Clearview Midlands November 2013 - Issue 144 | Page 4

FROMTHEEDITOR HOPE AND OPTIMISM I’d like to open this, the November issue of Clearview, by congratulating GM Fundraising’s Hope 66 Team, and indeed all those who supported them with sponsorship and donations, on successful completion of their epic challenge and smashing the £150,000 target. A considerable amount of time and dedication has been put into this ambitious charity fundraiser and everyone involved should be duly commended for their efforts. Get the full story on page 25 and find out how Quickslide helped to boost the final tally with its own UKbased activities on page 14, proving just exactly what we can achieve when we all pull together. Equally encouraging is the report from installer support body, CPA, which reveals an optimistic outlook among installers on the glass and glazing industry and the economy as a whole on page 24. Look out for the exclusive article giving a more in-depth analysis of the findings in our December issue. This optimism is corroborated by the various reports of growth in this issue, such as Glazerite on page 6 and Freefoam on page 24. Finalists for the G13 awards were announced last month and on page 32 we hear from some of the hopefuls and the categories for which they’ve been nominated and are hoping to be triumphant at the event that takes place later this month. On page 56 Peter Dyer opens our new dedicated timber section by discussing the size and potential of this specialist part of the fenestration industry, as well as discussing the levels of quality that are being achieved so as to continuously adapt in a considerably changing market. In response to demand from its registered businesses, BFRC has launched a homeowners window energy rating certificate, giving homeowners proof of the energy efficiency of their windows on page 72. And to clear up confusion regarding the responsibility for testing warm edge spacers, BFRC aims to give clarification to the situation in the article below. Becky Taylor, Editor. www.clearview-uk.com VALIDATED CONDUCTIVITY VALUES FOR WARM EDGE SPACERS There have been a number of articles and letters in the glazing trade media claiming that the responsibility for testing warm edge spacers now lies with the European Warm Edge Working Party. This is incorrect at present. The European Warm Edge Working Party is run by Bundesverband Flachglas (BF) a trade organisation made up of flat glass manufacturers, spacer bar manufacturers and others. It is the leading authority in this field and receives technical input from organisations such as IFT Rosenheim and the MultiPane Insulating Glass Quality Association. 4 NOV 2013 Working with the European Warm Edge Working Party is a proposal from BFRC, which was to have become effective January 2014, but might now be delayed because BF has changed the criteria it uses to undertake these tests. This proposal has always needed to be agreed and accepted by the majority of warm edge spacer bar manufacturers. Discussions are continuing, in fact most manufacturers attended a meeting about exactly this subject, hosted by the GGF, on 27th September. The reasons BFRC proposed this route are that the European Warm Edge Working Party uses the most currently relevant tests and has the support of the majority of manufacturers. All European spacer bar manufacturers, and some from outside Europe, are voluntarily members of this Working Party. Until this proposal becomes effective, BFRC is only asking manufacturers to use BF Datasheets “where possible” and will accept data from other accredited sources, providing they are fully compliant with BS T?sr?#?#"??( ?$e$2?27G&?f??rF?W7F&?6???WfV?????rf?V?B?Bf?"?@?66WFVB?WF??BF?6?7V?FP?6??GV7F?f?G?f?VW2?( ?6???V?FV@?6?&?2???R?$e$2???v??p?F?&V7F?"??( ?F??2?2??v??6???6FV@?7V&?V7Bv?F????W?G&V?V??6??WF?F?fR?B6???W&6?????6V?6?F?fR?&?WB??bF?R$e$26???VBF?R6V7F?"F?6??6V?7W2?@????r?FW&?w&VV?V?B?Bv???6fP?F?R??Vf7GW&W'2&?F?F??R?@????W??( ???6Rw&VV?V?B?2&VV??f???6VB?F?V?$e$2v?????R?????V?6V?V?B??f?"gW'F?W"??f?&?F?????V6P?6??F7C??26?&?R?$e$2??FVâ#r?3??#???V??â?6?&?T&g&2??&p??F?&VB??&R?f?6?Bwwr?6?V'f?Wr?V??6???