FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

There isn’t any difference and to be accurate, they should be called PVC-U windows, as that is their official name.

UPVC was renamed to PVCU in this country in the late 1980’s so that it fell in line with other European countries. It’s believed they called it PVC-U because European languages mostly place the noun (being PVC in this case) before the adjective (U).

‘PVC’ stands for Poly Vinyl Chloride. The ‘U’ stands for Un-plasticised. Poly Vinyl Chloride must be modified to be used for the manufacturing of things like shoes, bags, and fake leather, which is how so many of us are familiar with the ‘PVC’ name.

You cannot use pure PVC-U to manufacture windows and doors as it must have some additives added to it so that it offers the necessary amount of longevity, high weathering, and UV resistance. These additives are also imperative for producing that famous white colour.

No longer can you only buy replacement windows and doors in white and not many other colours apart from that. Speedy has a varied colour palette for its superb windows and doors.

That said, what’s wrong with white? Nothing in our eyes, but we appreciate that you might want something that’s not as traditional, which is when you may decide to choose an Anthracite Grey, Olive Grey, Hazy Grey, or Matt Black instead.

We specialise in woodgrains too, with Rosewood being one of them if you’d like a rich, dark, and elegant oak effect. Other statement finishes include Steel Blue, Dark Red and Chartwell Green.

Request a combination of colours if one sole finish isn’t enough, so that you have dual-coloured windows with contrasting finishes inside and out.

All replacement windows sold in the UK have a WER (Window Energy Rating), which tells you just how energy efficient a window is. White goods are also energy labelled like this, such as freezers, washing machines and fridges, with replacement windows energy rated from A+ – G.

A+ rated windows are the most energy efficient windows available in this country, defined as such by the BFRC Rating Scheme. The identification of the standard of energy efficiency offered by a window also helps you to see if it complies with current Building Regulations and meets the rules laid out.

If you have the budget, we recommend that you invest in A or A+ rated windows to get the best in energy efficiency.

New and replacement windows MUST have a minimum WER of C or above. One of our advisors will be able to help with WERs.

A window’s U-Value signifies how effective the window is at retaining heat and preventing it from being lost from a home. U-Values are measured in Watts per square metre or W/m2 K. The lower the U-Value number, the better the heat retention of the window.

Any new or replacement windows MUST have a minimum U-Value of 1.6 W/m2 K. Talk to a Speedy advisor for more insight into U-Values.

Secured by Design is a Police-backed scheme that’s geared around improving the security standards of buildings and their surroundings so that they’re safer places to be in.

SBD’s product-based accreditation scheme – the Police Preferred Specification – is the recognised standard for products that are specifically designed to minimise crime. This includes domestic windows and doors, and their components, such as locks, hinges etc.

Speedy’s sister manufacturing company, Conservatory Outlet, is a Secured by Design member, so most of our products carry the SBD logo and meet the required standard. Let us know if home security is a major worry of yours.

Conservatory Outlet also happens to be one of the country’s foremost manufacturers of UPVC and aluminium windows. These products are made in the state-of-the-art facility that they have in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. Speedy is a member of its UK-wide network.

Having such a tight and close relationship with our manufacturer is a real benefit for our business as it helps us to monitor the supply chain and ensure that product standards stay high.

That’s a hard question to answer, as we firstly need to know about your home and how much money you’ve got to spend on them.
Speedy will always customise its window designs for each individual home so that they are suitable for the relevant openings and fittings. We also need you to tell us what style of window you want, as well as the coloured finish. To give you an accurate cost, we’ll need to measure up too.

Book a design consultation with Speedy to discuss it all. This can take place at your house, or we can host it in our showroom. Online appointments are available if you’d prefer a remote consultation.

Use the contact form to get a consultation organised and we’ll be in touch to sort out a convenient date and time.

Our appointments are available in 1-hour slots as it generally takes about this amount of time to gain the information that we need from you, show you some solutions that meet your requirements and record any measurements that you provide.

That will all depend on the complexity, or otherwise, of the job, and how many windows need to be fitted, so we wouldn’t like to give you an exact timescale. However, to give you an idea of how long it might take, a full house of windows can roughly take 3-4 days to install. Your advisor will let you know when you can expect the project to be completed.

We do, with several finance packages on offer to our customers (subject to application & status). It’s easy enough to make an application for finance, and you will find out soon enough if the application has been accepted or not. Finance applications can be made in our showroom or at your home.

If finance has been sorted by Speedy, we will find out through the finance company at the same time as you. However, if you’ve sorted your own finance, you should contact us by phone ASAP to let us know your application has been accepted.

A refusal of finance can occur for different reasons, one of which may be if you have moved several times in recent years. Speedy will assist in the event of you bring turned down for finance. Sometimes, it can be a good idea to try and access finance through another provider.

Some finance companies will tell you right away, but others could take a few days to let you know. If there is any sort of delay, it isn’t something to be troubled about and could be for any number of reasons.