Secondary glazing involves installing a “secondary” window, i.e. a fully independent internal window, on the room side of your existing primary window.

Fitting an internal secondary window forms double glazing with your existing single glazed window. The secondary window is a separate unit consisting of a single glazed pane within its own frame and is fitted on the room side of your existing windows and sealed around the edges.

The range of secondary windows includes horizontal sliders, vertical sliders, top hung, side hung, double side hung, lift-outs, and removable fixed panels fitted onto the back of doors.

What are the benefits of secondary glazing?

Secondary glazing is a cost effective way of improving heat retention and sound reduction in your home, as well as providing some additional security.

It can be a great less expensive alternative to replacing double or triple glazed primary windows.

Secondary windows units usually have separate handles and open so that you can get access to clean and open your primary windows.

Secondary glazing can result in significant cost savings

Secondary glazing is considerably cheaper and easier to fit than replacement windows because it doesn’t require complete removal and replacement of your existing windows.

Heat loss is reduced with secondary glazing

A major long-term benefit of secondary glazing is the heat retention properties. This is because it adds a second layer of glass behind your existing primary windows that reduces both the amount of warm air that can escape from your home and the amount of cold air that can enter.

The heat generated from your heating system will remain inside rather than escaping through inefficient windows, and there will be fewer draughts, making you feel warmer. Your heating bills could drop substantially as your home becomes more energy efficient, great for you and great for the environment.

Experience less external noise with secondary glazing

Secondary glazing also acts as an extra physical barrier against outside noise, reducing the amount of sound coming into your home through (closed) windows.

This noise reduction can be further improved by installing special sound-reducing laminate glass, or by having a gap of at least 100 mm between the secondary and primary window and lining the window head and reveals in between with acoustic tiles.

Knowing how to stop condensation on single glazed windows can be an endless challenge. If you have an older property, single glazing can be a huge factor in retaining its character and it would be understandable if you didn’t want to get rid of it.

But apart from condensation, damp and mould, there’s a whole range of issues that single glazed windows present. You’ll find your home feeling much colder than other people’s because they’re not energy efficient at all. They’re also less secure and can easily be broken.

Figuring out how to stop condensation on single glazed windows can be a comparatively simple process. You can deal with it in five quick and easy ways…

1. Wipe down the condensation each morning with a dry cloth

While this isn’t a permanent solution, you’ll at least be getting rid of it on a daily basis before it has a chance to drip down and rot the window frame.

2. Improve your home’s ventilation

Many forms of interior wall insulation will also provide a layer of ventilation so that dampness and condensation doesn’t occur. Alternatively, during warmer months, you could leave your windows open by night so that any damp air will go outside instead of making your windows steam up. For colder months, consider buying a dehumidifier if you can’t make room in your budget for some wall insulation. While this will add to your electricity bills, the damper rooms in your home will become a more sustainable environment to live in.

Don’t forget the importance of leaving a gap between furniture and the wall so that air can circulate around rooms more freely, and shutting doors to rooms which produce moist air like the bathroom and kitchen.

3. Check that it actually is condensation

Wetness on the inside of single glazed windows could actually be because of something else. You could have rain seeping in through the window frame, rising damp, or a leaking pipe. If your home has been newly built, there could still be water drying that was used during its construction for things like plaster. If you determine what the source of your wet windows is first, you’ll be able to find the solution much more easily.

4. Improve your home’s insulation

By improving your home’s loft insulation and wall insulation, and draught proofing windows and outside doors, your home will release less CO² and have much lower fuel bills. When your entire home has a more controlled warmth, condensation is less likely to form. You won’t have to turn on your heating as much, which is the source of most condensation. It forms when warm air hits a cold surface, and better insulation will reduce how much artificial warmth you need.