Funny you mention those sneaky leaks—I spent a weekend chasing drafts with a smoke pencil and honestly, the amount of cold air coming in around my old letterbox was wild. After sealing that and adding some insulation in the loft hatch, my heating bills dropped more than after I swapped to double glazing. Triple glazing always sounded tempting, but I wonder if it’d really make much difference in a 1960s house like mine, where the walls themselves aren’t that great. Anyone else find draft-proofing more bang for your buck?
my heating bills dropped more than after I swapped to double glazing
Same here—draft-proofing made a bigger dent in my bills than new windows ever did. I did look into triple glazing, but honestly, with older walls and floors, it felt like overkill. Sealing up gaps and adding loft insulation just gave way more noticeable results for less money. If your walls aren’t insulated, triple glazing probably won’t pay off as much as you’d hope.
Yeah, I’d agree—triple glazing sounds great on paper, but unless the rest of your place is already well-insulated, it’s not going to do much. Here’s what worked for me, step by step:
1. Found all the obvious draughts (doors, floorboards, even around pipes). Used cheap foam strips and sealant.
2. Topped up loft insulation—made a bigger difference than I expected.
3. Only after that did I bother with new windows. Double glazing was enough for my 1950s semi.
Triple glazing was tempting, but the price was way higher and honestly, I’d rather put that money into wall insulation or even a better boiler. If you’ve got old brick walls with no cavity insulation, heat just escapes anyway. I’d say fix the basics first, then look at fancy windows if you’re still not happy.
Funny thing—my neighbor went straight for triple glazing and still complains about cold floors. Sometimes it’s the boring fixes that actually work best.
I get where you’re coming from, but I’ve seen triple glazing make a real difference in certain spots—especially on busy roads or if you’ve got big windows facing north. Sound insulation is another perk people forget about. Yeah, it’s pricey, but for some houses it’s the only thing that really tackles drafts and noise together. Double glazing’s fine for most, but sometimes that extra pane does more than you’d think...
- Swapped out old double glazing for triple on a client’s house near a main road—honestly, the drop in traffic noise was huge.
- North-facing rooms stayed warmer too, especially in the mornings.
- It’s not cheap, and yeah, double works for most. But in noisy spots or drafty older homes, that third pane can really pay off.
That lines up with what I’ve seen too. We switched our old double glazing for triple in the front rooms last winter—cost a fair bit, but the difference in street noise was immediate. Honestly didn’t expect the warmth boost to be so noticeable either, especially since our house is pretty drafty. It’s definitely not a must-have for everyone, but in noisy spots or older homes, it can be worth stretching the budget if you can swing it.
I get the appeal of triple glazing, especially for noise, but I’m not totally convinced it’s always the best bang for your buck for energy savings. When we did our reno, I looked into it and ended up sticking with good quality double glazing, mainly because our place leaks heat through the floors and walls more than the windows. Figured I’d get more value sealing drafts and topping up insulation first. If street noise isn’t a big deal, maybe fixing those other spots gives you more warmth per dollar spent... Just my two cents.
- We’re in a similar boat—older house, not the tightest envelope. I get what you mean about “more warmth per dollar spent” by tackling insulation and drafts first.
- Triple glazing sounds cool but for us, budget-wise, it felt like a stretch… especially since most of our heat loss is through the attic and crawl space.
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Same here. Did you notice a big difference after sealing drafts and adding insulation?“mainly because our place leaks heat through the floors and walls more than the windows.”
- Curious if anyone’s actually measured before/after bills after upgrading to triple glazing vs. just doing double?
Curious if anyone’s actually measured before/after bills after upgrading to triple glazing vs. just doing double?
We did some rough tracking after putting in double glazing last winter—our heating bill dropped maybe 10-15%, but honestly, the bigger change came after we insulated the attic and sealed up gaps around doors. Triple glazing sounded tempting, but for our 1950s place, it seemed like overkill (and way out of budget). If your biggest leaks are floors and walls, I’d say focus there first. Windows help, but they’re not always the main culprit unless they’re really old or drafty.
We swapped out the old single-pane windows for double glazing a few years back and, like you, saw a modest drop in bills. The real game changer was actually air sealing—especially around the crawl space and attic. I looked into triple glazing too, but the price tag was nuts compared to the savings. Unless you live somewhere with crazy cold winters or your windows are just leaking air everywhere, I’d say there are better places to put your money first. Just my two cents from fixing up an old drafty house...