Last Updated on February 24, 2023 by ttv-admin
The Trade Village is proud to supply the new Alitherm 400 window and door suite from Smart Aluminium. Released in 2022, this impressive window is making waves as it’s designed with new building regs in mind. It also features the unique Smart ‘quick-glaze’ beads, saving installers valuable time and hassle on site.
With impressive U values and pre-gasketed beads, this window system will likely become one of Smart’s most popular. Eventually, older systems such as the popular Alitherm 300 will be replaced due to the new stricter energy ratings.
Let’s take a look at the new Alitherm 400 and see if it lives up to the hype…
Why choose Smart Alitherm 400 windows?
As mentioned above, this is a relatively new product from Smart, released in mid-2022. With an already impressive portfolio of aluminium products, the Alitherm 400 range covers both windows and doors.
The development seems to be a direct response from Smart Aluminium to the new stricter building regulations of June 2022. This is a positive move from Smart, showing they are ahead of the curve with the development of relevant products. It’s also one of the reasons The Trade Village is proud to supply Smart aluminium products.
The Alitherm 400 range is designed to meet all new stricter regulations, which some existing aluminium systems are struggling with. Often, it can mean upgrading the frames or glass, adding expense and making it harder to win the sale. The Alitherm 400 has this covered from the start, and has affordability in mind also.
Are you are quoting new builds or refurbishment jobs? If so and you want peace of mind you’ve satisfied building regulations, Alitherm 400 is a safe bet.
The Smart Alitherm 400 ‘quick-glaze’ bead system
The big talking point of the new Alitherm 400 suite is the ‘quick glaze’ bead. You may have seen this new pre-gasketed bead on the Smart Visofold 1000? Now, Smart offer this as standard across the whole Alitherm 400 window and door range.
Most aluminium windows have a bead system that requires on-site fitting. Once fitted, it requires wedge gasket cutting and inserting on-site. As any window fitter will tell you, this is a laborious and unenjoyable process, especially on aluminium windows. The gasket can often be tight to fit, and this is time-consuming on larger jobs.
In comparison, the Alitherm 400 quick glaze bead has the gasket already extruded into the bead. This means the beads are simply tapped in on-site, making for an easier installation. This not only saves a lot of time but eliminates one of the most unenjoyable aspects of the fitting.
At The Trade Village, we have already seen our customers loving this feature on bi-folds. We predict this alone will make the Alitherm 400 a very popular product.
If you are working on full houses or larger projects, consider the Alitherm 400! The time saved thanks to not having to cut and fit wedge gaskets could be a winner for your business…
June 2022 Building Regs Approved
Smart Alitherm 400 windows and doors are designed to fully comply with 2022 building regulations. This window system definitely won’t leave you open to error when the building inspector comes knocking.
Despite the new regulations coming into force last Summer, there is still some confusion about what is acceptable.
We admit the rules can get blurry, and at times seem counter-intuitive. Energy ratings are now a lot stricter, but requirements for trickle vents have also gone up (negating the energy ratings). But let’s not talk about how much we hate trickle vents, that can be saved for another blog!
Whatever the rules are, the best way to avoid an expensive mistake is to make sure the products you are supplying comply. That way, you can install with confidence.
Some aluminium systems are currently having to work hard to meet regulations. Many popular systems you will be familiar with are actually struggling to meet the ratings, despite the big numbers that many brochures claim. Remember, the numbers often quoted in sales literature and brochures are usually achieved as a ‘best case’ scenario in a testing environment.
For example, achieving the best case U value requires a huge window with krypton-filled glass units. This looks great from a marketing point of view, but the reality is on a standard window with glass that doesn’t cost more than the window itself, it won’t be anywhere near.
The Alitherm 400 range is a safe bet as Smart has gone to great lengths to ensure the windows are going to satisfy building regulations in a real-world, sensible application. To further help our customers with this, we provide a comprehensive building regulations document that shows real-world U values on popular window designs, along with the various energy ratings you can achieve on both double and triple glazing.
The bottom line is, the new building regulations are here to stay. It makes sense to choose a system that already has all angles covered, rather than hoping your current system complies or worse still, adding so many upgrades to meet the regulations that you price yourself out and lose the job.
PAS 24 Certified
You might think that PAS 24 should be a basic requirement for any window these days, and we’d be inclined to agree. Nevertheless, window systems have to go through strict testing to achieve this, and the Alitherm 400 has done just that.
Again, PAS 24 will be a legal requirement if you are installing on a new build (also many extensions will often be specified with it too, although not strictly a requirement yet).
PAS 24 is often specified by architects and from an end user’s perspective it’s a strong selling tool. Any window or door that can achieve PAS 24 demonstrates a strong and secure product, so this is a very valuable asset.
Superb Energy Rating
Due to meeting new stricter building regulations, it means the Alitherm 400 has very impressive U values. A typical U value on a 1.5m x 1.2m side opening window would be 1.4 with double glazing, or 1.1 with triple glazing.
These are very impressive figures for an aluminium system, and not only is this good from a building regulations point of view but it means you have a very powerful selling tool. The energy crisis looks unfortunately set to continue for some time, so customers are looking for ways to help offset energy bills. Being able to offer a window and door system with impressive energy ratings is a great start.
Impressive Colour Range
As with most aluminium systems today, the Alitherm 400 range is available in a stock colour range of white, Anthracite Grey and Black. Lead times vary depending on your supplier, but at The Trade Village, we offer a very fast turnaround of 10 days on stock colours.
RAL colours are also available, either as a single colour or dual colour (different colours inside and out). Another nice addition to the Alitherm 400 range is the option of choosing from the popular Smart Sensations and Alchemy ranges. These offer a range of metallic and anodised finishes that give the windows a much more interesting appearance, in our opinion.
As a side note, it’s common for most aluminium fabricators to showcase the products in their showrooms with these anodised or textured finishes, so it’s strange that they are not more commonly promoted. They undoubtedly have a more stylish appearance than standard gloss or matt, and in Europe these finishes are certainly more popular.
It likely comes down to customer awareness, so maybe this is an area where you can get ahead of the curve and upsell these classy paint options.
Smart Alitherm 400 Trade Village Score: 9/10
Pros:
- Quick-glaze bead system is a potential game changer for window installers.
- Peace of mind for installers as built to satisfy new stricter 2022 building regs.
- Very impressive U values for an aluminium system.
- Competitive price point.
Cons:
- Would be nice to offer a slimline version.
If you’d like to learn more about our Smart Alitherm 400 windows and doors, login or register here. Alternatively, please give us a call on 01642 309 574.