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Secondary Glazing SpecialistsImproving sound insulation in listed buildings
Sound insulation is crucial for maintaining a peaceful living environment in listed buildings, ensuring comfort without compromising their historical integrity. Secondary glazing offers a practical solution, providing significant noise reduction while preserving the original aesthetics of your home.
Understanding the Challenge
Historic homes often feature single-glazed windows, which over time may develop gaps due to wear and distortion. These gaps allow external noises—such as traffic or neighbourhood activities—to infiltrate your living space, disrupting comfort and tranquillity. Replacing the original windows may not be feasible due to preservation regulations and the desire to maintain the property’s authentic character.
Secondary Glazing: A Practical Solution
Secondary glazing involves installing an additional, discreet internal window alongside the existing one. This method is particularly advantageous for listed buildings and properties in conservation areas, as it preserves the external appearance and often does not require planning permission. The added layer creates an insulating barrier, effectively reducing unwanted noise.
To optimise the soundproofing benefits of secondary glazing, consider the following factors:
- Air Gap: A gap of 100–200 mm between the existing window and the secondary glazing is recommended for optimal sound insulation, as it disrupts sound waves more effectively.
- Glass Thickness: Using different glass thicknesses in the primary and secondary glazing enhances noise reduction. For example, if the original window has 4mm glass, selecting a 6mm or thicker glass for the secondary glazing can improve performance.
- Professional Installation: Ensuring a precise fit with high-quality seals prevents sound from bypassing the glazing, maintaining the integrity of the soundproofing system.
Impact of Glass Thickness on Noise Reduction
The thickness of the glass plays a significant role in sound insulation. Laboratory tests have shown that:
- 6mm glass: Provides approximately 50dB of sound reduction.
- 10.8mm glass: Offers around 55dB of sound reduction.
Since a 3dB reduction is equivalent to halving the sound energy, a 10dB reduction is perceived by the human ear as halving the noise level. Therefore, upgrading from 6mm to 10.8mm glass could result in a significant enhancement in noise reduction performance. While the difference between each thickness may only be 1 or 2dB, these subtle variations can be noticeable depending on the environment.
Guidance from Historic England
Historic England recognises the benefits of secondary glazing in improving both energy efficiency and noise reduction in historic buildings. Their guidance stresses that secondary glazing, when carefully designed and installed, allows original windows to be retained unaltered, reducing air leakage and heat loss while significantly improving acoustic performance.
For more detailed information, refer to Historic England’s publication on secondary glazing: Secondary Glazing for Windows.
Bringing It All Together!
Improving the sound insulation of your listed building or period property is entirely achievable without compromising its historic charm. Secondary glazing offers an effective solution, significantly reducing external noise while preserving the aesthetic and structural integrity of your home. By considering factors such as air gap, glass thickness, and professional installation, you can create a quieter, more comfortable living space that respects the character of your cherished home.
Clearview Secondary Glazing
Clearview secondary glazing - the solution to significantly improved acoustic and heat insulation to your property, making your home or offices more comfortable, secure, greener and cost efficient to run. Achieved without the disruption of replacement windows, and without damaging the character of your building.
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