The
WINDOW BOOK
Your Guide To High Performance Windows
There’s more to windows than meets the eye! rightwindows.co.nz
Today there are a myriad of options in the type, style and functionality in options for glazing.
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On average 35% of our homes exterior is galss. We ask a lot of our windows and probably give them very little thought.
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Why Windows Are Important
Windows let in light, they frame views, provide ventilation, they can help heat our homes, protect us from the cold of winter and heat of summer and can have a major impact on the look and feel of our homes and the whole way we live our lives. They form a vital and important part of the exterior “shell� of our homes. Today there are a myriad of options in the type, style and functionality in options for glazing. Today we are much more cconscious of energy conservation, indoor outdoor flow, the positio positioning of our homes to maximize views and sun, natural light to make us feel better an altogether more healthy approach to life. This little booklet is designed to give you some guidance in how
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In New Zealand 9 out of 10 window frames are constructed of aluminium. This is because aluminium offers some exceptional benefits.
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Why Aluminium Is The Frame Of Choice
Low maintenance, long life (no problems with rot or continuous painting) Strong, light and dimensionally stable (no problems with warping) Non toxic and doesn’t release any harmful odours or vapours Wide choice of colours via the powder coating process (thermally broken windows allow the option of dual colours, a different exterior colour from the interior colour) A wide range of styles to suit your architecture and how you live your lifestyle Not affected by UV light A good reflector of heat and light dant metal The world’s most abundant oduct A highly recyclable product
Aluminums’ one downside when used in a window frame is that it’s highly conductive of heat and cold. This can be overcome by ensuring your windows are thermally broken (see page 12).
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Safety glass – Doesn’t break like regular glass but rather shatters into very small pieces which do not pose a cutting threat like normal (annealed) glass. This safety glass is also known as toughened glass because of the additional process it goes through in manufacture. A second type of safety glass is laminated glass where two thin panes of glass are glued together with a tough plastic film. When this glass is broken it remains in place and any broken pieces are held together by the plastic film. Tinted glass – A wide variety of tinted glass is available to assist privacy and cut down glare Reflective glass – You can see out but those outside cant see in. Excellent for privacy and can make for interesting aesthetic and architectural options. Alarm glass – A special security glass with an alarmed wire embedded within the glass
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Typic Type Of
glass
cal es
Glass has been improving our homes and well being since Roman times. As well as being weather tight we expect glazing to let in light, providing the ability for us to look outside while also ensuring our comfort and safety.
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All About Glass
The right glazing can make a huge difference to the architecture and “livability” in a home. Today on average around 35% of the building “shell” is glazing via windows and doors so it’s a very important part of your homes fabric. Double glazing (the placement of 2 sheets of glass with an air gap between them in a frame ) has become a lot more common and in New Zealand is now a building code requirement for new home construction. There are now a number of special forms of glass all designed with different attributes and uses.
Low e glass – A popular glass that helps retain heat within the home while at the same time reflecting harmful UV rays that can cause fading of furniture and carpets etc. Electrochromatic glass – Also known as smart glass. This type of glass aims to eliminate the need for blinds by changing from clear to dark as the sunlight intensifies. It can also be changed manually via an electric current and switch Self cleaning glass – A sophisticated new glass which contains special properties (a pyrolytic coating) which dissolves dirt and sheds water using natural UV light and rain so that when it rains the glass effectively self cleanses itself. Currently mainly used in commercial applications. Other glass types include patterned glass, laminated glass, and special fire resistant glass.
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Double glazing explained A high performance double glazed window uses 2 panes of glass (instead of a single pane) with insulating air gap between the panes.
