Triple glazing pays off when you pay for heating by consumption and the house or flat is otherwise well insulated. With us it is a surcharge of 3,054 RSD (≈ 26 €) per m² of glass on VEKA 70 and GEALAN LINEAR 74MD, and on VEKA 82MD triple glazing is already included in the price. In the example below the surcharge pays back in about 8 to 15 years, and the window lasts at least twice as long. If your heating is billed per square metre of the flat, there is no saving on the bill, so you are paying for comfort.
What triple glazing costs per m²
With us, a triple-glazed unit costs 3,054 RSD (≈ 26 €) extra per m² of glass, including VAT and excluding installation. This applies to VEKA 70 and GEALAN LINEAR 74MD. On VEKA 82MD, triple glazing is standard. The surcharge is calculated on the area of the glass, not the opening, and the glass is always smaller than the opening because of the frame and sash. That is why the amounts in the table are an upper limit.
| Window | Opening area | VEKA 70 / GEALAN 74MD, double | Triple, at most | VEKA 82MD (triple as standard) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80×120 cm, 1 sash | 0.96 m² | 17,384 RSD (≈ 148 €) | 20,321 RSD (≈ 173 €) | 22,670 RSD (≈ 193 €) |
| 120×140 cm, 2 sashes | 1.68 m² | 29,365 RSD (≈ 250 €) | 34,533 RSD (≈ 294 €) | 38,879 RSD (≈ 331 €) |
| 140×140 cm, 2 sashes | 1.96 m² | 31,127 RSD (≈ 265 €) | 37,117 RSD (≈ 316 €) | 41,698 RSD (≈ 355 €) |
| 180×140 cm, 2 sashes | 2.52 m² | 35,238 RSD (≈ 300 €) | 42,990 RSD (≈ 366 €) | 47,924 RSD (≈ 408 €) |
Prices are from our price list, for white, including VAT and excluding installation. The exact price is in the quote after a free measuring visit.
The calculation: how long the surcharge takes to pay back
To see whether triple glazing pays off in your case, you need three figures: how much less heat it lets through, how cold the season is, and what you pay for heat.
1. The difference in insulation. For the example we use values from a REHAU technical sheet for common units: double glazing 4-16-4 with argon has Ug 1.1 W/m²K, and triple glazing 4-12-4-12-4 with argon has Ug 0.7 W/m²K. The difference is 0.4 W/m²K. The real values for your glass are stated in the quote.
2. How cold it gets. Serbia’s Rulebook on the Energy Efficiency of Buildings gives Belgrade 2,520 heating degree-days a year. Pančevo is not listed separately, but its climate is similar.
3. Saving per m² of glass. 0.4 × 2,520 × 24 h = about 24 kWh of heat a year per square metre of glass.
Everything now depends on the price of heat. Take two examples, both purely assumptions for the calculation:
| Price of heat (assumption) | Annual saving per m² of glass | Surcharge pays back in |
|---|---|---|
| 0.07 € per kWh | about 1.70 € | about 15 years |
| 0.14 € per kWh | about 3.40 € | about 8 years |
For your own calculation, use the real price of the energy you heat with, taking into account the efficiency of your stove or boiler.
Example for one window. A 140×140 cm window with two sashes has about 1.4 m² of glass. The surcharge is about 4,229 RSD (≈ 36 €), and the saving is 34 kWh a year, or about 2.40 to 4.80 € in these two examples. According to the German BBSR table, a glazed unit lasts about 30 years, so the surcharge pays back within its lifetime.
The calculation is simplified. Triple glazing lets through slightly less solar heat, so on the south side the saving is smaller than in the table, while on the north side it is closer to the calculation.
When triple glazing pays off, and when it doesn’t
It pays off:
- in a house or flat with its own heating on electricity, gas or pellets;
- with large glazed areas and balcony doors;
- on the north side and in rooms where you sit next to the window;
- in new builds and energy renovations, when the façade and roof are already insulated.
