by T EWING
•
06 Jan, 2020
We feel very fortunate to live in a little cottage in the heart of a conservation area in Edinburgh, built in the 1860’s. With the aesthetic benefits of living in a lovely old property however come challenges too, particularly with insulation and heating an old stone-built property with sash windows. Over the years we fully insulated and sympathetically modernised the back of the cottage but we were limited with what we could do to the front of the house, governed by conservation rules. In particular, one bedroom with three external walls and two big sash windows with the original wooden shutters, proved to be a major challenge. We had already upgraded the original sash windows with conservation double glazing, but this is still very thin and made no discernible difference to the warmth or insulation of the room. I also fitted bigger radiators but, of course, all this valuable heat was simply escaping out of the poorly insulated old sash windows. Because I feel very strongly that all of us have a responsibility to protect the environment, it also felt so wrong to be pumping heat uselessly into this part of the house for it simply to evaporate out of the windows. I also dabbled with a dehumidifier to suck out the moisture from the air but, despite my best efforts, the windows continued to drip with moisture in the winter months. So, I had a conundrum - I love old buildings and believe that their aesthetic integrity needs to be protected. But I also knew that I had to find a healthier solution for this bedroom as it was potentially extremely hazardous for my health too. The problem Condensation eventually leads to mould if the source of the problem is not tackled effectively. Mould, in turn, can be very dangerous to asthmatics and people with respiratory conditions like me. I realised that I was stuck between a rock and a hard place – we’re not allowed full double glazing in my area and conventional secondary glazing looks inauthentic and would mean also that I had to give up my shutters too. This was a step too far for me as I felt it would devalue the original features of the cottage. What to do? The solution Glaze & Save. Through a new online search, I easily found this local, Scottish company that seemed to offer something quite different to the rest of the market and could actually meet my demanding brief in every way. After my initial online enquiry, the owner herself, Tanya Ewing, responded and shortly after visited our home to review the problem first hand – at the weekend! Tanya immediately understood my problem and outlined the solution. My brief was this – “can you provide me with a solution for my sash windows and bedroom that eradicates my condensation and mould problem; creates a healthy air environment; is eco-friendly and sustainable; is professionally fitted; is sympathetic to old buildings and allows me to still keep my old shutters? Oh yes, and one more thing, it needs to be virtually invisible to the eye and in no way detract from the aesthetics of the original building?” I felt like the client from hell. Luckily the answers were all ‘yes, of course!’. What is different about Glaze and Save? The big difference is the huge amount of research and science that has gone into the creation of these clever secondary, magnetic thermal panels (called InvisiTherm®) made of really light but strong transparent polycarbonate – not cheap acrylic or Perspex like the DIY alternatives. This means that they are easy to lift on and off, when I need to clean or open the windows, but simple to fit back on. The clever technology in the material really insulates the window and room well so it is now warmer overall and heat loss has been hugely reduced, which is good for the environment. I personally refer to them as my ‘healthy windows’ because that is what all the science really boils down to - they actually seem to allow the room to ‘breath’ and keep the windows lovely and dry, even after a freezing night. The result? Here’s the exciting bit. For the first winter since buying my house 20 odd years ago, I have had absolutely no condensation in my troublesome bedroom and the mould is a distant memory. I feel, at last, I can safely sleep in this room as an asthmatic and the air I’m breathing is healthier. It also means my old windows will last much longer and I have kept my lovely shutters. Finally, the windows are so discreet that no one notices them – a weird selling point I know but ‘invisible windows’ are just fine with me. Ruth F, Edinburgh