JANEX LEADS THE WAY WITH PRODUCTS FOR SUSTAINABLE HOMES
Janex’s R&D department has been working for the last 2 years, on developing new timber window and door products to help UK house builders achieve the highest possible standards in sustainability, with all the environmental concerns top of the technical specification.
In December 2006, the UK Government launched the Code for Sustainable Homes – the new national standard for the design and construction of new homes. The latest technical guidance manual was issued in April 2008, and a mandatory rating against the Code was implemented for new homes in England and Wales from 1st May 2008. Scotland continues to use Ecohomes 2006 to determine the green credentials of the overall development. This puts new home builders under pressure to deliver the maximum number of points for sustainability, and Janex has been developing new window products to help them meet those standards.
The Code measures the sustainability of a new home against categories of sustainable design, rating the “whole home” as a complete package. The Code uses a 1 – 6 star rating system to communicate the overall sustainability performance of a new home and in England, replaces the EcoHomes scheme developed by the Building Research Establishment (BRE)
The Code gives new home buyers better information about the environmental impact of their new home and its potential running costs, and offers builders a tool with which to differentiate themselves in sustainability terms.
The Code for Sustainable Homes awards the maximum number of points for pre-finished timber windows with water-based paint systems. These windows provide long service life lowering the cost in use.
The Scandinavians have a long track record of developing and making products from timber from sustainable sources, and products which meet much higher building regulation demands than those in the UK, for performance in wind and water tightness.
Janex products have always been tested and certified, to meet and exceed British Standards.
