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From regular handwashing to reduced physical contact, people are adopting more and more ways to ensure they stay safe and healthy during the pandemic. But, did you know there are changes you can make to your home to help with this that go beyond basic hygiene and social distancing.

In our latest #StaySafeWithMyGlazing article, we’re going to look at how you can make your home as healthy as possible – helping to safeguard you, your family, friends and anyone that enters your property.

Health and wellbeing in the home are of increasing importance to homeowners now, yet despite this, some may still be surprised by the direct impact windows and doors and conservatories can have on their quality of life. For example, access to natural light and air quality are all affected by your glazing, especially if your windows, doors or conservatories are more than twenty years old.

The impact of natural light on personal wellbeing

During lockdown, 12% of people have made changes to their property to increase the amount of natural light in the home. This is largely due to its proven benefits for our mental health and wellbeing. Increased exposure to natural lighting can also reduce symptoms associated with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). The body releases serotonin – the ‘happy hormone’ – during prolonged periods in natural light. Just 30 minutes a day is enough to meet the average daily requirements.

With this in mind, it is important to include sources of natural light into your home’s interior design. Choosing skylight, lightwell or fanlight windows for your will allow natural light to flood your loft or extension living spaces, as well as in difficult to light spaces such as hallways and staircases. Similarly, large windows that face the sun during daylight hours, bifold doors, conservatories and orangeries can help you to reap the benefits of natural light within your home.

Help establish a routine

Natural light is also one of the most effective tools for regulating the body’s internal clock. Allowing the sun to wake you up in the morning is one of the least disruptive ways of starting a new day. Having windows within the bedroom that face the direction the sun rises can help with this.

Of course, with early starts for work and darker mornings during the winter months, this isn’t always possible. Nevertheless, spending just one hour a day in natural sunlight can improve sleep quality and make your morning routine that much easier.

Energy savings in the home

Installing modern glazing can not only allow natural light into a room, it can also reduce your energy costs and provide many wellbeing benefits. Did you know that up to 24% of heat energy can leave a house through inefficient glazing? This means having energy-efficient windows and doors in a property significantly contributes to the warmth and comfort of a home further improving the health and lifestyle.

As well as preventing heat loss in your home, modern energy efficient glazing can also assist with heating your home. This is known as Solar gain and is an effective form of passive heating as heat rays from the sun is are able to pass through the glass in a window or door and heat the building itself, further contributing to energy savings in the home.

Ventilation

It’s important that your home has access to proper ventilation and a stream of fresh air during the pandemic. Whilst the summer months are great for opening up a window, when winter descends, temperatures drop and we experience more rainy days, cracking open a window just doesn’t seem neither appropriate or appealing.

That’s why ensuring your windows have trickle vents can see you reap the benefits of fresh air and good ventilation. Trickle vents are small openings in a window that allow a small amount of air to pass from one side of the window to the other, enabling an easy air flow without having to open your window or door. They can also reduce condensation and moisture in the air which can lead to mould further impacting health and in particular respiratory illnesses.

If you are improving your home to make your home healthier, we’d love to see it, so make sure you tag us on Instagram and Twitter using @MyGlazing. And if you do need to hire a home improvement company, read our Safe Guide to ensure you keep you, your family, friends and your tradespeople safe during these unusual times.

When you have decided to go ahead with your home improvement, you should discuss and agree with the company you are employing, how and when you are going to pay for the work.

The following advice should help and protect you through the payment process.

Deposits  

Many companies ask for a deposit before they start a job, mainly because they have to pay for materials and labour to produce the glazing products you have ordered. So be prepared to pay an average 20% of the full payment upfront as a deposit. You should always ask if a Deposit Indemnity Scheme is available to cover your deposit.

Before paying a deposit, you should ensure it is protected.

The home improvement and in particular the window and door industry used to have numerous Deposit Indemnity Schemes to cover deposits, but due to the COVID-19 outbreak, a number of insurance providers have now suspended or withdrawn deposit protection cover. So it could be extremely difficult to find any deposit protection for windows, doors, conservatories or any glazing related home improvements.

Protecting your deposit payment

In the absence of Deposit Indemnity Cover and to protect your deposit it is best to pay by credit which protects payments under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act.

If you pay by credit, you may be able to get your money back through your bank if something goes wrong, e.g. the contractor doesn’t turn up or goes bust and refuses to pay back your deposit. If this happens and you have paid over £100 via credit you can contact your bank and say you want to use the ‘chargeback’ scheme and you want to ‘make a section 75 claim’. The rules surrounding payments made by Debit Card are different and such mechanisms do not often provide recourse via Section 75. We would therefore always recommend speaking to your card issuer to establish what protection is available prior to making any advance payment on a contract.

Always ask for a receipt for any deposit paid and do not pay cash as your deposit will not be protected.

Deposits and Competent Persons Schemes

Whoever you employ to replace your windows and doors, if your property is in England and/or Wales you will have to register the installation through a company who is in a Competent Person Scheme (CPS) such as FENSA or through your local authority building control. Make sure you ask the company about your windows or doors being legally registered and at the end of the job make sure the company provides your FENSA certificate.

Historically Competent Person Schemes have had deposit warranty cover as a requirement of being a member of their scheme.  Since the COVID-19 pandemic and with given the current situation around deposit warranty cover, Competent Person Schemes have suspended this requirement.

Payment Plan

Prior to signing the contract for your home improvement, it is advisable to have in writing, the payment plan and the timeframe and conditions around the payment. Most companies should have the payment conditions and timings in their Terms and Conditions of Contract. However, please check you are agreeable to them prior to signing. If there is anything in the contract that asks for cash payments then it is advisable not to sign it.

Pay in Stages

This is a good idea, particularly if it’s a big job because it means problems can be put right before you make the final payment. Be clear that you are satisfied with the work or if there are any problems when payments are due.

Next steps

The above advice is aimed to help you protect your payments when you are making improvements to your home. MyGlazing.com recommends you use companies who are members of the Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF), the industry’s leading trade body. GGF Member companies operate to the highest professional standards and to the GGF Consumer Code of Practice which has been approved by Chartered Trading Standards Institute.

To find your nearest GGF Members Company simply use the MyGlazing.com Find a Company Directory at the top of this page.

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