What is Triple Glazing?

Unlike single or double glazing, triple glazing contains three panes of glass, adding an extra of glass over what double glazing offers. The idea is that the additional pane of glass will help to reduce noise, as well as help to keep your home warmer by keeping heat trapped inside the property. Like with other glazed windows, there is an inert gas, such as Argon gas, inserted in the air gaps between the panes.

Benefits of triple glazing

The benefits of triple glazing are similar to that of double glazing, but importantly, you should expect the following benefits from triple glazed windows:

• Increased energy performance of your home (though only a minor impact)
• Noise reduction by helping to soundproof your home
• Warmer home
• Slightly more secure as it’s harder to break
• Reduced condensation on windows

Is triple glazing more energy efficient than double glazing?

In short, yes. Triple glazing is more energy efficient than double glazing. This is thanks to that additional pane of glass, which acts as an extra layer of insulation.

But let’s look at how much more energy efficient they are than their double glazing counterparts.

U-Value of triple glazing

The ‘U-Value’ is a measurement used in the glazing industry to calculate how effective the product is at insulating heat.

Research has shown that triple glazing has a better U-Value than double glazing, but the difference between triple glazing and double glazing isn’t as large of a jump as going from single glazing to double glazing.

Triple Glazing vs Double Glazing

Naturally, you might be wondering if it is better to go with double glazing or triple glazing for your home. To help you come to your final decision, let’s look at what kind of difference different layers of glazing can make.

To provide an example of the difference in energy efficiency between triple glazing and double glazing, we can take a look at research performed by the PassivHaus Institute, an institution based in Germany, that performed this independent test of surface temperatures against different types of glazing.

• Temperature next to a single glazed window: 1°C
• Surface temperature next to a non-modern double glazed window: 11°C
• Surface temperature next to a modern, energy efficient double glazed window: 16°C
• Surface temperature next to a triple glazed window (with a u-value of around 0.65 centrally): 18°C

What this data shows is that, whilst triple glazing does provide higher energy efficiency by helping keep temperatures in your home a little higher, the difference between double glazing and triple glazing is quite small, only around 2-degrees. On the other hand, if you were upgrading your single glazing to double glazing, you would likely see a much larger improvement of around 10-15 degrees.

Ultimately, however, triple glazing has some advantages over double glazing, such as being more soundproof. It’s therefore important to consider the benefits of triple glazed windows to see if they’re suitable for your unique circumstances and whether they’re better than double glazing.

Where can triple glazing be used in the home?

Triple Glazed Windows

Windows is the most likely area you would want to consider installing triple glazing, as it’s where you are to see the most benefit, due to the surface area of the glass.

Modern windows come in a variety of styles, from casement, french, to tilt and turn, and triple glazing can be applied to these.

The only thing to watch out for with triple glazing is to mae sure that your window frame supports the additional weight. Sometimes it’s not as simple as taking out the existing double glazing and replacing it, but a qualified glazing company can help with this.

Triple Glazed Doors

If your door includes glass, then you might consider installing triple glazing in your door, particularly your back and front doors.

The energy performance of adding an additional layer of glazing to your door will be much smaller, due to the fact that the glass likely makes up a tiny proportion of the overall surface area; for this reason we generally wouldn’t recommend it.

How much does triple glazing cost?

The cost of triple glazing can vary wildly across the UK, and many factors can impact the cost.

The type of frame you use is one of the largest factors. uPVC frames are the more affordable option, whereas aluminium and timber will comparatively cost quite a bit more.

Triple glazing itself also has a price attached to it. Below are some examples of how much triple glazing might cost on average:

• 4 replacement windows in a 2-bedroom flat with triple glazing: £1,850 – £2,150
• 5 replacement windows in a 2-bedroom terraced house: around £2,500

For many, the cost of triple glazing simply won’t be worth the return you get, as the difference in heating bills will be minor.

Is triple glazing worth it?

With all of this in mind, you might be wondering if it is worth having triple glazing. The answer depends on your use case, but let’s take a look.

Reducing heating bills

Taking into account the data on how triple glazing performs against double glazing in terms of energy efficiency, we can see that the improvement is small, and is therefore not likely to lead to much improvement on your home’s energy bills.

With the most common reason for upgrading windows being to improve energy efficiency, it therefore becomes likely that triple glazing is not worth having, as the additional cost would outweigh any other financial improvement.

Making the home more soundproof

As triple glazing has an additional pane of glass, and therefore an addition section filled with Argon gas, a triple glazed window can help to soundproof your home.

Therefore, if you live on a busy main road, triple glazing might be a worthwhile consideration in order to reduce outside noise, and keep your home peaceful.

For those living on a quieter street, this is not likely to be of much benefit, unless you live in a particularly noisy household and are looking to reduce the amount of sound that leaves your home, so that you don’t disturb others.

Reducing condensation

As we have touched on a previous article on how triple glazed windows can help reduce condensation, it is a benefit of triple glazing.

The additional pane of glass means that cold air has further to travel, thereby reducing the chances of condensation forming. So if condensation is a problem in your property, triple glazing may be the solution.

Living in a colder climate

Where triple glazing becomes worthwhile is in much colder climates, such as Scandinavian countries. In the UK, that small increase in heat retention won’t feel like all that much, but in colder climates, it can make a larger difference in how comfortable the home feels. That’s why uptake of triple glazing is relatively low in the UK.

Looking for local glazing companies?

If you’re considering installing triple glazed windows or doors in your home, then why not take a look at our directory of local glazing companies who are able to advise on whether triple glazed windows would be beneficial for your property.

Just use our Find an Installer tool by entering your postcode.