Why eco-friendly homes need aluminium

But do you consider your home when you’re thinking eco?

The home is the hub of your life and as such, much of your activity takes place there. From choosing to recycle properly through to rainwater harvesting, composting and even installing solar panels, you can reduce the overall environmental impact of your home. However, many people fail to take the actual materials used on their home’s interior and exterior into account. To make your home as sustainable as possible, you must understand how your choice of materials influences your carbon footprint.

The evolution of materials

Homes were once built almost entirely of wood – a fairly eco-friendly material when harvested locally. However, as times moved forward so too did the process of industry. The UK, in particular, began to build more terraced brick properties to address a rapidly growing, denser population of people. Compared to wood, brick offers more strength and longevity. Because of this strength, they are still a popular house-building material as the initial carbon emissions used in the creation of the brick is offset by its lifespan.

However, many other parts of a home such as roofing and even window frames use inefficient, polluting materials. That’s why modern sustainability practices have focused on new, more ‘green’ construction materials such as recycled steel, pre-cast concrete and of course, aluminium.

Aluminium doors and windows, along with other modern methods such as natural loft insulation, can help boost thermal efficiency and therefore cut the amount of time you need to heat your home – reducing your energy usage and overall impact on the environment.

Aluminium as a green alternative

uPVC windows are the most common type of window in the UK. While they can be recycled, they are ultimately plastic products and will eventually end up in landfill. uPVC does degrade over time at a faster rate compared to aluminium, making it less efficient overall.

Aluminium can be recycled indefinitely. It requires less energy to produce than uPVC and far less than traditional steel. Steel windows require coal to produce, which is itself a highly impactful material to harvest. That’s why we recommend using aluminium to replace traditional steel windows and to upgrade from uPVC.

Historically, aluminium offered poor insulation but modern innovations mean it can now offer A++ ratings, the highest available. This means both your windows and doors can offer high thermal efficiency – reducing the need to heat your home and thereby reducing your overall carbon footprint.

In summary then, aluminium windows and doors are fantastic for creating more eco-friendly homes due to the following factors:

• Aluminium requires less energy expenditure to produce compared to uPVC and Steel.
• It is infinitely recyclable, unlike plastic.
• It offers high thermal and energy efficiency, reducing the heating demand and energy usage within your home.

Best of all, we can supply and fit our solutions quickly and efficiently to everything from modern new builds to older heritage homes. When taking action to reduce your impact on the planet, put your home’s materials into the equation and create a more eco-friendly environment with our aluminium windows.