Important source
As October 1st 2010 approaches, and the changes to the Building Regulations come into force, the Glass & Glazing Federation (GGF) is telling consumers that it is the best organisation to advise on Window Energy Ratings, and to provide added protection within the industry.
The GGF total annual turnover for its members is in excess of £1.5 billion and it is responsible for Fensa, the Competent Persons Scheme for the Replacement Window and Door Industry with over 9,100 Registered Businesses.
Fensa allows companies to have a simple route to register installations and compliance economically and efficiently. More than seven million homeowner certificates have been issued and 28% of households in England and Wales have used a FENSA registered installer.
GGF’s members benefit from its close association with the BSI on the production of Standards for the industry. GGF Technical Staff sit on all British, European (CEN) and International (ISO) Standards meetings to ensure the Industry’s opinions are heard and understood. Where no Standards have been finalised or are not yet available, the GGF produces Technical Datasheets to provide the necessary detail to allow the Membership and Industry as a whole to function correctly.
Underpinning the GGF’s relationship with the consumer and the homeowner is the Federation’s Code of Good Practice and Customer Charter. These protect the consumer by guaranteeing that GGF member Companies will behave honestly and fairly.
The Code of Good Practice puts the consumer’s mind at rest for a number of issues, including:
• Honest sales procedures
• Deposit protection (via GGF Fund Ltd)
• An open structural survey
• Products manufactured in accordance with all relevant standards
• Installation in accordance with all relevant standards
• Fully insured installers
• Guaranteed products and installation
• Availability for Insurance backing of guarantees
• Furthermore, if the consumer has any complaints that cannot be settled satisfactorily with the Member Company, the GGF can provide a free, correspondence-based conciliation service.
In a bid to help consumers understand the benefits of energy efficient windows, the GGF also produced (and widely promoted) the Energy Saving Calculator. Approved by the Energy Savings Trust (EST), the Calculator allows sales teams as well as the householder, to see the actual benefits of fitting energy efficient windows by way of cash savings on energy bills and reduced emissions.
“The GGF is constantly working hard to produce and promote tools that improve the quality of installations and protect the interests of the consumer,” Nigel Rees, GGF chief executive, said.
