SAFE AS HOUSES
Creating a safe and secure home should be at the heart of any residential project and as we creep into winter, with the days becoming darker and the nights longer, it’s more important that people know how to best protect their property. October is officially National Home Security Month and with a 20 per cent increase in burglaries throughout the darker months of the year, now is an opportune time to raise awareness of home security.
Despite being one of the most commonly used access points for intruders, windows can often be overlooked when thinking about making a property more secure. Homeowners may spend large amounts of money on installing modern alarm and security systems, but specifying safety and security glass is an equally effective, long-term solution.
However, it is important to understand the difference between these products and where they need to be placed in order to be effective.
Safety glass
Safety glass is designed to reduce the risk of accident by impact or fracture and protect residents from resulting shards of glass. Because of this, it should be installed in areas within a home that could be impacted by the occupants, particularly doors, door side panels, windows and low-level glazing in general.
The two most common types of safety glass are toughened glass, which is typically four or five times stronger than ordinary glass, and laminated glass. Laminated glass differs as it has a PolyVinylButyral (PVB) interlayer which, if broken, hold the fragments of glass in place. While it is technically no stronger than traditional glass, this interlayer makes it safer for people in the event of glass being broken in an attack as it reduces the risk of accidents.
Security glass
In comparison, security glass is designed to withstand deliberate attack, such as manual, ballistic or blast, and is most commonly used in homes in high-risk areas, such as those close to inner-city areas or those in high-profile locations.
It’s important to remember that glass alone cannot protect a property and it can behave differently depending upon the framing system used. In order to achieve the level of protection required, it’s imperative to combine high performance glazing with high quality framing systems.
Understandably, security is high on the agenda of every home owner and specifying the right type of glass can go a long way to helping protect a home and its inhabitants.
To learn more about our safety and security glass, please visit: https://www.pilkington.com/en-gb/uk/products/product-categories/safety-security