The History Of Double Glazing

Double glazing didn’t start making an appearance in homes until the 1950s, and at the time it was associated with luxury living – available only to the better off. However, there is evidence that the idea originated even earlier – there are Victorian homes in Scotland that show evidence families added a second sheet of glass to windows in order to keep warmer in the harsh winters. It didn’t work quite as well as double glazed windows work today, but it was a start!

As ever, it was the Americans who began making it a consumer product, in the 1940s. It was marketed as ‘thermopane’ at the time and was an indication of wealth and class. It was at this time that double glazing started to use a vacuum between the two panes to improve insulation. Nowadays, that gap is filled with dehydrated air or an inert gas like argon to further improve energy saving – if you want to know more about how it works, read our blog here.

In the 1970s it began making its way across wider British society. New rules over fuel costs, which hiked up energy prices, caused consumers to think of new ways to make their homes more energy efficient and double glazing soon emerged as an excellent choice. Before this time, the cost of double glazing combined with relatively cheap energy meant there just wasn’t the incentive for an ordinary family to invest in it.

During the 1970s, the windows were generally made from aluminium but by the 1980s uPVC was becoming more common, imported from Germany. Generally cheaper and, at the time, easier to maintain than aluminium, uPVC made double glazing even more accessible for the average family.

Since the 1980s the technology has been tweaked and perfected, but the general principle is the same. Double glazing still is a brilliant way to save money on your energy bills. View our range of windows by clicking here, or get a free instant online quote here or you can call us on 0800 50 50 70 for a free design consultation.