FORCE 8 GETS THUMBS-UP FROM FENSA

Leading UPVC window and door specialist, Force 8, received the thumbs-up after an inspection by the British Board of Agrement (BBA) this week under the industry’s self-regulatory FENSA scheme. Designed to provide registered companies with a means of demonstrating their commitment to complying with new building regulations including installation quality, energy efficiency and workmanship, FENSA stands as an independent self-certification scheme, monitoring and helping to maintain industry standards.

New building regulations introduced 2002 mean that homeowners throughout the land will now be called upon to provide a certificate of compliance for new window or double glazing installations. Every household will be legally obliged to provide certificates of compliance, either through a nationally recognised scheme such as FENSA or via the local authority building control officer. Under the FENSA scheme, companies voluntarily register and are subject to random testing by a team of BBA inspectors – both during and post-installation.

Commenting on the Force 8 installation at a private residence in Poynton this week, Inspector Peter Maddern said: “Our job is to assist the local authorities in ensuring improved standards of energy efficiency in line with the new building regulations. Companies registered under FENSA provide unrestricted access to all installations and we in turn check for all sorts of things, including the quality and strength of the glass, appropriate access and egress, etc. We then inform FENSA and it issues the homeowner with the appropriate certificate, as well as notifying the local authority. I am delighted to see companies such as Force 8 backing the scheme –an astounding success throughout the country.”

Dennis Sumner, MD of Force 8, welcomes the FENSA initiative: “Any bona fide company which takes a pride in the quality of its installations has nothing to fear and indeed should welcome the scheme. We are delighted to have this opportunity for an independent appraisal and assessment of the quality of our products and services and would advise all homeowners to think seriously about the prospects of selling their homes in the future. Without these certificates of compliance, it could prove a very expensive business – and we would recommend that members of the public thinking about replacement windows and doors specifically look for a FENSA registered company to do the job.”

Stockport-based Force 8 is a family-owned and operated business which manufactures and supplies windows, doors and conservatories to thousands of installers and fabricators all over Europe. Its extensive product portfolio includes a range of design variations to meet all requirements, including arched and unusually shaped styles.