If you’re replacing windows and want a straight answer: uPVC casement windows suit most modern homes, flush sash windows work best for period properties and sliding sash windows are the traditional choice for Georgian or Victorian houses. Everything else in this guide helps you go deeper into each style, how they look, how they perform, and which one fits your home.
The different types of uPVC windows
uPVC remains the UK’s most popular window material, prized for its low maintenance, strong thermal performance, and wide range of design options. Today’s profiles go well beyond the plain white frames of the 1980s, modern uPVC windows come in a wide choice of colours, wood-grain foils, and dual-colour finishes that work on everything from new builds to period cottages.
Here at The Nottingham Window Company, our uPVC windows are A+ rated as standard and made to measure. Every style shares the same core performance credentials: multi-chambered profiles, Planitherm™ double or triple glazing, multi-point locking, and PAS 24 security compliance.
The table below shows a clear comparison across the five main styles we install.
| Style | Best for | Opening mechanism | Key strength | Typical U-value (triple glazed) |
| Casement | Most property types | Outward hinge | Tight seal, max ventilation | 0.8 W/m²K |
| Flush sash | Period & heritage homes | Outward hinge (flush) | Authentic timber look | 0.8 W/m²K |
| Sliding sash | Georgian & Victorian homes | Vertical slide | Character, conservation approval | 0.8 W/m²K |
| Tilt & turn | Flats, high-rise, urban | Inward tilt & turn | Easy cleaning, ventilation control | 0.8 W/m²K |
| Residence 7/9 | Older properties, conservation | Outward hinge (flush) | Up to 9-chamber insulation | 0.8 W/m²K |
uPVC casement windows
Casement windows are the most widely fitted window style in the UK. They open outward on a side, top, or bottom hinge and close with a tight compression seal around the frame, one of the reasons they deliver outstanding thermal performance.
Our casement windows feature a multi-chambered uPVC profile with internal beading and multi-point locking as standard. They conform to PAS 24 security specifications and Document Q performance benchmarks. The uPVC profiles are 100% lead-free and carry the Greenline environmental label.
Configuration options include:
- Side hung (most common)
- Top hung (ideal over kitchen sinks or in bathrooms)
- Bottom hung
- French casement (two sashes opening from the centre)
- Multiple panes within one frame
Because casement windows suit both modern and traditional homes, they’re a go-to choice across the East Midlands, whether you’re in a 1930s semi in West Bridgford or a new build in Arnold. Colour choices run from standard white through to dual-colour options with contrasting interior and exterior finishes, plus Georgian bar, astragal bar, and leaded light glazing effects.
Flush casement windows
The flush sash is the style you want when your home needs a traditional look without the maintenance of real timber.
Also known as a flush casement window, this style sits perfectly flat within the frame when closed. There’s no protruding sash rebate as you’d find on a standard casement, giving the window a clean, uniform finish that closely resembles authentic timber joinery.
Our flush sash windows replicate the historical ‘flush’ sash window, combining timber-like sightlines with modern, energy-efficient uPVC. Period features such as fully mechanical joints, deep bottom rails, flat external putty lines, and 85mm Edwardian, Georgian, or Victorian slim mullion combinations can all be specified. Complex astragal bar designs are available too.
uPVC sliding sash windows
Sliding sash windows sometimes called vertical sliders are a defining feature of Georgian and Victorian architecture and have been installed across Nottingham and the wider East Midlands for over 200 years. They operate via one or two glazed panels that slide up and down independently, controlled by a modern torsion balance system rather than the traditional rope-and-pulley mechanism.
Our sliding sash windows are made in the UK with 80% of uPVC off-cuts recycled and re-formed during manufacture. They achieve U-values as low as 0.8 W/m²K with 44mm triple glazing — performance on a par with any other style in our range.
Tilt & turn windows
Tilt and turn windows offer a dual-function opening system that’s particularly well suited to flats, upper floors, and urban properties where outward-opening windows are impractical.
In tilt mode, the sash tilts inward from the top, creating a narrow ventilation gap that’s safe for young children and resistant to rain ingress. In turn mode, the same sash swings fully inward on a vertical hinge, allowing easy cleaning of both the glass faces from inside the room.
Our tilt & turn windows use the same multi-chambered uPVC profile technology as other window models, with PAS 24 compliance and multi-point locking as standard.
Residence Collection: uPVC windows for heritage homes
Residence 7 and Residence 9 windows are timber-alternative uPVC systems engineered to replicate 19th-century flush sash timber windows. They’re the most architecturally authentic option we offer, and many local authorities now accept them in conservation areas.
The key difference between the two is the number of internal chambers: R7 uses a 7-chamber profile; R9 uses nine. The additional chambers in the R9 restrict cold air infiltration more effectively and slow heat loss, though both achieve an A+ energy rating and accept double or triple glazing. The R9 also features deep decorative detailing on the interior for an even more period-accurate finish.
Which uPVC window style suits your home?
The right style depends on three things: the age and character of your property, your planning situation, and how you want the windows to function day-to-day.
| Your situation | Style to consider |
| Modern or mixed-era home | Casement |
| Period property, want traditional look without timber maintenance | Flush sash or Residence Collection |
| Georgian or Victorian property | Sliding sash or Residence Collection |
| Flat or upper-floor room | Tilt & turn |
| Conservation area or listed building | Sliding sash or Residence 7/9 |
| Budget is the primary concern | Casement |
How we can help you choose
At The Nottingham Window Company, we’ve been installing windows across Nottingham, Derby, Leicester, and the wider East Midlands for over 20 years. Our showroom on Hucknall High Street has working examples of every style in this guide, casement, flush sash, sliding sash, tilt & turn, and the Residence Collection, so you can see and feel the quality before you commit to anything.
All our products are A-rated, quality assured by CERTASS, and come with QANW Insurance Backed Warranties and a lifetime guarantee on frames as standard. Every installation conforms to PAS 24 security standards, and our aftercare service includes free call-outs for any remedial work required.
If you’ve got a question about which style works best for your property or you’re ready to start planning, get in touch with our team or call us on 0115 866 0066. We’re always happy to help, there’s no obligation, and no pressure.