Pilkington Legacy transforms Edinburgh homes

Pilkington Energikare Legacy has provided Scotland with an example of how to install energy efficient glazing in listed homes without compromising their character.

Sustainable energy and historic property experts Changeworks, specified and installed Pilkington Energikare Legacy in a category B listed Georgian tenement, in a social housing refurbishment in Edinburgh where refurbishment of this kind had previously been prohibited by the council.

As a result of the project, the council is likely to update its planning policy for windows in listed buildings.

Pilkington Energikare Legacy provides similar energy efficiency performance to standard replacement low-e double glazing but in a much thinner profile.

Prior to the refurbishment, Changeworks measured the U-value of the listed buildings' single-glazed windows at 5.5.

Pilkington Energikare Legacy glazing system has improved the U-value to 1.4.

The result is effective thermal performance from a unit fractionally as thick as a standard IGU.

Pilkington Energikare Legacy utilises two panes of glass separated by a gap of 0.2mm, compared to a typical 16mm gap in traditional double glazing.

The glazing's overall thickness of 6mm provides an aesthetically pleasing glazing solution where a slim profile is needed and a thermally efficient window.

Moving to glazing with a low U value while keeping high solar transmission from single glazing can save more than GBP300 per year on heating costs, and around 32 tonnes of CO2 over the lifetime of the window, in a typical 3 bed semi detached property.

Pilkington Energikare Legacy utilises advanced Pilkington Spacia technology.

This consists of an outer pane of low-emissivity glass and an inner pane of clear float, with a vacuum rather than air or another gas in between.

A detailed project report will be available from Changeworks in May 2010, which includes details of all systems trialled together with the results of U-value and embodied energy monitoring.

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