Whether it’s the family home, or your small business, it is very important that you make sure your premises are adequately secure. In addition to being distressing, burglaries on your home or business can be incalculably expensive.
Thankfully, advances in fenestration technology have made windows and doors safer and more secure than ever. Having the best possible anti-burglary windows and doors can drastically reduce your exposure to burglaries. Good security is an investment you do not want to cut corners on.
All of these features have been rigorously tested to ensure they uphold the highest US and European safety standards. In this article, we take a look at some of the most popular and effective safety and security features.
What Are Anti-Burglary Windows and Doors?
Anti-burglary windows are windows which have been designed in accordance with the German industry-standard DIN EN 1627 scale. The scale is a six-point rating system which determines a window’s ability to withstand burglary.
A window’s ability to withstand is known as its Resistance Class (RC). The scale measures from RC1 through RC6. Simply put, the higher the RC number, the more resistance and protection the window offers against any potential burglar.
Here at OPEN AWD, we have been providing window and door units for over a decade. We have noticed a steady increase from home and business owners in the interest over the security of their property. We have always endeavored to provide our clients with as much safety and security as advances in technology have allowed. Recent advances in the industry, however, have brought about dramatic improvements in the security of windows and doors.
In addition to providing you with the most contemporary, elegant, and heat-efficient windows and doors that the industry has to offer, we are happy to announce that we will also be to provide some of the safest and most secure windows and doors available. Working alongside manufacturers in Europe, we have able to offer anti-burglary windows.
How Do Anti-Burglary Windows and Doors Work?
Shockproof and Breakthrough Resistance
Anti-burglary windows contain extra layers of polycarbonate glazing on the exterior panels as well as in between each layer of glazing. These layers, which are tear-proof, increase the window’s shockproof and breakthrough resistance.
Unlike most traditional glass, this tempered and glazed glass will not shatter into pieces. Instead, it simply absorb and withstand concentrated blunt force. It can withstand this for considerable time before it begins to show cracks.
As a result, burglars will need to spend a considerable amount of time with heavy-duty tools trying to break-in—all of which cause noise and unwanted attention. Crucially, though, the glass does not shatter which means that making an opening big enough so that they could then gain entry into the house will be significantly more difficult.
Burglar-resistant glass and constructions can of course be fabricated for use in doors, e.g. patio doors to ensure that every potential entry into your home can be made more secure.
To see what we mean in action, take a look at this video or click on the picture.
Anti-Burglary Fittings
Strong glass is not the only additional safety precaution or feature of these windows. These windows will be fitted with extra steel-mounted frame fittings and locking points in the internal corners. More fittings and locking points makes it significantly more difficult to force open a window.
All of these features will make almost any traditional attempt at breaking into your home—with a crowbar, for example—completely useless. These features can be very discretely integrated into the unit. This means that your windows and doors can maintain their slim sight-lines. The multi-locking point system also has the added bonus of making the window more airtight.
Pictured inset: high security door. Click to enlarge.
Through our manufacturers, we can also provide anti-burglary fittings, such as pads. These prevent drilling. If you choose a higher RC rating for your windows—say, RC3 or above—burglars will need more advanced hardware.
Examples of these would be high-performance power-tools such as sabre saws or grinders to successfully break into your home.
Burglary, Opportunism, and Improving Your Home’s Security
A greatly underestimated truth of home burglaries is how opportunistic they are. Burglars are professional opportunists who know an opportunity as soon as they see one. We have this idea of burglars craftily breaking into our homes during the night. However, in reality, burglars are much more likely to gain entry into our homes during the hours of work, between 9am and 4pm.
Similarly, most burglars will not carry tools with them, as tools make a quick getaway less likely. Burglars depend upon old or faulty locking points in windows and doors. What might surprise most people to learn is that human error plays a major role in most burglaries. An unlocked door, or a window which has not been closed properly is a perfect opportunity and a quick win for a burglar.
Remember: burglars only have to be lucky once. Don’t give them an opportunity. Even with the most secure windows, no home is completely safe. By reducing the possibility, you are greatly reducing the probability.
Contact Us
While your overall satisfaction with our product is incredibly important to us, so is your safety. Here at OPEN, we don’t believe that you need to compromise functionality, safety, and security in order to have stylish or aesthetically pleasing windows.
If you are interested in anti-burglary windows, please contact us at 929-202-2558 or email us here and someone from our team would be happy to talk you through your options.
OPEN Architectural Windows and Doors: Making your architectural plans a reality.