'Rubbish' in Telegraph

Sir,

The recent article in the Telegraph Magazine, Is it worth it? Double Glazing (19 January 2008) disturbed me for displaying conspicuous anti-PVC bias and I wrote to the magazine to put the record straight. I believe if more of us in the industry write to correct the anti-PVC bias when we see it we will be able to correct the rubbish put out by misinformed and prejudiced 'Green' and timber lobbies and help the industry grow.

Sarah Callard, the journalist, clearly didn't do her research and presented a very one-sided view with a number of factual inaccuracies regarding the use of PVC-U. Some of it was pure nonsense.

Most homeowners' experience of PVC-U is very different to what was presented. Homeowners choose PVC-U windows or PVC-UE roofline because timber has failed them in the past - they know the reality - and they are not disappointed when they find out PVC-U is a safe, long-life, recyclable, low maintenance material, which meets the needs of modern living.

Like all materials PVC-U is affected by weathering. But its performance is in a different league to timber, which needs to be premium quality, very well made and well installed, with regular costly maintenance to match PVC-U's natural longevity.

I didn't comment on all the factual inaccuracies because the article quotes Greenpeace.
Readers will be interested to hear what Dr Patrick Moore, a founding member of Greenpeace and one of its leaders for 15 years, has to say about PVC-U: ‘It is durable, low maintenance, recyclable and performs well in LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) tests.’ We, as readers, could do with a little more balance and better research on the subject from the national media.

Yours sincerely

Tony Walsh
Managing Director
Freefoam Plastics Ltd
81-83 St James Mill Road,
Northampton, NN5 5JP
Telephone: 01604 591110