Aluminium, a fully recyclable product, belongs to the light metals and is suitable for the construction of small or large frames with a long service life, without the requirement of special maintenance.

It strengthens the Greek economy since it is possible for all stages of production, from the extraction of the raw material (bauxite) to the manufacture of the final products (frames) to take place in our country.

The doors, windows, glazing and aluminium shading systems incorporate state-of-the-art technology, offering high thermal insulation, excellent safety levels, high aesthetics, sound insulation, functionality and minimal maintenance requirements.

But how do we ensure that the prospective buyer chooses the right aluminium system fabricator to enjoy the benefits that they may have previously seen in showrooms and been excited about?

Some consumers have had the unpleasant experience in the past of using problematic aluminium frames, having at the same time a share of responsibility, because they may have chosen with the low price as the only criterion, without taking into account the special characteristics and the level of quality of both the construction and the fabricators themselves, which have the primary role.

The truth is that in most cases, prospective frame buyers are not in a position to know how their needs and expectations will be met by the installation of new aluminium frames in their property.

It is therefore largely up to the professional fabricator or seller, to fully understand the needs and expectations of the prospective buyer of aluminium frames during the sale and to point out the specific features and advantages that the user will have from the use of the new aluminium frames, always in relation to the location of the property and its requirements.

It is important point out from the start, the existence of a written guarantee, which creates an environment of safety during the sale, as well as a full technical description of the products in an understandable way.

The certifications of both the products and the proven competence of the aluminium frame fabricator, as well as the procedures and the quality systems they apply, have a decisive role in the result and in the assurance – protection of the buyer.

The professional fabricators of aluminum frames possess expertise and ensure the quality of their products by applying Production Control Systems or ISO standards, which allow them to affix the necessary CE marking on the aluminum frames.

Upon completion of the project, the fabricator should deliver to the consumer the product performance declaration and the warranty (2 years minimum) which will cover both the fabrication and installation of the aluminium systems.

The consumer must carefully examine the existence of the certificates from the supplier of aluminium frames and the reference to the agreed properties of the products in the necessary project contract.

Particular attention is needed by the buyer to understand the description of the frames he is about to receive, so as not to be confused with non-agreed properties, which are presented in the context of advertising.

It is also important for the consumer to know that the fabricator is responsible for the quality of the frames and their installation. Therefore, any choice of profile production company alone does not guarantee the quality of the final result.

The Greek companies producing aluminium systems have made significant steps and have a high level of know-how and product quality, as well as the aluminium frames and glazing manufacturing companies. In recent years, due to the energy requirements of the building sector, fabricators have become specialised in high energy efficiency frames, always aiming for energy savings and high levels of safety due to the requirements created by the increasing crime rate.

The Panhellenic Federation – POVAS, in order to contribute to the effort to inform consumers and the need to ensure the quality of products and services, has published a concise technical manual for quality control of the manufacture and installation of aluminium systems, which can be easily accessed by prospective buyers(http://www.povas.gr). In this way, we are trying to put a brake on consumer misinformation and strengthen the proper functioning of the market.

The choice of the fabricator plays the most important role in the degree of evaluation of the consumer’s satisfaction with the installation of aluminium doors, windows and glazing in the home or workplace. For this reason, the consumer should look for certified fabricators and all those necessary elements that give prestige and reliability to a modern professional.

The importance of the issue is extremely topical and obviously for the Greek market, which since 2010 has been facing unprecedented provocative actions of illegal import of low quality frames with fake documents or certificates, which do not meet the specifications and are not accompanied by guarantees, creating an environment of insecurity in the market since unfortunately they are selected with the sole criterion of low price. In many cases the installation is done by foreign crews and this does not provide any safety to the consumer in case of problems from the fabrication or installation of aluminium systems.

Modern thermal break aluminium frames have high specifications and enough advantages to meet a number of design requirements for small or large building openings in various shapes, giving flexibility to engineers and architects, due to the robustness of the aluminium profiles from which they are made and the possibility of many reliable colour options, even two-tone (exterior-interior). Aluminium is an environmentally friendly material, an ecological product as already mentioned, even in case of fire it does not emit dangerous gases . This makes it non burning for fire resistance regulations and is another important reason why aluminium frames are the first choice of consumers.

In recent years, the development of aluminium architectural profiles has been significant in terms of improving their thermal insulation properties. By the term thermal break in frames, we mean the interruption of the thermal bridge (heat transfer) that is achieved by separating the profile into two parts and joining them through the use of insulating materials that isolate the inner and outer surfaces.

This allows for a significant reduction in the transfer of heat (or cooling) that passes from the inside to the outside environment (or vice versa). It is enough to consider that profiles with thermal break offer thermal transmittance values reduced by up to 85% compared to profiles without thermal break.

The role of thermal break is played by polyamide 6.6, which is a thermoplastic material, extremely “noble” and relatively high cost, which for this specific use is also reinforced with glass fibres, at a rate of about 25%. Glass fibres are essentially the armour of the blade (baretta). This enhances the mechanical properties of the polyamide which has low thermal conductivity. With polyamide, cross-sections of reduced thickness can be constructed without this being at the expense of the stability of the final structure.

Increasing the width of the profile while increasing the width of the polyamide used as a thermal barrier material significantly reduces the heat transfer from the mass of the material. The thermal transmittance coefficients range from approximately 1.8 to 3.0 W/m2K.

This is further enhanced by the addition of a foam insulating material in the space between the polyamides. In this way, heat transfer coefficients of the profiles of about 1-1.8 W/m2K are achieved, while heat transfer coefficients of less than one unit have been reported.

One of the most important advantages of thermal break is the reduction of water vapour condensation on the surface of the frame and other adjacent smooth (non-porous) surfaces inside the room.

Increasing the width of the profile allows the use of thicker glass panels (double or triple), contributing positively to the thermal and sound insulation offered by the frame.

In addition, the use of rubber gaskets with the largest possible contact surface with aluminium improves not only thermal insulation, but also air and water tightness.

If we take as an example a house located in zone B (e.g. Attica) which has 4 balcony doors with dimensions 1,20×2,20 and was built in 1980. Replacing these with new aluminium ones with thermal break can bring the following results:

  • energy savings of about 30%/year (~1900kWh)
  • savings of about 600€/year on cooling and heating costs.
  • reduction ofCO2 emissions of about 1570 Kg/year

The overall energy saving performance of a frame does not depend solely on the Uw factor, but also on other properties such as air permeability.

An example in order to understand it better.

If a frame has a very good coefficient of thermal conductivity (low value 1.8) but not a good value of air permeability (value 1), then we lose a lot of energy due to convection from the air (the frame is stuck), although the energy loss due to heat flow in the frame is low. However, the overall result is not good. For this reason, the simple replacement of crystals in old frames is most often not effective in terms of the overall result.

It is also important and increases the duration of the smooth operation of the frames, to carry out annual maintenance, which is often provided by the project contract when purchasing aluminium frames and is a prerequisite for the extension of the warranty.

In conclusion, I would like to point out that the level of quality of the products and services offered by the aluminium construction industry is high and at quite affordable prices, as long as the consumer addresses certified and qualified professionals.

In any case, from our side, because we often become recipients of complaints from individuals, we inform consumers as the Panhellenic Federation at every opportunity, in order to avoid misinformation and deception with unpleasant consequences for all of us.

The article was edited by Mr. Theophilos Pagiatis

President of the Panhellenic Federation of Aluminum and Seel Fabricators