Most people who install double glazed windows do so to improve energy efficiency. By reducing heat loss and heat gain through their windows, they ensure indoor temperatures are more constant, increase comfort levels and reduce their reliance on heating and cooling systems, thus saving money.A secondary benefit of double glazing is that it reduces exterior noise. If you live near an airport, a busy road or anywhere else that generates plenty of noise, installing double glazed windows for noise reduction will be a great investment.

Is Noise a Real Problem and Do Double Glazed Windows Reduce Noise?

Persistent loud noises can be not only an irritant but also a threat to your health. This is because they:

• make it difficult to sleep at night, causing sleep deprivation that results in tiredness, bad moods and poor performance at work
• can damage your hearing after a period and, even if not, make it difficult to hear conversations, undertake phone calls, watch TV and listen to music
• make it impossible to live comfortably
• cause stress as a result of sleep deprivation, leading to anxiety, depression, poor concentration and various other behavioural and emotional problems
• can cause serious damage to your physical health, including medical conditions such as cognitive impairment, cardiovascular disease and tinnitus.

Reducing the amount of sound coming from outside can help to resolve all these problems. Double glazing noise reduction is the simplest and most practical solution.

Sound travels as a pressure wave and, when this comes into contact with a single glazed window, the pane is vibrated. This makes the air on the other side of the window vibrate also, causing the sound to be carried through to everyone inside.

Installing double glazed windows means adding a second pane of glass with a gas-filled gap between the two. So the sound wave has an extra barrier to pass through and the panes don’t make direct contact with each other, which reduces the noise significantly.

Fitting new windows that are double glazed will also mean, if installed correctly, that there are no gaps or cracks for sound to penetrate. The soundwaves become dampened when they hit the inert gas in the gap between the panes so your home will be much quieter inside.

Many companies may claim that installing double glazing will soundproof your property. This isn’t true because some sound will still penetrate although much less than previously.It’s generally thought that an acceptable level of outside noise is about 35 decibels, although a busy road can increase this to 70 decibels and a nearby airport to more than 100 decibels. Modern double glazed windows can reduce sound levels by up to 31 decibels and so vastly improve the situation without having to restrict the amount of natural light coming into your home.

Improving the Level of Double Glazing Noise Reduction

Whilst standard double glazing will improve the situation greatly, it is possible to go even further. Most double glazed windows have two glass panes of 3 mm each with a 6 mm gap between them. By increasing the thickness of the glass and of the gap between the panes, the level of penetration by soundwaves is reduced even more. You can also install triple glazing to improve performance but all of these options will increase the bulk of the windows and require frames that are adequate.

If you live in a really noisy area, you can also use laminated glass for a better result. Acoustic glass may be the answer if you live in an area where noise is a particular problem. This comprises at least two glass panes that are bonded together with one or more acoustic inter-layers. These panes are laminated using PBV layers that form a strong bond inside the unit so that the glass is less elastic and will vibrate less to prevent sound waves passing through.

Acoustic glass can also be used internally to make particular rooms quieter. If used in roof windows, it will reduce the amount of noise when heavy rain falls. In general, acoustic glass is stronger than regular glass, improving security as well as energy efficiency.

 

 

Ensuring you Achieve your Aims

Getting the right double glazing in Melbourne can be a complex and confusing task. This is especially true when you have conflicting aims — increased comfort, added security, noise reduction and reduced energy costs — so it’s difficult to know what is best to choose.

At Thermal Double Glazing, we’re knowledgeable and experienced in all aspects of the selection and installation of double glazing. We can help you through the maze, ensure all your aims are met and install windows that will make your life better for an affordable cost. We have a wide range of uPVC window styles and types available, all of which will be double glazed to improve acoustic and thermal insulation.

Contact us today for a quieter and more comfortable life. You will notice and appreciate a huge difference with an improvement to your general health.