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Why Double Glaze
Double glazing has become virtually mandatory in new construction within New Zealand in order to meet building code energy compliance regulations. It has also become increasingly popular as a retrofit option as homeowners appreciate the many benefits double glazing offers in improving the comfort levels in homes. New home construction has to meet minimum R value (a term used to measure heat resistance) criteria. When combined with insulation in walls ceilings and floors, double glazed windows and doors help keep inside temperatures stable and reduce heating and cooling costs. As an example a double glazed window of clear glass when thermally broken can halve the loss of heat when compared to an identical single glazed window of the same size. Keep in mind up to 35%50% of energy loss can be via windows and doors so it’s a well worthwhile investment at a number of levels. Helps prevents “weeping windows” formed via condensation build up. Assists noise reduction. Having 2 panes of glass also acts as an additional security barrier. Improves future resale value of your home.
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“Warmth, light, sunshine and shade are critical to a comfortable home but we need them in the right proportion at the right time of the year.�
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In winter “weeping windows” or condensation can form on windows due to the temperature differential between outside and inside. Condensation can lead to the formation of mold and mildew and create a health hazard. Mold is a type of fungi, a live plant. Like all fungi, it produces spores, which float through the air and are inhaled into the lungs. These spores can cause reactions in people with mold allergies, including a runny nose, sneezing, headache and even trouble breathing in some cases leading to asthma. Mildew can cause a similar reaction. Mold and mildew can be especially dangerous to infants, young children and elderly adults. Mold and mildew grow on windows when condensation collects on the inside of windows and drips down the pane. A big advantage in using aluminum as a window framing material is that it is totally non toxic and doesn’t release any odours or taint products which it comes into contact with. Aluminum is also the worlds most abundant metal and is the third most common element comprising 8% of the earth’s crust. The recyclability of aluminum is unparalleled. Recycled aluminum has no degradation in properties to virgin aluminum. Currently around 60% of aluminum metal is recycled at the end of its lifecycle into products such as cans and even reused to manufacture new widow frame extrusions.
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Energy, Your Health And Saving The Planet
We are now all much more conscious of energy savings and attention to sustainability. It’s not just the increased cost of energy for light, heating and cooling but also about how we live our lives by bringing the outdoors indoors in Summer, how we place our homes in relation to the sun, how we recycle materials and try and live a healthier, better life.
Glass is also a benign material and is fully recyclable. So the answer to sustainable windows and a more healthy environment is to choose aluminum m frames (with all its many advantages) ess) double glazing with ith a thermal spacer er separating the panes and ensure re e the window frame system ysstem is “thermally broken” n”” to prevent the formation of mould and mildew.
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“In an ideal world for most people “Thermal comfort” means an ideal temperature of 18 -20 degrees in winter and 20 -22 degrees in summer.”
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No we don’t mean broken as in cricket ball through the glass broken but rather thermally broken.
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Why Windows deserve to be broken
What is a thermal break?
A thermal break is a highly engineered Polyamide (plastic) strip that in aluminium windows acts as a thermal barrier and structural join between the inside and outside portions of the window frame. This halts the transfer of heat or cold through the window. A thermal barrier is important as aluminium is a highly efficient conductor of heat (or cold) meaning that heat and cold flow out of your home via your aluminium window frames. Aluminium is in fact up to 10 times more conductive than glass. A fundamental law of nature is that heat always take the path of least residence to a colder environment. This means on a hot day heat wants to enter your cooler house and on a cold winters night heat wants to escape your warm home to the cold exterior When you consider windows and glazing can be responsible for up to 50% of your home’s heat loss this is an important consideration. an “In an ideal world for most people “Thermal comfort” means a ideal temperature of 18 -20 degrees in winter and 20 -222 degrees in summer.” Other benefits of thermally broken windows includ include lude the prevention of weeping windows and condensation condensa nsation (leading to unhealthy mold and mildew) an apprecia appreciable eciable improvement in deadening sound transfer, additional onal security, and improved future resale value and of course ourse year round comfort.
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Window Construction Terms Lintel: a horizontal member above a widow or door opening to support the structure above.
Rail: a horizontal member usually at the top or bottom of a door panel.
Double glazing: placing two parallel panes of glass in a window frame with an air gap between them.
