Windows and doors which keep warmth in

The firm says its new Ecoplus3 range of windows and doors, which come with triple glazing as standard, meet the energy efficiency requirements of 2050 and beyond.

The judges liked the fact that the product is instantly applicable, particularly for people with no funding streams, and they were impressed that the environmental impact of all aspects of the product has been considered.

Chris Herring, Green Building Store director and designer of the Ecoplus3 range, said: “Ecoplus3 is one of the most energy-efficient oak or pine timber window and door ranges made in the UK and offers a unique environmental specification.

“Ecoplus3’s elegant outward-opening window design also works well in either traditional or contemporary settings, offering a beautiful and sustainable solution for retrofitting homes to low energy standards.”

But Green Building Store has not just considered the environmental impact of its product in terms of its thermal performance. It has also looked at all aspects of window manufacture.

Handcrafted in Green Building Store’s own Heath House Mill workshops, in the moors above Huddersfield, the Ecoplus3 range combines a number of sustainable features.

Ecoplus3 is made using FSC [Forest Stewardship Council] certified redwood or oak timber, while paints and stains are made using natural plant oils.

Meanwhile, Ecoplus3 is also treated with inorganic boron-based mineral salts, which is considered by Green Building Store to be among the safest and most environmentally benign solutions currently available to timber preservation.

Green Building Store directors Mr Herring and Steve Slator had both experienced health problems after working with treated timber, and undertook extensive research into the health and environmental effects of conventional timber preservatives.

Ecoplus3 is the third evolution of Green Building Store’s Ecoplus range since its launch. The firm says it is the most energy efficient Ecoplus range yet. Ecoplus3 triple glazed windows have also achieved an A energy-rating in the BFRC energy rating scheme, the UK’s national system for rating energy efficient windows.

Mr Herring said: “Green Building Store is a specialist company. We set up in 1995 with a commitment to reducing the impact of buildings on the environment.

“The new Ecoplus3, our recently-launched range, is triple glazed and we’ve campaigned for triple glazing as being the best standard for windows in the UK.”

After the awards ceremony, Mr Herring said: “It’s great to win, it’s great to be recognised for what we’ve been doing for quite a long time in Yorkshire.” Green Building Store – and construction division Green Building Company – are wholly owned and run by Environmental Construction Products.