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Darby
Pioneers New Conservatory Glass
Darby
Glass is again pioneering new technological developments in glazing
with Roof-Glas, a new high performance double glazed unit. Aimed specifically
at the premium rate conservatory roof market, Roof-Glas by Darby has
been launched in direct response to customer demand, and the expected
extension of energy efficiency legislation to conservatories.
Chris
Roberts, Sales and Marketing Director of Darby Glass, comments: ‘Conservatories
represent a major growth sector for us, and in due course it’s
likely they will be required to meet the same U-Values as windows. So
we’ve taken the initiative and spent six months developing the
Roof-Glas concept.’ The result is an IGU made from glass featuring
the latest technology available for an unrivalled technical specification,
plus the added benefit of an easy clean coating.
Roof-Glas by Darby has a solar factor of 44% to keep a conservatory
cool in summer, combined with a U-value performance of 1.1 to help retain
heat during the winter. The low maintenance easy clean coating means
the glass stays cleaner for longer and requires less vigorous cleaning.
In addition, the IGU is argon-filled to reduce rainfall noise levels.
Roof-Glas is available in a choice of colours: Blue, Bronze, Clear and
Blue+ which has an even higher solar control factor of 42%. Chris continues:
‘We decided to keep it simple, with just these four configurations
in the range which meet the needs of the market and offer varying degrees
of light transmission, ranging from 50% for Blue+ to 74% for Clear.'
This glazing development from Darby Glass is expected to generate considerable
interest from those involved in the conservatory industry, from roof
systems companies to retailers and installers. ‘Glass is often
the preferred choice for top-of-the range conservatories, rather than
polycarbonate. Now with Roof-Glas the aesthetic advantages of glass
can be matched by superb performance that will meet even the most stringent
building regulations when they come into force,’ says Chris. Although
conservatories are the key target market for Roof-Glas, Darby is keen
to stress that it can also provide a suitable glazing solution for any
commercial application where solar control and easy cleaning are critical
issues.
The introduction of Roof-Glas has involved major investment in new equipment
and training by Darby Glass. Roof-Glas will be manufactured at Darby’s
Scunthorpe operation and distributed to customers nationwide. Nearly
£1.5 million has been spent on state-of-the-art machinery, including
an edge-deletion cutting table, new toughening plant and robotic shape
head. A major glass supplier has provided training in safe handling
of the new glass, while an in-house training programme has covered specific
quality and service aspects.
Darby Glass is backing the launch of Roof-Glas with a comprehensive
marketing and technical support package. In addition to full colour
brochures detailing the features and benefits of the new range, customers
can obtain a demonstration kit that includes a heat lamp to prove the
product’s performance claims. ‘We’re also offering Powerpoint
presentations on disk, and of course, our friendly customer service
team and technical estimators are all just a phone call away,’
concludes Chris.
Tel: 01724 280044
Web: http://www.darbyglass.co.uk