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High-performance windows help to regulate the temperature of your home, while reducing your reliance on heating and cooling. This is because 40% of a home’s heating energy can be lost and up to 87% of its heat is gained through windows.

Single, double or triple glazed windows will allow good solar heat gain. Only double or triple glazed windows with energy-efficient frames are better at preventing heat loss.

Efficient frames are timber frames, uPVC frames, and combination frames (e.g. aluminium and timber), as they do not conduct heat. Standard aluminium framing is not the most energy-efficient option, as a great deal of heat is lost through the highly conducting aluminium frame. Be sure to install thermally-broken aluminium frames that have insulating materials placed between the interior and exterior elements to minimise transfer of heat. 

When choosing the windows for your home, the Solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) and the conductive heat value (U value) are important values to look out for. SHGC measures how sunlight heat flows through the window into your home and the U value describes the conduction of the whole window (glass and frame together). You can learn more about these values from the Your Home website.

In our Innovation Precinct, we've used some excellent examples of high-performance glazing. We used High Performance Thermally Broken Double Glazed Argon Filled Windows with Unplasticised Polyvinyl Chloride frames (UPVC). Windows filled with argon gas further insulate your home.

Source: Your Home and adapted from the Australian Window Association