Skip to content

works for you

Member access:

How to buy double glazing Double glazing sales and quotes

Window pane

Double glazing salespeople have a dubious reputation, so here we explain how to get the best quote and avoid falling victim to the tricks of the double glazing trade.

Double glazing quotes

Make sure you pay a fair price. Get three quotes from three different double glazing companies, to give you a better idea of what you should be paying. 

It's worth asking friends and relatives to recommend double glazing companies they've used. Which? members can also find 1,000 recommended double glazing installers using Which? Local. If you've encountered a good double glazing company, you can also make a recommendation using the site. 

There’s also a newly launched double glazing ombudsman, the Double Glazing and Conservatory Ombudsman Scheme, which is on hand to help settle disputes between customers and member firms. Trade Associations such as the Glass and Glazing Federation also deal with complaints about their members.

Sales tactics

Be aware of double glazing sales tactics. A Which? investigation found that salespeople frequently quote a higher price to begin with, which they drop over the course of their sales visit. The price your quoted could drop by 75% or over £10,000 during a sales pitch.

You should also avoid signing up to a double glazing contract on the spot.

Double glazing grants

Window fitter

There aren't any grants available to help you pay for double glazing. Some members of the double glazing industry have been campaigning for a scrappage scheme, similar to the car scrappage scheme, but to date any 'scrappage discounts' offered by window companies are in fact their own special offers.

However, there are grants available for other energy-saving home improvements. If you're thinking of installing solid or cavity wall insulation, loft insulation or an energy efficient boiler, it’s worth checking whether an energy grant is available to help cover the cost. 

Our energy grants guide has everything you need to know, including how much money you could be eligible for and how to apply.

Double glazing contracts

Be aware of your rights if you do sign a contract. You have seven days to cancel a contract that you sign in your own home, under the Cancellation of Contracts made in a Consumer’s Home or Place of Work Regulations 2008. The trader has to explain your rights in writing, and the seven days do not start running until this has been done. Any finance agreement that the double glazing company arranges for you will automatically come to an end if you exercise your right to cancel.

You can ask to have the windows made and installed before the seven days have elapsed if you choose to - but you'll waive your cancellation rights. In this event the trader would also have to put the new agreement in writing. Be careful that you don’t sign away your rights without meaning to.

Always remember that if you make the contract at the trader’s premises you have no automatic right to cancel. Check the contract to see if the trader has given you any right to cancel and, if so, whether you would forfeit any money. For more information see our guide to How to cancel a contract.

More on this...