Energy Comparison

Replacement windows consume up to 40 times more energy!

It should be obvious that a window renovation process, which retains much of the existing material, has clear environmental benefits over manufacturing replacement windows. However, many people fail to consider the whole picture and wider implications. Here we explain the facts behind renovation versus replacement.

Whole Life Costs

Whole life cost is the measurement of the total environmental impact as it assesses a product’s environmental impact from cradle to grave or put another way, from the extraction of raw materials to disposal of the product at the end of its life.

Energy Comparison

Renovating windows rather than replacing them retains the carbon store or invested energy, from the original manufacturing process. This provides a vast saving in energy from extracting raw materials through to the processing of these into finished products as the diagram below illustrates.

Data extracted from the School of Engineering, Napier University (Life Cycle of Window Materials) and the Embodied Energy Study by Victoria University of Wellington.

Recycling/Disposal

It’s a simple equation: Minimal waste = less material sent to landfill or for recycling

By renovating windows, Ventrolla’s system effectively recycles materials at source, which minimises waste. This is an important environmental benefit when compared to U-PVC, where:

• 82% of U-PVC goes to landfill
• 43% of U-PVC is made up of non-renewable resources
• 15% of U-PVC is incinerated
• Only 3% of U-PVC is recycled

Environmental Benefits of Window Renovation:

• Uses 1/40th of the energy of replacement
• Material sent to landfill is reduced
• Use of finite resources is minimised
• Invested energy or carbon store is retained

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