If you have single-glazed windows and want to make a change, you're probably going to end up choosing between double-glazing and secondary glazing.

With double-glazed windows, two panes of glass are fitted with a very small gap between them. This gap is filled with an inert gas, usually argon, or can create a vacuum. With secondary glazing, the original single-glazed window is retained, then supplementary glazing is added on the inside, essentially creating a whole new set of windows within the home.

Both options come with their own distinct advantages, so make sure you take time needed to weigh them up so you can make the right decision to meet your needs.

The Benefits of Double-Glazing

Double-glazing is the preferred choice for most homeowners, and that's no accident. Using double-glazed windows instead of opting for secondary glazing provides you with a number of compelling advantages, and the most important is probably the fact that double-glazing offers a more permanent solution.

Though more work is required in order to fit double-glazed windows, once they are done they will last for a very long time. Furthermore, double-glazed windows look a lot more professional, whereas adding a secondary set of windows inside the home is going to look a little busy. Double-glazing also comes with some great practical benefits. For example, the fact that the gap between the two panes contains either a heavy inert gas or a complete vacuum, double-glazed windows are far better at preventing energy from escaping your home than going with secondary-glazing.

The Benefits of Secondary Glazing

Secondary glazing might lack the benefits listed above, but it does come with plenty of its own. Probably the most common reason people have for using it instead of double-glazing is that the costs will be lower. With double-glazing the whole window and frame will need to be removed and replaced, and this needs to be professionally done since that window is responsible for blocking entry to your house. Secondary glazing projects, in contrast, only require another pane to be added, so the work is less extensive, less expensive, and can be carried out by a handy homeowner.

Also, secondary glazing is superior in terms of sound insulation. Its lack of inert gas or a vacuum means that it isn't quite as good as double-glazing at preventing heat loss, but the fact that there is a much larger gap between the two panes does mean that sound won't be able to invade your home quite so easily.