Are aluminium windows worth it?

Aluminium costs 25 to 50% more than uPVC. Whether that is worth paying depends entirely on the situation, and anyone who answers yes without asking about yours is selling.

When it is clearly worth it

Large glazed openings. Bi-folds, sliders, big picture windows. Aluminium is stiffer, so the frames are slimmer and the panes can be larger. On a wide opening it is not really a preference, it is the right material.

A house you are keeping. Spread over 30 to 50 years rather than 20 to 25, the premium looks different. You are also buying out a replacement cycle.

Where the frame is visible and the view matters. 55mm against 70mm is 15 to 20% more glass, every day, forever.

Specific colours or dual colour. Any RAL, and different inside and out. uPVC cannot match this.

Crittall style and conservation. Where a slim dark profile is what the building needs, uPVC is not a substitute.

When it is not

A rental or a property you are selling soon. You will not recover the premium.

Small windows, out of sight. The slim-frame advantage barely shows on a small opening.

A tight budget across a whole house. Better to fit good uPVC everywhere than aluminium to half the house and leave the rest failing.

Chasing an energy saving. Do not buy aluminium for thermal reasons — good uPVC is in the same band. Buy it for sightlines, lifespan and colour.

The honest middle

Aluminium on the front elevation and the large openings, uPVC on the rear and the small ones. It gets you the visible benefit where it counts, at a cost that makes sense. We supply both, so we have no reason to talk you out of it.