The sound of silence
AluK Acoustic Performance
AluK’s windows and doors significantly reduce noise, with options like acoustic or laminated glass for louder environments. While trickle vents are legally required for ventilation, expert installation ensures optimal sound insulation.
If you live in a city, near a busy motorway, railway line, or airport – then sound reduction is likely to be high on your wish list when it comes to choosing new windows and doors. In the latest consumer research conducted by industry specialists Keystone, noise ranks close behind security and energy efficiency as one of the main drivers behind window and door replacement.
When it comes to choosing the right product for your home, the overall acoustic performance will come down to a combination of the frame, the glass and the seals, and of course will be partly dependent on the quality of the installation.
AluK’s range of quality windows and doors – from our 58BW window system to our brand new IconiK bifold – will all deliver noticeably reduced street noise with standard glazing, and can transform the comfort levels inside your home. If you need to overcome particularly high noise volumes though, you can ask your installer to supply our frames with special acoustic glass.
What do dB figures mean?
The dB (decibel) levels you see quoted for windows and doors indicate the level of sound reduction they deliver – and here’s what you need to consider.
A typical double glazed window like AluK’s 58BW system delivers acoustic performance of between 37dB and 42dB, depending on the frequency of the noise. A quiet library would be measured at around 30 dB, while busy traffic could be as high as 80 dB, so a 37-42dB reduction will be more than enough for most environments, but perhaps not quite enough if you live in the heart of the action.
If you do want to upgrade your glass, then you can choose either triple glazing which adds another sound barrier or double glazing with a pane of laminated glass added which works to disrupt the soundwaves themselves. There will be weight and cost implications associated with that of course, but your installer should be able to give you all the advice you need.
Don’t forget ventilation.
One thing to bear in mind, however, is that, unless you already have a MVHR system fitted in your home, all new windows and doors now require trickle vents to be fitted in the frame. These will inevitably provide a passage for sound to travel through, but they are required by law to ensure a healthy level of ventilation in every home.