Other options that affect how much double glazing costs
Apart from the style and material of a double glazed window, there are other factors that will impact on the cost of new double glazed windows.
Size - it might seem obvious but a large living room picture window is going to cost significantly more than a small toilet window.
This is the main reason why it's so difficult to answer the question of how much does double glazing cost.
Energy rating/quality of glass - glass might look all the same but there is a huge difference between the quality of energy efficiency performance.
When buying new double glazing look at the thermal efficiency, the solar gain and the air leakage values. A window rated A++ is the highest rated across all of the above and should be what you choose to make the investment in double glazing worth it.
Furniture and finish - door handles, locks, number of opening windows, colour and any grain effects all need to be factored into the double glazing cost.
Cheap windows might not include extras and you will need to pay more for upgrades to get the handle or locks that you want. Don't underestimate how much the finishing touches can add to a basic price.
How much is double glazing for a 3-bed house?
When budgeting the double glazing cost for a 3-bed house you will need a price for how many windows there are.
An average 3-bed semi-detached house has 3-4 windows at the front and back = 8 windows.
An average small detached house has 4 windows front and back and 2 on the side = 10 windows.
Double glazing or triple glazing?
Just when you got used to buying double glazed windows, along came triple glazed to throw another option into the equation.
The benefits of triple glazed are:
- Thermal efficiency - an extra pane of glass with more argon gas sandwiched between boosts the A+ rating to A++ and the highest rating a window can have. The result is a reduction in energy bills and a warmer house.
- Soundproofing - acoustic glass can reduce sound by 40 dB and make a road seem four times further away.
- Security - one more pane of glass to get through makes a window with serious resistance.
The Energy Saving Trust endorses triple glazing but is it worth it? As we answered above, is double glazing worth it, how much better can upgrading to triple glazing be?
The cost of triple glazing is 10-20% more than double glazing so can you save enough on your energy bills to justify the extra cost?
The predominant reason to consider triple glazing over double glazing would be if you live in a noisy area. If you are situated next to a loud road this can significantly affect the quality of your sleep.
Otherwise, unless you want to enhance your energy efficiency, double glazing is still the most efficient choice of window.