AIBU to consider single glazing windows only? Any experiences?

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My windows are on their last legs but every quote I've had to repair or replace has been breathtakingly huge (I'm in a victorian so I can't have UPVC). Am now considering repair but only with single glazed windows.

Is this a mistake? Should I just survive another winter and save for double glazing or just leave it single and at least get the holes etc fixed?

Anyone have any experiences with single or double glazing and whether it's worth it?

I’m unsure why you can’t have upvc. I’ve seen loads of Victorian properties with it.

Single glazing is really not very effective at keeping your house warmer.

I'm not allowed! It's a conservation area so windows at the front can't be UPVC unfortunately.

Don't do it. I'm in a period property, in a conservation area with the original sash windows. In the winter we lose so much heat. I can see the wind pushing the blinds/nets.

We are saving for secondary glazing but have to fix the original windows first. It's going to cost us a fortune.

You'd most likely have to replace the frame as well as the actual window for double glazed - if you have weighted cords they can't take the weight. I did mine and it was £1000/window. Now I'm in London and it would be about £15k to replace the five front windows and two back ones.
How much to repair? Honestly if you are staying long term I'd save up and do a couple windows at a time properly. There are sone kind of secondary glazing you can get that's relatively cheap to screw in the insides as a temporary fix.

I come from a country where single glazing is standard and double glazing is unusual and believe me, after living in the UK, the double glazing helps massively. Where I am from the climate is similar too.

We used to have single glazed sash windows and the only way it was bearable was with lined, thermal curtains. You lose so much heat from single glaze. I would save as hard as I could to get double glazed, especially as you can’t have upvc.

I do too. You can have nice UPVC sash windows.

You can't have chunky plasticy ones that most houses have.

I lived in a flat with Victorian single glazed sash windows for years.

It was fucking FREEZING and cost a fortune in heating.

Some winters it was soooo cold I turned the bedroom into a bed sitting room for weeks and dove into the kitchen to cook and scurry back to the bedroom to eat.

Don't do it.

Look up Building Regulations. I think you have to have double glazing that looks like original windows.

I think it's worth paying for double glazing.

I had my single glazed windows replaced 3 years ago. The house is much warmer in winter, I use significantly less gas, it seems to stay cooler in hot weather (although I can't quite fathom out why) and it is much, much quieter.

Worth every penny imo.

We can’t have double glazing at all - Grade ll listed. We’re very fortunate as none of our windows face north. We get through the winter with heavy thermal lined curtains. We replaced our central heating system last year and that’s made a massive difference.

I think you should double check as Building Control will need to be involved and double glazed windows can be made to look like original Victorian windows by specialist firms.

You absolutely can have double glazed panels in a conservation area.... My parents did it in theirs!

Definitely have a conversation with your council planning or conservation officer

The frames can but the glass can’t. They’re super pernickity round here. We did try but the conservation planners were having none of it.

Whatever you save on single glazing you're going to absolutely fuck yourself in energy bills and heavy thermal curtains and blinds and whatever else to keep the place heated. I'd save every penny and do double. Sorry OP. I know it's bloody painful, we had a high 5 figure bill for our windows but it made all the difference in the winter and with noise etc.

Thanks everyone, I think I might need to just save for another year and do double glazing. I'm sure it's great, the cost is just so massive!

I would seal up the holes and probably install some secondary panels for the winter.

You can get polycarbonate cut to size that would fit over. The good news is with them being wooden windows you could probably find lots of ways of mounting them in place really well without damaging the frames.

The bad news is of course it would be difficult to open the windows so you might want to leave the odd one uncovered.

Alternatively you could go to one of the professional secondary glazing companies, but it would probably cost a lot more.

We have some single glazed original sash windows and I had them repaired. £300 per window

New beading
Each sash had draught excluder fitted in the wood and new beading.

New sash cords and locks

Made a big difference!

Then I had any damaged cills filled and painted. They'll last another good few years.

It's worth contacting your council about conservation and new windows. We are also in a conservation area. But it's rarely enforced as the council do absolutely nothing to up keep of the area.
No heritage lampposts, street furniture, paving!

We are allowed upvc faux sash double glazed windows

I wouldn’t replace with single. But you could look at repair or secondary glazing for those you can’t afford to replace.