Transom: the main horizontal member of a window separating two panes of glass
Frame: The enclosure in which a window sash is mounted . Glazing: The work of installing glass in a frame Jamb: The main vertical member forming the vertical sides of a window or door frame Mullion: A vertical member between window units. Pane: a sheet of glass
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Window sash: the frame surrounding the movable parts of a window Sash: The frame surrounding the movable parts of a window. Sill: The main horizontal member at the bottom of the frame. Single glazing: The use of a single pane of glass in a window Thermal break: The addition of a thermal insulating material between two thermally conductive materials eg A polyamide strip used in aluminum window construction
Today you often hear talk of a homes R Value. This is a comparative way of measuring a homes energy efficiency as it’s a measure of thermal resistance or a measure of a products resistance to heat loss (the higher R value the better).
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Technical Stuff Explained
With the way energy prices are climbing and the move towards a cleaner greener planet to say nothing of your own comfort (who wants to freeze in winter and cook in summer when there is no need to do so) means energy efficiency is vital in New Zealand legislation now requires all new homes to meet a minimum R value which is set dependant on geographic /climatic zoning . Similar legislation has been enacted in Australia which by May 2010 introduces a 6 star rating on new homes and major renovations U Value – is the term used to describe heat transference (the lower U value the better) Low e Glass – Is a special glass with a metal oxide coating that retains heat inside and keeps cold or summer heat outside. Float glass – A manufacturing process introduced in 1959 which combined the brilliant finish of sheet glass with the optical qualities of plate glass. IGU (Insulated glass unit) – a hermetically sealed multi pane glazing unit consisting of two or more glazing layers held and bonded at their perimeter by a spacer bar. Fenestration – An architectural term referring to the arrangements of windows in a wall (from the latin word fenestra meaning window) For more information and technical assistance visit the technoform main site at www.technoorm-anz.com
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Awning windows – the most popular window format. They are top hung and push out from the bottom giving ventilation and some protection from showers Casement windows – Traditional side hung (hinged) windows are very good at directing breezes for improved ventilation
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Types of Windows
Sliding windows – These can be either vertical sliding or horizontal sliding. They have the advantage of being safe with no protruding surfaces. As they don’t protrude they can also accommodate exterior screens for fly protection or security Bifold windows – These are ideal to let the outside in. In nice weather they can be opened to maximize ventilation and views. Options are now available so they can be folded back against walls so there are no protrusions particularly useful on decks and walkways. Louvre windows – A series of small blades that can be readily adjusted through many angles to improve ventilation Custom desig design – The choice is almost endless. Special shapes , curved , raked, arched can be custom designed and fitted for a distinctive look ar or to frame an outstanding view. Windows can also be designed to fit formats fo such as bay windows, boxed windows or for gazebo’s and an for overhead glazing including skylights to maximize the entry of light or to capture sky views e Glazed doors – A wide range of glazed door types are G available a to allow entry and exit, allow in light and capture views. vi Options include sliding doors, Bi fold doors , traditional
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Where To Find High Performance Windows
A critical component in ensuring your new windows (in a renovation or a new home) offer the best possible performance and ensure year round comfort is to ask that your windows and glass doors are thermally broken.
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this has been common practice overseas for many years it is only recently that Australia and New Zealands building codes have been amended to reflect these new standards. All the major manufacturers of aluminium widow profiles have heavily invested in new machinery and can now offer or will very shortly offer a range of thermally broken windows. APL (Aluminium products Ltd in NZ and trading as AWS in Australia) offer their THERMAL HEART range via their retail brands which include Vantage, First, Alterm. Fletcher Aluminum will in early 2010 launch their new thermal range via their retail brands which include Rylock, Fisher,Nebulite, Vistalite and Oakley. ASL (Aluminium Systems Ltd ) call their range THERMAL COLOUR (As they offer the option of a different window frame colour inside to that outside) and they operate the Farview and Elite brands MCK SYSTEMS market their range under the OPEN WINDOWS brand
If you would like further information contact Technoform Bautec The e-centre, Oaklands Rd, Albany Ph: 09 415 9050 E: info@technoform-anz or visit www.technoform-anz.com
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