Energy efficient glass production will help drive Green Deal says Barker

The Minister of State for Climate Change, Greg Barker, has visited a new glass coating facility that is being hailed as a pioneering advanced method of making energy-efficient glass.


Barker toured the £36m facility with owner NSG Group, who has invested in the new “high-tech off-line” glass coating facility at the company’s Cowley Hill glass factory.

The Minister visited the newly opened facility to learn how the NSG Group – manufacturer of Pilkington glass in the UK – is driving the operation.

The coater enables ultra-thin special coatings to be applied to glass, creating a range of high-performance energy-saving architectural glass products.

Having started production in November 2012, the line is now fully operational and is currently producing the company’s latest energy-efficient product at a rate equivalent to 4 million m2 per year.

Construction of the facility was supported by a £5m grant from the Government’s Regional Growth Fund.

Highly efficient electric glass transporters and sensor-controlled lighting, along with high quality water recycling and treatment processes, all help minimise the carbon footprint of the glass being produced.

The visit also provided the opportunity for company representatives to discuss the Government’s recently launched Green Deal initiative. The inclusion of energy-efficient glazing as a measure for improving household energy saving has been “well received”.

The Minister explained: “We have a huge number of home-grown energy efficiency pioneers here in the UK and Pilkington is one of those brands.

“Energy efficient glazing has an important role to play in helping reduce energy bills going forward and the Green Deal will allow people to upgrade their homes with new glazing and pay for some or all of the work done through savings on their bill.

“So it’s great to know that a significant volume of the glass required to make our homes and buildings warmer and more efficient can be made here in the North West.”

Leigh Stringer

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