all our sales representatives that the two are unrelated and there is no government-backed scrappage scheme”.

So could uPVC windows and doors be the answer to saving the planet?
No doubt any upturn in sales would trigger questions about the disposal of old PVC windows and doors in an environmentally responsible way. Despite the fact that it is often said that PVC is not recyclable, this is simply not true so there is no need for alarm. There is a range of methods already available for deriving residual value from used plastics products. In fact, PVC, like all other thermoplastic materials, can be recycled relatively straightforwardly.

The uPVC window industry has been criticised in the past, for an apparent lack of post-use recycling. But it is now common practice to recover and recycle factory wastes and / or off-cuts after the window has been fabricated. These materials are then incorporated with virgin polymer to produce further long life products including window profiles.

A company that has been at the forefront of collection and recycling of redundant uPVC materials is Ecoplas Limited. Based in Selby, North Yorkshire, Ecoplas is a company that specialises in post consumer recycling. Ecoplas has invested in the necessary, plant equipment and new technology to handle and process substantial volumes of post consumer materials.

Managing Director of Ecoplas, Ian Tippett commented on the recent proposal. “Whilst I feel it is a good idea to incentivise homeowners to make energy efficient changes, it is equally as important to prevent post consumer windows and doors going to landfill. Our company specialises in this area and it is both environmentally beneficial and cost effective. At Ecoplas we have the capability to process old window frames and convert them to reusable material which can be used as a raw material in the manufacture of new building products. We are keen to expand our operations in this area and to support companies wishing to show a real commitment to deal with their post consumer waste responsibly”.

Ecoplas have a fleet of vehicles to collect post consumer waste which includes 50cu yd roll on roll off skips. Through arrangements with waste transfer stations and waste management companies Ecoplas receive bulk loads of end of life PVC windows and doors. Ecoplas can therefore also assist companies who may be tendering and negotiating for public or private sector contracts where environmental considerations and policies are key elements of the contract.

Ecoplas is one of the leading uPVC recycling operations in the UK – to find out more visit www.ecoplas.co.uk

Below is a response from a on his blog to valid a question from Emma who says she is looking for replacement double glazing:

“Hi Emma, The real Window Scrappage Scheme has been proposed to the Government through a petition on the Number 10 Downing Street website, but as yet there is no official scheme unless Government policy changes. You obviously saw a TV advert from Anglian Windows who have created their own marketing campaign on this subject.”

Under what seems to be a totally “unofficial” window scrappage scheme, potential customers are appearing to being offered “up to £2,000 off”, but as there is no retail price list, and the fact that “minimum order values apply”, it does just sound like a marketing gimmick, rather than a genuine subsidy”.

Am sure you all agree that a government backed  “Window Scrappage Scheme” would be a great treat to us all. If you agree why not sign up to the GGF petition to get the government to introduce a windows scrappage scheme, to enable homeowners to install environmentally friendly energy efficient, energy saving windows.

So if you are considering replacing any windows, don’t be tricked into believing there is a government national window scrappage scheme, sadly at present there is not, but hopefully if enough people sign the Glass and Glazing Federation’s petition, then the government mind see the benefits for such a scheme.

Want to share your experience of the Window Scrappage Scheme or simply post your comments or questions online CLICK HERE To Post your Comments Online

If you want to show your support to Glass & Glazing Federations Window Scrappage Scheme – simply add your name to the Online Petition.