FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

There is no difference between the three terms – they are three ways of referring to the same material. The official term is actually PVC-U.

The abbreviation PVC stands for Poly Vinyl Chloride and the U stands for Un-plasticised. Poly Vinyl Chloride is often abbreviated to PVC and commonly used for many commonplace products, such as shoes, bags and fake leather.

In the late 1980’s in the UK, UPVC changed its name to PVC-U officially in order to be more consistent with other countries in Europe. In most European languages, the noun (PVC in this case) comes before the adjective (U).

Pure PVC-U is not suitable for windows and doors. Therefore, a tiny amount of additives are added to increase the lifetime of the products, in addition to weather resistance. These additives are also important for achieving the commonly seen white colour finish found on windows and doors.

A number of years ago, you could only get white windows and doors. Those days are long gone now. Although white windows and doors look great, you can now get a whole variety of colour finishes.

Permaframe has everything from classic white to more unique and on-trend shades such as Olive Grey and Matt Black. Whatever your colour preference, we can help you find the right shade.

We also have a number of woodgrain finishes, ranging from the rich elegance of Rosewood to more bold oak effect finishes and statement colours, such as Steel Blue and our best-selling Chartwell Green finish.

If you are unsure between two finishes, you may choose to have two different colours on the inside and outside of the window.

As defined by the BFRC Rating Scheme, an A+ rated window is the most energy efficient window available. This is the national system for rating how well windows retain heat within a building and it is recognised in the Building Regulations – all new and replacement windows must have a minimum WER of C or above.

Window Energy Ratings (often abbreviated to WER) indicate the energy efficiency of a window, in a similar way to how energy ratings are displayed on white goods. Most fridges, freezers and washing machines have an energy rating of A+ – G displayed on them.

If they are within your budget, we strongly suggest you replace your current windows with A or A+ windows to provide a high degree of thermal efficiency that will help decrease your energy bills.

If you want to receive more guidance on highly rated energy-efficient windows, get in touch with Permaframe.

The U-Value of any double or triple glazed window should be clearly labelled to detail the insulating qualities of a window. The lower the U-Value, the greater the insulation offered by the window.

A standard UPVC triple glazed window has a U-Value of just 1.0 W/m²k and it exceeds the thermal efficiency offered by some of the finest A-rated windows by 40%. The windows you choose must have a minimum U-Value of 1.6 W/m2.
If you require any more information on U-Values, a Permaframe advisor can help.

Secured by Design is a police-run initiative, formed to improve the security of buildings and their surroundings, in order to create safer places to live.

SBD’s product-based accreditation scheme – the Police Preferred Specification – is the recognised standard for products that can play a part in reducing crime. It includes domestic windows and doors, and their components, such as hinges and locks.

Our sister manufacturing company, Conservatory Outlet, is a member of Secured by Design. This means we have a wide selection of products that meet the high Secured by Design standards. If you are particularly interested in security, a Permaframe advisor can put your mind at rest by showcasing our ultra-secure windows and doors.

In order to meet the needs of our customers in Somerset, Permaframes range of Windows, Doors & Conservatories are manufactured by our Conservatory Outlet fabricator – operating from a manufacturing facility with the latest technological machinery.

In fact, with a large capacity, modern delivery fleets and Conservatory Outlet’s commitment to offering short lead times enables us to supply the products when our customers need them – and with impressive speed, efficiency and quality.

Before providing you with an accurate figure of costings, we will need to discuss a few things with you first, such as the window and door style, material, colour and performance preferences.

All our windows and doors are made-to-measure, tailored to your requirements and therefore we will need to take some measurements first.

We suggest you make a design appointment with Permaframe’s advisors to discuss your tailor-made windows and doors. This can occur at our Frome showroom or in the comfort of your own home.

Simply fill in the contact form on our website and someone will be in touch to arrange your free, no-obligation appointment.

It’s likely your initial appointment will last around 1 hour. This will give our designers enough time to grasp your requirements, take down any measurements and present you with our many window and door options.

To answer this we will need to know how many windows and doors will be installed and how complex the project is. However, to give you a rough idea, it generally takes around 3-4 days to install a full set of windows. Once you’ve spoken with a Permaframe advisor, they will be able to give you a more accurate time frame for installation.