New windows: Good for the climate and for the budget

You inherit a house? How nice. However, anyone who takes over a parental home usually has to reckon with renovation work. This is what happened to Jan Frei, the son of wheelchair sports legend Heinz Frei. With 3 world records, 14 world titles, 35 medals and 122 marathon victories, the now 65-year-old is one of the most successful Paralympic athletes of all time. Today, the native of Solothurn lives in the canton of Bern and has long since handed over his house to his son Jan and his family. Windows and balcony doors there had become leaky and caused heating costs to rise every year. With the balcony doors there was still a lack of security. After a first house inspection, it looked like several unpleasant construction sites. But let’s stay with the windows.

The young family man Frei decided to install new models, not just any old ones, but the 4B renovation window. With good reason. Because this solution made of wood, aluminum and glass really packs a punch. The latest generation, the design window RF1 design, convinces with the best energy values, the highest quality and sophisticated aesthetics, is also durable and can be completely recycled. Keyword energy values: As is well known, replacing the new window with an old one not only reduces the cost of heating, but also the emissions of CO2, the most well-known of the climate-damaging greenhouse gases. Those who rely on windows from 4B of energy class A can even gain more energy over the course of the year than is lost through the window panes. This is important. Because the global goal of a climate-neutral economy and society cannot be achieved without energy-efficient windows. But more on that later.

Patented system

Finally, the design window RF1 has another highlight to offer: the 4B removable frame system. The family business received a patent decades ago for this revolutionary idea. No wonder, because this invention completely eliminates the need for plastering, painting and bricklaying when replacing windows. Homeowners who choose new renovation windows from 4B no longer have to fear that their rooms could be blocked for days by a dusty construction site. How it works? It’s actually quite simple – as always when an idea is really brilliant.

In a first step, the old frame is exposed and cut back all around so that the new one only has to be inserted and screwed on. Then the cavities between the frame and the existing structure are sealed. Finally, the craftsman only has to seal the transition to the masonry and mount the weatherboard. The new window fits perfectly. It couldn’t be more relaxed. Jan Frei also appreciated that at the time. The increase in efficiency of such a window renovation, which makes itself felt in the wallet, is probably even more important. Which brings us to climate change and its challenges for homeowners. Who likes to throw their money out the window?

You can take the picture literally if you look at the facts: more than a million buildings in Switzerland are in urgent need of renovation – with the windows being one of the biggest energy weak points in a house. Significantly more energy escapes through the glass surface than, for example, through walls. “If you look at the fact that Switzerland’s building stock consumes 40 percent of the primary energy, it becomes clear that energy is wasted every day through old, leaky windows, roofs and facades,” explains Jean-Marc Devaud, CEO of 4B, and adds: ” In view of climate change, we can no longer afford this loss of energy.”

The company manager relies on scientific findings. In a 2019 study, Empa (Federal Materials Testing and Research Institute, editor’s note) showed how the Swiss building stock needs to be renovated so that the net zero target can be achieved by 2050. The Empa scientists explain that new windows and roof renovations in particular make an enormous difference. These two measures alone could reduce the need for cooling and heating energy in a house by up to 30 percent and thus also CO2 emissions. The study’s answer to the question of the order in which the renovation backlog should be reduced is clear: the renovation of windows and roofs is the quickest and easiest solution – with an immediate and at the same time great effect at comparatively low costs. It would be wise to tackle these measures first. Many people are apparently not even aware that a small renovation can do so much for the climate and save costs at the same time. “The good news is that intelligent and climate-friendly solutions already exist today,” emphasizes CEO Jean-Marc Devaud. The products from his house actually shine with very good values. “With an energy saving potential of 75 percent compared to old windows, the RF1 design is a real climate protector and my favorite piece,” says the 4B boss.

How does the high energy efficiency come about? The RF1 design has triple glazing with a special coating as standard, which ensures that more energy can be gained through solar radiation than heat escapes. It is no coincidence that the wood-metal technology from 4B is also Minergie-certified and is the only renovation window with a removable frame system in Switzerland to have achieved energy efficiency class A. With such energy-saving windows, a detached house (built in 1980) with 25 square meters of window area could reduce energy loss by 70 percent – ​​and of course the costs as well. Not to mention the tax breaks. If you want to know more about this, you can calculate the energy and cost saving potential of your property with just a few clicks on the 4B website. At the end of an energy-efficient renovation, everyone wins: the homeowner, the residents, society and the climate.

For the premium manufacturer 4B and its more than 700 employees, RF1 design is about more than just a convincing product. “We don’t just sell windows and facades, we offer energy efficiency. The purpose of our day-to-day work is to use our expertise to help tackle global warming,” explains the CEO. 4B has long since declared sustainability to be a central corporate strategy, which is also being implemented. High recycling rates and a supplier network that allows short transport routes are a matter of course. The most recent example: In 2022, the management stopped producing plastic windows – for ecological reasons.