i have a question -

when the end user has had their A rated window fitted and some little herbert smashes a fanlight in it for them, the customer will presumably call a local glazier?
what happens to the A rated window when the glazier puts a new sealed unit in? presumably the whole window loses its energy rating as it was not factory glazed? or the local glazier does not have an account with the Glass shop 150 miles away who supplied the fram fabricator.
do we now have to take the whole window out and send it back to the original frame fabricator to keep a energy rating on the window?
i cant see how under the current scheme any other way for the window to keep its WER rating,
answers on a post card to the BFRC or GGF

Dear G,

I write to regarding the impending implementation of WER's and there possible impact upon our business and other IGU manufacturers.

We as you may or not know are reasonably large IGU manufacturers in the North West producing in the region 1400 double glazed units per day at peak
capacity.

We have this week witnessed a scenario which we predicted would happen last year, I will explain. We have as a customer a VEKA frame fabricator who has
now achieved WER's this customer in turn has an installation department and also a trade counter. The fabricator contacted me for a meeting to discuss
prices (a reduction) and explain his business strategy for this year. In simple terms the fabricator has now decided to sell my glass with his frames through his trade department so that he can offer his customers a window energy rated window. Here lies the problem, his trade customers are also my trade customers, whilst I won't suffer any loss of volume and I now only have one delivery address, I will suffer a large loss in profit margin and also I have a concentrated debt and consequently higher risk in one customer rather spreading the risk with several customers. There are also other issues to consider; again I can give you a scenario which will happen.

We have customer in Fleetwood (a traditional fishing port) who happens to buy his frames from a firm in East Lancashire, he probably doesn't want the hassle or cost of obtaining an installers certificate or go down the
independent testing route, consequently we will probably lose this customer of 15 years as he will buy his glass from his frame supplier. This customer however because of his location in Fleetwood happens to fit a lot of refurbished leaded lights triple glazed and also have a large amount of bespoke artwork on his glass. The design that springs to mind most often is a trawler design which we have manufactured on many occasion, what will happen when this customer wants to copy this design? He will approach his frame supplier to approach his glass supplier to travel to Fleetwood to copy the design and manufacture it, the glass supplier in turn will probably refuse to do this or if they do will charge accordingly. If the glass supplier refuses then undoubtedly we will be approached to manufacture the
glass, if we agree then the window sold in theory will not have a WER and if we disagree to manufacture as is the likely option we leave the customer high and dry. To take it even further if the new glass company copies our
"trawler design" we could also have a case under copyright law, the same problem and scenario will occur with leaded lights and other bespoke and specialised glass.

Whilst we back WER's I feel that as it stands the whole process has not taken the IGU companies into consideration and the focus has been too much
on the frame fabricators and profile manufacturers. We are at present expected to manufacture a better performing product with more expensive components for no gain and run the risk of increased debt exposure as the new regulations appear already to be creating "Super Buyers".

As a fully compliant and certified manufacturer of EN1279 double glazed units I am sure the BFRC can make it possible for us to be able to supply an
independent installer his glass requirements and the window company the window, with the certificate whilst limiting the hassle to the installer, I am sure FENSA could police this.

Another point I feel needs raising and perhaps long term is more important are the advances in glass and components, currently as I interpret the regulations once a fabricator has achieved an A they are sitting pretty and have no incentive to upgrade to better performing glass, spacer bar or desiccants as this will involve re testing or simulation and of course
expense. Surely this undermines the whole idea of WER's we want to save energy do we not? If a better performing glass comes along then what incentive does the window company have to switch and improve? There must be scope within the scheme at little or no expense to be able to change to better performing and products?

We are also now being dictated to by our customers on what products we supply them, consequently we are now stocking three low E products two low Iron glasses and four types of spacer bar, we know what the best combination is for our customers but they tell us what they have to have based on which of the glass suppliers or spacer bar manufacturers did the best selling job
on the profile supplier and consequently got their simulations completed.

I could go on with more points and observations, but undoubtedly you have probably had numerous emails like this, I honestly fear for the future of our industry if the implementation of WER's goes ahead as it stands, there will be utter chaos and turmoil in October and rather than rid the industry of the "cowboy element" once and for all I feel it will attract this unsavoury side of the business back into the limelight.

I would appreciate your comments and thoughts.

James ,
You are absolutely correct in all but one point , your last one. It could easily be argued that the whole scheme is designed to protect the market for K glass, as if it were left to falling U values Pilks would soon be left without anything to sell. Therefore the scheme could have had a knock on effect to keep the smaller IGU makers going ,if they can't do soft coat they too could soon be without a product to sell . If the WER were to be seen as this by the CLG and dropped, then the S**t would hit the fan at the GGF ....big time!!

I have been speaking today to various suppliers and i simply cannot believe how many people are still totally unaware of how this is going to affect us,
my glass supplier simply says just switch to a new coated glass, you can make A rated units with that, this is basically what my tougheners say as they dont think there will be any thing to worry about at all.
they have totally failed to grasp that its not down to what we the igu manufacturer can make,
All of us can make a A rated unit with part 3 of bsen1279 and energykare or equivalant,
it is entirely down to what the frame suppliers can make and what certification they can produce with it. if a frame manufacturer has no wer rating by october he is stuffed, as is his IGU supplier,
those with a WER rating will have no reason to ever change to another IGU supplier unless he is using exactly the same glass, sealents, dessicants, etc from exactly the same suppliers as the previous IGU supplier. (good old freedom of trade)
how can MAJOR suppliers in this industry be so totally unaware of how much their business stands to shrink in the very near future, the only major supplier who has fought our corner to my knowledge is Thermoseal, why do Thermoseal have to fight alone with the little help we can give as small businesses, if we lobby our toughened glass and glass suppliers to help surely it adds more weight to the argument,
either that or they are simply to ignorant to understand whats about to happen and will moan after they have lost 70% of their client base
I toyed with joining the GGF but seeing as its the Glass and Glazing federation which owns the BFRC which is killing us all off in the glass industry and looking after the frame manufacturers instead they can poke my joining fee somewhere else

I've just been looking at some info supplied by Edgetech.
It seems that if I rated my sealed units in a frame made using Linear section I could probably achieved a 'C' rating by using K / Optiwhite and Aluminium spacer.
If I ditched the aluminium spacer and replaced it with Swiss Spacer V I could get a 'B'
and by adding argon I could get an 'A'.
If the October plan was to force all the upvc extruders to come up with a frame section that was as good as Linear then all complications would disappear and hundreds of licenses would not be needed.
The answer has been there all along, I can't believe we all missed it.
I must tell the BFRC...Simples!