'Plastic window frames are the most economical choice'

TCO report window frames confirms

When choosing the right facade frames, in addition to design, material and technical properties, total operating costs now also play an essential role. "In the professional market, the feeling has long prevailed that plastic window frames are more economical than aluminum or wood, when looking at the total lifetime and maintenance," knows Albert Zegelaar, director of VKG. "As the trade association for suppliers and manufacturers of plastic window frames, we can only confirm this, but hard figures were lacking. The research TCO window frames conducted on our initiative changes this and shows remarkable differences that we think are very newsworthy for clients, architects and contractor parties."

The most important conclusion from the TCO report window frames is that plastic window frames are certainly the most economical choice over a longer period of time. "For example, savings between 50 and 60% are possible! For example, when you add up the average purchase and maintenance costs of an average home over a 25-year period, a savings of €17,225 is already possible compared to Meranti wood. Whereas the purchase cost is "only" 15% different, the difference in the maintenance phase runs as high as 80%! This, of course, has everything to do with the fact that you don't need to paint and sand plastic, but an annual cleaning and a drizzle of oil on the hardware will suffice. With emerging wood species such as Accoya and Finti, although the difference is less, it is still there." Comparing the purchase of plastic window frames to aluminum, aluminum window frames 27% are more expensive, while maintenance costs are nearly the same with plastic and aluminum.

A good choice begins with understanding...

The main purpose of the TCO report frames is to give housing associations, architects, contractors and other stakeholders insight into the cost of purchasing and maintaining various frame materials, based on new construction projects. "We set up our research with great integrity, broadly based and thoroughly substantiated, assisted by construction economics consultancy IGG Construction Economics and innovation center Ingenii Construction Innovation," Zegelaar says. "In short, together with these independent parties, we looked at the purchase and lifetime costs of wooden, aluminum and plastic exterior wall frames over a period of 25, 50 and 75 years. The calculations were made for the most common house and frame types within the Dutch construction methodologies, based on the RVO report 'Example houses 2022 (terraced houses, semi-detached houses, detached houses, flats/gallery houses and apartments) and based on the maintenance requirements and maintenance frequency of the various market parties. All findings were clustered, substantiated and verified in clear tables."

Expertise, knowledge and databases

Of course, companies charge different rates for their window frames as well as their maintenance, Zegelaar knows. "That is why we lean on the expertise, knowledge and databases of IGG Bouweconomie for the purchase costs. The reference date for this is November 1, 2023. For maintenance, just like the PCR from the National Environmental Database (2020), a life span of 75 years was assumed for all frame materials." However, the frequency of maintenance required varies by material. "When the TCO was drawn up, these differences were taken into account. Each type of window frame requires specific periodic work to ensure quality. Our report assumes the required technical maintenance, separate from annual cleaning and lubrication of hardware. In fact, these tasks are the responsibility of the occupant/user. The sources used to determine maintenance requirements and frequency of maintenance are industry associations and leading players in that specific industry. IGG Construction Economics has linked the appropriate (average) costs to these." The complete justification can be found in the original version of
the report.

A cost-effective and sustainable choice

There is a growing number of DBM projects in the market, in which contractors not only have a design and construction responsibility, but must also be responsible for maintenance, Zegelaar knows. "The latter in particular leads to different and more conscious considerations in the design phase. Plastic window frames are an attractive choice in this case because they are virtually maintenance-free." Importantly, moreover, plastic window frames are a very durable choice. Not only when you consider lifespan and maintenance, but also when it comes to the value of the material. "Our members have been conforming to the VKG Recycling System for years, which is committed to a closed raw material chain. To make this possible, all end-of-life window frames are actively collected by us, recycled and returned to the chain at an equivalent level. During the VKG Architecture Prize 2023, winners Heren 5 and DOOR architecten aptly demonstrated how sustainable plastic window frames can become part of the architecture of today and tomorrow."