Finesse Windows and Conservatories has become the first independent domestic manufacturer/installer of PVCu windows and doors in the Midlands to be awarded the energy saving Trust's 'Energy Saving Recommended' certification. To qualify, the company had to achieve a minimum 'C' energy rating with the British fenestration Rating Council, which it has done for its Thermal-Guard-C suite of windows and doors, with BFRC-accredited certification body BM TRADA. The Thermal-Guard-C range, manufactured at the company's Kings Norton factory, combines the latest five-chamber Swish extrusion with warm-edge 28mm Argon-filled double-glazing.

Swish itself has been so impressed that it has marked this latest achievement with a special Product Innovation Award.

According to Finesse Sales and Marketing Director David Bown, the range combines 'the best in energy efficiency and security'.

It is fully steel-reinforced and only Secured by Design recommended hardware is used.

The company has, in fact, always led the field in security, to the extent that it is a Finesse conservatory which has been built onto the West Midlands Police Community Safety House in Brownhills as a 'Centre of Excellence for Crime Reduction'.

With global warming very much in the news, however, homeowners are becoming much more aware about the need to improve the thermal efficiency of their homes.

Mr Bown added, 'It is our aim to meet our customers' needs and we are proud to be able to offer a product which offers both security and thermal efficiency.'