Can double glazing reduce noise?

You may have heard the claims that double glazing can help reduce the noise in your home and want to know more. Keeping your home quiet has become even more essential, with more people than ever working from home.

Sounds can be very invasive, with noise negatively impacting your health and well-being, leading to increased stress levels and poor sleep. Fortunately, double glazing has been shown to reduce noise pollution by up to 35 decibels.

What is a decibel?

Sound is a vibration that travels through molecules of air and solid objects until it reaches your ear. Sound vibrations look like waves hence the term ‘soundwave’ with different wavelengths.

Decibels (dB) are the measurement of sound intensity. A higher dB indicates more noise.

As it is a logarithmic scale, every increase of 10dB means a ten-fold increase in volume. For example, 20dB is ten times louder than a sound of 10dB, while 100 dB is a billion times louder than 10dB.

You can see that even small increases in sound could have a damaging effect.

What is considered too loud?

People can hear sounds within the range of 0 and 140 dB. The average household has a noise level of 40dB.

• Sounds less than 30dB are considered to be very quiet.
• Noise levels over 85dB are considered to be potentially harmful.

Here are some examples of common sounds:

• Conversation: Between 40dB and 60dB
• Cars: 70dB
• Emergency Vehicle sirens: 110-120dB
• Chainsaw: 140 dB

How can double glazing help reduce noise levels?

Your choice of windows is essential when considering noise reduction. The glass panes have large surfaces that can allow sound to leak into your home. Poorly fitted or older frames may also have gaps that will allow sound to invade.

Double glazing reduces noise by absorbing the sound vibrations in the gas between the two panes of glass. Good quality double glazing will reduce sound levels by between 20% and 65%, which means that double glazing can potentially reduce noise levels by 35 dB.

All new double glazing comes with a rating that indicates the level of sound insulation provided. You will see this marked as RW (Weighted Sound Reduction Index). The higher the RW, the better sound insulation you will get.

Choosing uPVC frames helps with noise insulation, thanks to their excellent sealing properties. Getting your windows professionally installed will ensure that the fit is snug and there are no gaps to let in unwanted noise.

Is triple glazing better at reducing noise?

Triple glazing is brilliantly energy efficient, but double glazing is often better for reducing sound, as triple glazing can magnify noise due to vibrations on the middle pane.

What noises can double glazing help with?

All homes benefit from some sound insulation, but it is crucial to consider it if you live in a very noisy environment.

• Traffic noise
• Living near an airport
• Homes near a train line

• Properties on a busy high street

What double glazing is best for noise insulation?

At Colne Valley Windows, we use double glazing manufactured by REHAU to help reduce noise levels in your home by as much as a half.

If you want to know more about reducing noise pollution in your home, call us at 01787 827382 or email us at info@colnevalleywindows.co.uk for expert advice.