It doesn’t pay back through the bill:
- when you pay a flat rate for heating, per square metre of the flat, because lower heat loss does not reduce the bill;
- when the walls and roof are not insulated, because most of the heat is then lost through them.
In both cases triple glazing still gives you a warmer inner glass surface, less condensation and fewer cold draughts by the window. At −5 °C outside and 20 °C inside, the inner surface of glass with Ug 1.1 is about 16 °C, and with Ug 0.7 about 18 °C. You feel those two degrees when you sit by the window. We cover this in more detail in our article on condensation on windows.
VEKA 70 with triple glazing, or VEKA 82MD straight away
On a 140×140 cm window, VEKA 70 with triple glazing costs at most 37,117 RSD (≈ 316 €), and VEKA 82MD costs 41,698 RSD (≈ 355 €). The difference of about 4,698 RSD (≈ 40 €) buys a seven-chamber profile with a centre seal, not just better glass. If you are choosing for insulation, compare Uw for the whole window, not only the Ug of the glass. A detailed comparison is in VEKA 70, GEALAN 74MD or VEKA 82MD.
Argon, weight and noise
- Argon and spacer. The gas in the cavity, the coating and the spacers all affect the Ug value. Our triple-glazed unit is argon-filled as standard. A warm-edge spacer is an option, at 587 RSD (≈ 5 €) extra per m². Ask for the gas, coating and spacer to be written in the quote.
- Weight. 4 mm glass weighs about 10 kg per m², so a triple-glazed unit is about 50% heavier than a double-glazed one. The sash and hardware have to be sized for this, which we do in production.
- Noise. A third pane on its own does not mean much better sound insulation. For noise, panes of different thicknesses and laminated acoustic glass matter more.
Common questions
Is triple glazing worth it?
It pays off when you pay for heating by consumption and the building is well insulated. In our example, the surcharge of 3,054 RSD (≈ 26 €) per m² of glass pays back in about 8 to 15 years, depending on the price of heat. If your heating is billed per square metre of the flat, you gain comfort but not a lower bill.
How much does triple glazing cost per m²?
With us the surcharge is 3,054 RSD (≈ 26 €) per m² of glass on VEKA 70 and GEALAN LINEAR 74MD, including VAT and excluding installation. On VEKA 82MD triple glazing is standard and costs nothing extra.
How much does triple glazing add to the price of a whole window?
On a 140×140 cm window the surcharge is at most 5,990 RSD (≈ 51 €), so the price goes from 31,127 RSD (≈ 265 €) to at most 37,117 RSD (≈ 316 €). Because it is calculated per square metre of glass, the real surcharge is usually a little lower, about 4,229 RSD (≈ 36 €).
Does triple glazing block noise better?
Not necessarily. For noise, panes of different thicknesses and laminated acoustic glass matter more than the number of panes. Ask for the sound insulation figure for the exact configuration you are offered.
Is triple glazing a smart choice in a flat with central heating?
If heating is billed per square metre, the saving won’t show on the bill. You still get a warmer glass surface and less condensation. On small windows the surcharge is small, so many people choose triple glazing for comfort.
Send us your sizes and we’ll price both options. After a free measuring visit, your quote shows the double and triple-glazed units side by side, with Ug and Uw values and prices. Call +381 13 36 77 00 or +381 60 626 27 10, email office@danito.rs, or request a quote on the book a measuring visit page.
Sources
- Danito price list (3,054 RSD/m² (≈ 26 €/m²) of glass surcharge, prices by size)
- Rulebook on the Energy Efficiency of Buildings (Pravilnik o energetskoj efikasnosti zgrada), Annex 6, HDD table (Belgrade 2,520)
- REHAU, EURO-DESIGN 70 technical sheet (Ug 1.1 for 4-16Ar-4 and Ug 0.7 for 4-12Ar-4-12Ar-4)
- BBSR, service life of insulating glass units 30 years (item 334.316)
