Why I Invented A Better Way To Double Glaze EcoMaster

Maurice Beinat wanted all of the benefits of double glazing without replacing his perfectly good timber glazing. So, he invented a product that would change the way people double glaze their existing windows forever.

Less cost, less waste and a better result.

The criteria was to create a window insulation solution that would have all of the thermal qualities of traditional double glazing. It needed to keep the winter warmth in and the summer heat out – meaning that less heating and cooling is required, reducing gas and electricity bills to a minimum.

It had to be beautiful, blending perfectly with the existing joinery and satisfying even the most particular homeowner.

And it had to be applicable to all types of existing windows, allowing them to open and close normally without the need to remove anything.

So, in 2010 the ecoGlaze® System was born. The result is simple, but pure genius.

Check out this interview with the inventor of the ecoGlaze® Retrofit Double Glazing System to learn:

  • What’s wrong with single glazed windows?
  • How do we know if we need double glazing?
  • How does double glazing work?
  • Why is retrofit double glazing a better alternative to replacement double glazing?
  • How was the ecoGlaze® System developed?
  • Why do people choose ecoGlaze® over traditional double glazing?
  • How does retrofit double glazing reduce your energy use?

Can’t watch the video right now? Here’s a transcript:

ecoGlaze® Retrofit Double Glazing: Meet the Inventor, Maurice Beinat

“I’m Maurice Beinat, I’m the Chief Technical Officer and Co-Founder of ecoMaster, and I’ve invented a retrofit double glazing solution called ecoGlaze® in 2010.

WHAT’S WRONG WITH SINGLE GLAZING?
MB: So, the issue with single glazing is that glass is a highly conductive material. In fact, a while back, glass saucepans were the go, they’ve fallen out of favour now but it’s just a way to show that glass is highly conductive of heat. So, with single glazing in the wintertime, your heating is going to be continuously conducted out by the single glazing. And, in the summertime, the heat will be conducted in.


HOW CAN WE IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM?
MB: One of the main issues with single glazing is that, particularly in the wintertime, if you’re sitting near a window, you’ll actually feel your body heat radiating out through that surface. And you’ll notice, maybe you’ve even noticed at home or in a restaurant, you’ll notice how amazingly cold it is when you’re sitting by a window in the wintertime.


HOW DOES DOUBLE GLAZING WORK?
MB: Double glazing works by providing a still air space between two pieces of glass, or in our case with secondary glazing, between the glass and the ecoGlaze® panel. The important aspect is to have the still air space because the glass itself is highly conductive but air is not. Therefore, keeping a layer of air still between the two layers is how we improve the thermal performance of glass.

MB: Retrofit is a great way to deal with existing windows and doors that are still in really good condition. It makes little sense to just trash them to replace them. We can maintain the joinery in its current form and just add components that actually make it look better, in many cases, than it did before and we save the earth’s resources in doing that and we save money as well, and it provides all the benefits of traditional double glazing.


HOW DID YOU DEVELOP THE ecoGlaze® SYSTEM?
MB: ecoGlaze® has been a long journey in the development. What I wanted to do was to provide a system that not only worked well, but looked great as well. In my own home I have got good quality timber joinery with single glazing, so it was a perfect test bed to try things out.

Initially, my thought was to use real glass, and real spacer, like what is used in double glazing units in a factory, and we worked on that premise for a number of years. There were a number of issues associated with that. One is that there is an inherent danger working with pieces of glass in your home, it’s different in a factory, but in the home environment there’s actually quite a bit of danger involved when glass is not held in a frame. The other thing is that it was pretty messy with sealants, spacers and adhesives, and so on and in the end it was a very difficult retrofit process that we just weren’t able to simplify.

But what we wanted to do was to create something that worked well and looked really good, that looked really good but just wasn’t practical in the end. So we moved towards working with acrylic panel instead of glass and that really was a breakthrough.


WHAT DO PEOPLE LIKE MOST ABOUT IT?
MB: Most folks are surprised to see how good it looks on their windows. When I show them the samples they can see that it’s going to look quite good, but when the installation actually takes place they’re amazed by how good it looks. And, of course, especially if it’s custom coloured, if it’s painted to match the existing joinery or stained and varnished to match, it just goes in seamlessly.

We had a client the other day who called their neighbour in to show them and the neighbour just said “well, what am I looking at?”


HOW DOES ecoGl
aze® REDUCE YOUR ENERGY USE?
MB: When you insulate your windows with ecoGlaze® your home won’t need as much heating and cooling, you’re going to be more comfortable inside. And … less heating and cooling means it’s going to be better for the environment too.

Learn more about the benefits of ecoGlaze® Retrofit Double Glazing

If you’re looking for retrofit double glazing for windows, contact ecoMaster. For queries, get In touch via our Contact Form.

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