How we chose
We started from the window fitters and glaziers Google Maps shows across Telford. Scheme memberships were sourced from the FENSA, CERTASS and TrustMark registers, each firm's own website and the customer platforms holding their reviews [1] [3] [4] [6]. Each business must first meet our basic checks: it is who it says it is, it is trading today and can be reached, and the window work it offers has a proper compliance route. Nine of the dozen firms met all three. What customers say counts most toward the score, then qualifications, then whether the firm has traded two years or more and whether its cover is stated, then pricing clarity and website detail. All evidence is dated September 2026.
How to hire
Start by deciding whether your windows need replacing or repairing. A misted sealed unit, a draughty opener, a stiff hinge or a tired lock can often be fixed with the frames left in place, which is the whole trade of repair-first firms, while full-frame replacement means new frames, new glass and building-regulations paperwork [8]. Full replacement costs more and needs a registered installer, so it pays to know which job yours is. Walk every window, note each fault, and describe the same list to each firm you call.
For full replacement, the registers matter more than the brochure. FENSA and CERTASS run government-authorised competent-person schemes that let installers self-certify replacement windows and doors as meeting the building regulations [1] [3] [6]. TrustMark operates its own searchable register of firms, and Glass and Glazing Federation membership signals trade-body backing [4] [5]. Ask each firm for its registration and check it yourself on the scheme's own search rather than trusting a logo, and if a replacement firm appears on no register, ask why before going further.
Use Telford showrooms before you decide. Madeley, Halesfield, Ironbridge and Donnington all have counters or displays you can walk into, and seeing frame colours, handle options and sliding gear in person beats choosing from a PDF. Shortlist two or three firms and get itemised quotes on one written scope so each prices the same job. Which? advises comparing like-for-like quotes from at least three firms and never accepting the first figure under pressure [10].
Each quote should name every window, the frame material and colour, the glass specification and energy rating, labour, scaffolding or access equipment for upper floors, the VAT position, start and finish dates, deposit and stage payments, and the guarantee with the organisation behind it [7] [8]. Upper-floor work can need scaffolding, which moves the price, and coloured foils, sash gear and upgraded glass all add more [7]. Never accept a single lump sum for a whole house without a per-window breakdown, and keep every revision in writing.
After fitting, a FENSA or CERTASS installer notifies the council for you and you receive a certificate proving the work complies and is registered, which matters when you sell [1] [2]. If no certificate arrives within thirty days of completion, chase the scheme operator, which can help resolve it [2]. Keep the certificate with the itemised invoice and the guarantee together. Several Telford firms state insurance-backed guarantees, which can still stand if the firm itself stops trading, so file the guarantee document where you can find it [1].
One Telford extra: parts of the borough sit in conservation areas and Ironbridge Gorge carries World Heritage status, so replacement styles there may need to match the street and listed buildings need consent before any work starts. Check with the council planning desk before ordering if your home is listed or inside a designated area. Everywhere else, standard white uPVC with rated glass remains the most economical choice, and replacing just a failed sealed unit can be enough where frames are sound [10] [8].
Pricing
As of summer 2026, rough Telford ranges run like this: a standard white uPVC casement near £500–£1,250 fitted, sash windows around £700–£1,500, and bay assemblies from about £1,100, with a typical three-bedroom semi landing near £8,000–£15,000 for the full set [7]. Repair work runs far lower: swapping a misted sealed unit typically costs £75–£200 a pane, and new handles or locks around £50–£150 including parts and labour [8].
Frame material moves the price most: white uPVC is the cheapest option, with aluminium and timber climbing above it and colour foils adding more still [7] [10]. Bigger panes, sash mechanisms, triple or acoustic glass, upper-floor access needing scaffolding, and conservation-area detailing all push the figure up [7]. Ask how each choice changes your own quote rather than guessing from averages.
Most firms here quote the job rather than a rate, but guides put a window fitter near £25–£35 an hour or £200–£280 a day [8]. Ask whether each figure includes VAT, since published ranges do not always say, and whether the quote covers removing old frames, making good plaster and clearing waste. A price that skips disposal or finishing is not the bargain it first looks.
Get the scope in writing before work starts: every window listed, the exact specification, the fitted price per window, the VAT position, payment stages, start and finish dates, and the guarantee terms with the name behind them. Which? advises paying in instalments and holding the final sum until the work is completed to a satisfactory standard with every contract term met [10].
Red flags
Quotes full-frame replacement without visiting, measuring, or asking for photos of every window involved.
Cannot give a FENSA or CERTASS registration you can check yourself on the scheme's own search [1] [6].
Finishes replacement windows with no certificate and no mention of notifying the council [2].
Asks for most of the price in cash up front, with no written quote or staged payment terms [9].
Prices a whole house as one lump sum and will not break it down per window [7].
Presses you to sign on the day for a discount that expires before you can compare quotes.
Will not put the frame specification, price, start date and guarantee terms in writing before starting.
Calls a misted unit just condensation instead of quoting a replacement sealed unit [8].
The bottom line
For most Telford homes planning full replacement, start with R&S Windows Ltd: a Madeley showroom to visit, stated FENSA and federation backing, and two decades behind one limited company. Ask for the registration detail and the guarantee terms with your quote, then compare it against one rival quote on the same scope.
Match the firm to the job otherwise: APH or Formula One where you want making and fitting under one roof, Ace where a repair will do, and Wholesale Glass or Dudley's for cut glass, sealed units and urgent boarding-up. Then get two written quotes on an identical scope and keep the certificate that follows the work.
Corrections and business responses
Tell us what needs checking, or ask to claim a listing and reply to an assessment.