Kestrel Aluminium’s window and door systems have been supporting UK installers and fabricators for more than 30 years.
Despite the long-standing successes of traditional steel and PVC-U systems, the trade is increasingly embracing the benefits aluminium fenestration systems can offer, thanks to the metal’s lightweight and durable properties. It also offers strong sustainability benefits to installers and building owners.
Aluminium is an incredibly light metal, weighing just 2.7g/cm3. This is much lighter than steel, which weighs around three times more and so is harder to transport and move on site. Aluminium is also a much softer metal, which makes it more malleable and easier to form into the window and door structures needed for residential and commercial buildings. This means much thinner frames are possible, while remaining strong enough to support even large pieces of glass.
Another benefit of using aluminium for window production is its recyclable properties. Unlike many of the other raw materials used for these systems, aluminium can be recycled many times without loss of quality and, because of its low melting point, very little energy is required to extract the raw material and transform it into another product. In fact, using recycled aluminium saves up to 95% of the energy required for primary aluminium production.
This makes it an extremely sustainable product that has a much lower carbon footprint during manufacture, something that is becoming ever more important as we develop a greater understanding of the urgent need for a sustainable and low-carbon construction industry.
One of the main reasons why aluminium is now so popular among time-poor homeowners is that it is extremely low maintenance. Even across a 30 – 40 year working life it requires just routine cleaning, rather than any regular repainting or treating, reducing lifecycle costs for property owners.
Aluminium has a natural protective oxide coating that is already highly corrosion resistant, with a range of surface treatments available, such as powder and anodised coatings, that can further improve its overall strength. Kestrel has a high-quality, inhouse powder-coating facility and can offer a wide variety of RAL and BS colours to suit any building design.
Andrew Cross, Marketing Manager at Kestrel Aluminium Systems, says: “At Kestrel we have heard from many of our domestic window and door fabricators and installers that even those who have traditionally specified PVC-U systems are now considering a move to aluminium, thanks to the material’s strong sustainability credentials and ease of use.
“We are always looking at ways to make our customers’ working lives easier, and using aluminium allows us to offer lightweight systems that are easier to use on site.”
Kestrel Aluminium Systems has been supplying aluminium fenestration products for over 30 years, and prides itself on offering excellent customer service and high-quality, reliable products. For more information on Kestrel’s systems, visit www.kestrelaluminium.co.uk or call 0121 333 3575.
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